A wireless network on your boat?

Since boats are increasingly stuffed with electronics (instrumental, entertainment, camera's etc), it might make sense to network your boat. And if you do so, consider to create a wireless network since not many boats are built with network drops in every room, let alone on deck.... Another compelling reason is that more and more marina's provide internet access via a Wi-Fi access point, and some companies even offer it up to 30 miles at sea. Business Week runs a 'basics' article on when and how to setup a wireless network. Of course boats have specific requirements, this is a topic I will cover later on.

"Why should I even consider a wireless network for my home? The first question is really why you would want any sort of network. The most common reason is to allow more than one computer to share a broadband Internet connection. Increasingly, though, the home network is moving beyond PCs to include consumer-electronics devices (for example, to obtain electronic TV program guides), game consoles (for online multiplayer gaming), and home-security and heating-and-cooling systems (for control and monitoring)."