How Combining Starlink, Satellite and Cellular Keeps Commercial Vessels Online Offshore
Commercial vessel internet works best when the ship doesn’t depend on one internet connection. Even Starlink gets blocked by the ship’s own masts and cranes, weakens in storms, and has coverage gaps far offshore.
Speedify is software that combines Starlink with 4G/5G cellular, other satellite services and Wi-Fi into one encrypted internet connection between ship and shore, on standard routers and computers rather than special hardware. When one internet connection drops, Speedify switches the vessel’s traffic to the others, and while they all work, uploads and downloads get faster. With only one internet connection on board, Speedify still encrypts the traffic but cannot stop that connection from dropping.
Speedify keeps you online when Starlink drops, wherever you are
Watch now
How Speedify combines internet connections on any hardware
Get started with Speedify for your business
Speedify offers three commercial paths. They work together, and most enterprise customers use two or more.
01
Speedify Teams
Speedify on every supported OS for every team member
Centralized dashboard for billing, user provisioning, and usage analytics
CSV import/export and a RESTful management API
02
Speedify for Routers
License for supported OpenWrt routers
Powered by Speedify hardware lineup ready to deploy out of the box
Miri, GL.iNet and other partner models
Covers every device on the network, with no per-device install
03
Embed Speedify into your product
A · DIY
Build it yourself with the Speedify SDK.
Integrate Speedify into your iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux or QNX product. Full developer documentation, sample code and supported integration paths. Your team owns the build, and the Speedify SDK handles combining the internet connections.
B · CUSTOM ENGINEERING
Have the Speedify team build it for you.
Why Ship Internet Still Drops, Even with Starlink
Ship internet used to mean hard trade-offs: high prices, low speeds and frequent dropouts. Starlink changed what ship operators expect. Some problems remain:
- The ship’s own masts, cranes and equipment block the view of the sky
- Storms and heavy rain weaken the signal
- Some ocean regions have gaps in coverage
- Speeds drop at busy times, when many people share the same service
- Short dropouts when the Starlink dish switches satellites, which happens on a fixed 15-second schedule
These problems still hit navigation, weather updates, crew calls and business systems. Depending on any single provider, even Starlink, leaves the ship exposed.
How Ships Use Several Internet Connections at Once with Speedify
Instead of relying on one satellite provider, ships running Speedify use several internet connections at the same time. Speedify runs on dedicated networking devices, as an app, or inside other companies’ hardware through the Speedify SDK (a kit that lets hardware makers build Speedify into their own products). A ship can combine:
- Several satellite services: Starlink, older ship satellite systems (often called VSAT), and Iridium satellite data
- 4G/5G cellular when the ship is within range of shore
- Radio or Wi-Fi links to nearby ships
- Wi-Fi networks in port and close to shore
When one of these services drops, the ship stays online on the others. That matters most for safety systems and for the work that can’t stop while the ship is at sea.
How Speedify Secures the Data Link from Ship to Shore
Speedify encrypts all internet traffic on every internet connection the ship uses, satellite or cellular, so crew and business data stays private between ship and shore. For ship operators that must keep data on their own servers, Speedify Self-Hosted Servers run Speedify on the operator’s own servers. For private server capacity without running it yourself, Speedify Dedicated Servers give the fleet a server that nobody else shares.
What Hardware a Ship Needs to Combine Internet Connections
Speedify itself is software, but ships are hard on electronics. A permanent setup usually includes:
- A marine-grade router running Speedify: built to handle shaking, damp air and big temperature swings.
- Antennas and dishes that keep their signal while the ship moves: mounted with a clear view of the sky, so the ship’s roll and turns don’t cut the signal.
On that router, Speedify checks every internet connection all the time, moves traffic to the ones working best, and keeps calls and business apps going on the others when one drops.
Installation usually means mounting several antennas with a clear view of the sky, connecting them to the ship’s existing network, and setting up Speedify for the way each vessel works.
How Different Kinds of Ships Use Combined Internet Connections
Commercial shipping: Container ships can use Starlink at sea and cellular near port to keep tracking and logistics systems online, which makes live inventory tracking and maintenance planning from sea practical.
Cruise ships: Passenger ships can use Starlink together with older ship satellite services, so the ship’s own systems and guest Wi-Fi keep working when one service drops.
Offshore energy: Oil and gas platforms can keep safety monitoring, environmental reports and crew calls online on a second internet connection when a storm weakens one satellite service.
Fishing fleets: Fishing boats can use cellular close to shore and Starlink far out to send catch data, check market prices and meet reporting rules.
Speedify Is Used on Millions of Devices Worldwide
Speedify has made internet connections faster and more reliable for businesses and individuals since 2014.
15M+
Speedify downloads worldwide75K+
5-star reviews for Speedify on iOS and Android82
Speedify server points of presence in 50+ cities on 6 continents500TB+
Of internet traffic carried by Speedify every weekSpeedify Partners
Speedify works with these companies to bring faster, more reliable internet and networking technology to their customers and employees.
What Steadier Ship Internet Is Worth to a Maritime Business
Fewer delays: Fewer dropouts mean fewer jobs held up waiting for the internet to come back.
Safety: Steady access to weather data, navigation updates and emergency communication makes the ship safer.
Crew who stay: Keeping crew is one of the maritime industry’s biggest problems, and reliable internet for calls home helps.
Smarter operations: Steady internet makes onboard sensors, maintenance planning and live monitoring practical, which isn’t possible when the internet keeps dropping.
With Speedify combining every internet connection on board, your vessel no longer depends on one provider, and the crew and the office on shore get an internet connection they can plan around.
Speedify Business Solutions
Speedify Teams
Speedify for Routers
Speedify Embedded Solutions and Integrations
Add Speedify to your own app or hardware with the Speedify SDK. Your product then combines internet connections, fails over automatically when one drops, and encrypts the traffic, using the same technology as the Speedify app.