Our Newest WiFi Product: The Wirie pro!

I have been wanting to write a blog about our newest Wirie product for quite some time, but – as with all new releases – you never really know what will happen (Will it be a success? Will there be any issues? Will we be able to sell enough to make it all worthwhile? Will everybody be happy and satisfied?), and I was a bit anxious to “jump the gun”. Now, three months and many sales later, I am confident to share how it all happened, and how The Wirie^pro was born. For all of you who have always wondered what Mark and I, but especially Mark, do all day, read on!

In January 2014, Mark was a bit bored with our boating lifestyle and needed an intellectual challenge, while we were in the Marquesas. He had been having great ideas in the past about building an improved long range internet system that would combine WiFi and 2G/3G/4G, but our remote locations, poor WiFi sources, challenging lives and the lack of suitable materials to use, had put him off. When I returned from Belgium that February, he had me bring a few 3G routers, outlined his ideas, and it all started from there…

For months, he looked into possible ways to create a router that would suit our needs, he did research whenever he could (quite difficult with the unreliable internet conditions in French Polynesia) and became excited about the project, but a bit frustrated about being in the middle of nowhere at the same time. Then, something totally unexpected and scary happened, for which we were forced to return to the United States for over three months. The good thing about this event, was that Mark could focus on the new product in comfort and with all of the needed resources at hand. We could order parts to try and test, we could do research in between doctor visits, we could communicate with manufacturers and we could even make phone calls! A large portion of his time went to the design and development of the software that would eventually combine WiFi and 3/4G into a single product that was easy to use.  Those summer months in the US were very productive and the new product took shape, albeit not physically yet.

Once we were back on Irie in Tahiti, mid-August 2014, the main focus remained on the business. We brought a prototype router with us, chose anchorages based on internet availability and we stayed as long as the different stages of the development and planning required. We found a manufacturer who would build our custom designed router and sourced companies for all the other parts. We took care of existing customers and kept working on the new products for a future customer base. We extended and updated the website, decided on names for the new Wiries, wrote manuals and quick start guides, and launched the first of our new line of products, The Wirie^AP+, which offers WiFi only and is a significant upgrade over our previous product, The Wirie AP.

When the new xG router was finished, we received a unit in French Polynesia and the software and hardware testing continued in earnest. Mark improved and adjusted, we wrote press releases, revised manuals, and did odds and ends that were needed to launch the other two products. In the meantime, our partner in the US helped by planning and designing all the manufacturing aspects of the new products. Life on board was hectic, exciting, frustrating, nervous and stressful at the same time! But, with our new product, we could now even receive emails in the most remote and protected bays, where we sat out storms. Since we installed our Wirie^pro, we have never been without internet at anchor on Irie. And even underway, we pick up WiFi signals and 2G/3G/4G from much further away.

We were hoping to be done with all the preparations by Christmas, but who can blame us for not making that fictitious deadline?

On January 5^th, 2015, we felt “ready to do business” and officially launched The Wirie^xG (2G/3G/4G service only) and our revolutionary all-in-one Wirie^pro from Huahine, French Polynesia. Of course, the press release states Newbury, Massachusetts, USA, where the company is located! :-) Since then, we have had very positive feedback and we have sold and shipped units all over the world. A few magazines have requested units to test and review. To see the newest article about WiFi on boats, featuring our Wirie^pro, check out the May issue of Cruising World! Happy reading and surfing the web!

For more information about all our Wirie products, check out www.thewirie.com

One of the routers I brought from Europe for Mark to test - we did not go with a stock one

Precariously placed and attached prototype router - for months, we had to be careful sitting down on the settee!

An external DIY circuit board from SV Pitufa helps Mark to access the serial console of the prototype router

Working from morning (calling Wirie customers)...

... to late afternoon with the sun in his eyes ...

... and sometimes at night, while I do other tasks (like putting away groceries).

 

Building a router case from cardboard - using the drawings - to define where all the ports need to be placed on the final router

The router case needs to be built and placed up to Mark's specs to fit perfectly in the waterproof enclosure

Even underway, when the seas are calm enough (here from Taha'a to Huahine), Mark is working on the software development of The Wirie pro

The final Wirie pro, the way it is sold, bought, and brought back from the US (here by Marie on MV Domino) - the first Wirie pro in the South Pacific!! From inventor/producer (see SV Irie in the background) to consumer. :-) And, customer support at your doorstep!

St. Maarten: Our Mad House for a Few Months

Roaring planes, wake creating dive boats, plowing ferries, passing tenders of all sizes, buzzing jet skis resembling annoying mosquitoes and groups of sailing dinghies make up our surroundings in Simpson Bay Lagoon, St. Maarten. The contrast with previous islands –especially Barbuda – couldn’t be bigger. This is going to be our home and office for a few months and even though getting back here was somewhat of a shock, we knew what to expect. Just like last year, we anchored off Explorer Island, one of the quieter places in the lagoon and far away from all needed facilities. But, there is a little beach on the island and that’s where most of our daily trips lead to, thanks to Darwin.

