Many rowers do not store their boat and equipment in a facility with fast WiFi connectivity. Here are some tips to upload your XBoat data seamlessly without on-site WiFi
Dedicated Mobile Hotspot
Best for teams with 8+ seats
Pros: Most flexible
Cons: Plans are pricey, can cost ~$100 /mo
- The most seamless way to upload data on the go is via a mobile hotspot with a data plan
- On the dock, at a regatta, or at your training site, mobile hotspots will provide reliable data upload as soon as rowing is completed
- Here is a Verizon option that we’ve tested that works great in many parts of the US
Cell Phone WiFi Hotspot
Best for individuals and small teams
Pros: Most budget friendly
Cons: Convenience - phone hotspots often do not auto-connect, have connection limits
- Connect your XBoat Rowing Monitor to your personal phone WiFi hotspot to take advantage of your cell phone data plan
- Each upload is approximately 20MB. Thats 1/2 GB per month for an individual rowing every day
- Mobile hotspots can only handle a few concurrent connections. For an 8+, we suggesting leaving WiFi off on all of your XBoat devices, and only uploading 2 seats at a time by turning the WiFi on, selecting the hotspot network, waiting for upload to complete, and turning WiFi off again
Any WiFi Network
Best as a backup plan
Pros: Free, Works almost anywhere
Cons: Removing XBoat Rowing Monitors from boat to export data
- Take your XBoat device with you and connect to any WiFi network available to you on a regular basis
- This could be your home, office, or favorite coffee shop’s WiFi
T-Mobile Pre-Paid SIM Card
Seamless alternative for individuals
Pros: Most convenient
Cons: Cost (~$10/mo). Forbidden during racing
- Insert a Pre-Paid T-Mobile SIM Card into your XBoat Device (US only). You’ll remain connected wherever you have mobile internet service
- We recommend the $10, 2GB plan for most individuals
- Important Rules Note: SIM cards must be removed during racing. Bi-directional connectivity is not supported in the XBoat software, and using your device’s mobile connectivity during racing will result in your disqualification under conventional rules of rowing