Mark and I are here to work - to “replenish the cruising kitty” - and we took that task seriously from the moment we arrived. Instead of spending an hour or two a day on our Wirie business in the States, Mark now spends most of his day behind the computer, communicating with Tim, researching ideas and products, advertising, improving the website, understanding the competition, reacting to unethical, untrue statements on forums and message boards, communicating with journalists and providing customer support. The list goes on. Nobody said running a business was easy, let alone from a boat in the Caribbean.

I found a temporary job in a fun bar called Lagoonies for three 7-8 hour shifts a week. Never before was I a bar tender and if anyone would have asked if I’d ever do it, the answer would have been “no”. The person running the bar is Ellie, a friend of ours from last year. Another friend, Christine from Gypsy Cat, started working there before our arrival and one thing lead to another… I like to try new things and although the pay was low, it was an interesting experience and mostly enjoyable, depending on the customers. Last Saturday, after six weeks, I decided to quit for reasons that will become clear in a bit.

The main motivation for our extended time here is The Wirie. At this time of the year, a lot of sailboats stop in St. Maarten. We started building, advertising and selling our marine WiFi device again and it is still successful. We actually met a few sailors that bought our unit online from the States. Now they can hang out with fellow cruisers that obtained The Wirie from Irie in the past and exchange WiFi information or convince new and prospective owners of The Wirie’s capabilities. A big chunk of our days go to ordering parts, retrieving packages from the airport, manufacturing Wiries, communicating with retailers about wrong deliveries (and trying to figure out how to get the right parts here as soon as possible without losing too many sales, spending plenty of money for extra shipping in the process) and talking about our product.

Of course the daily errands can’t fall behind, we need to get and haul water, fuel and groceries from shore to Irie and, ideally, Darwin leaves the boat three times a day. Sharing one dinghy in a big area like the lagoon and each having our own commitments makes things a bit more challenging, especially when I had the night shifts. Add plenty of boat projects and quite a few unexplainable problems to the mix and you start to understand why our life has become stressful once again. As a matter of fact one of the engine problems calls for another haul-out in Philipsburg. Annoying and expensive, especially since we spent enough time in the boat yard in Grenada, less than five months ago. The idea for Irie was to not leave the water for two years…

The bright part of the story is the presence of people we know. Over the last month, time and schedule permitting, there were many evenings we enjoyed the company of our “Luperon friends” Ed and Emily from Nini and Dave from Tatia. Our Israeli friends Tania and Oren from Renata already left again, but Angie – Darwin’s best friend – is still here for a bit. I even went to Ladies Night (free drinks for the ladies!) again with even more tiredness as a result.

All the work and chores add up and it became impossible for me to combine my different jobs (I forgot to mention I want to write more and sold another article), so choices had to be made. It also would be nice to do something fun once in a while or hang out with Mark and Darwin, but that has less priority for now. Not healthy, nor good, I know, but when life is hectic and demanding and our personalities consist of being responsible, genuine and nice, it is hard to change things around. But, I made some time to finally write this blog, so the future is looking brighter already!

All is Irie with The Wirie

Over the last few months, Mark and Tim have been working extra hard on improving The Wirie and the website. From his nice, comfortable house in cold Massachusetts, Tim communicated over Skype with his brother Mark in the meager living space of Irie, located in the warm climate and pretty environments of the Caribbean. Together, they figured a whole bunch of stuff out and shared their thoughts and ideas during daily chat sessions. I helped by reviewing documents, writing some PR stuff and making Mark’s (sometimes frustrating) life a bit easier.

The result of our effort, time investment, research and team work is an improved Wirie ready for sale on the website (www.thewirie.com) and for the press. The new stainless steel bracket is custom made to fit horizontal and vertical poles as well as standard antenna mounts, a higher power 1000mW WiFi unit replaces the 500mW unit, the website focuses on Wirie use in the boating and the RV (recreational vehicle) world, Windows 7 got its own manual and the manuals for all the other operating systems (Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac) are updated. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page is enriched with extra information, other long range WiFi solutions were researched, the product comparison chart has more competitors on it, our customer service department is constantly providing advice and help, more unsolicited testimonials show how pleased our customers are and many more positive changes have been made to the site and the business operation.

Mark and Tim also tested a new WiFi unit that claims to be 2 Watts and supports the N protocol. It didn’t take them long, however, to discover that the internet connections with this unit lack reliability and are actually weaker than the 1000mW unit when used with the more frequently available B and G protocols. They concluded to not use this unit until improvements are made and results show that it is indeed better than the unit we currently use in The Wirie.

Working from pretty places scattered through the Caribbean islands over the last months has been enjoyable enough, but now it is time for the “real world”! Once in St. Martin, Mark and I will have a full time job taking care of boat projects, getting our life back on track, earning some money doing random jobs, advertising The Wirie and running the business with Tim.

With this different kind of blog, I wanted to give some insight about what else is going on in this little boat and this big world of ours. It’s not all sightseeing, relaxing and fun here on Irie, although we can’t complain about this last week. Mark and I decided to go on vacation to Barbuda and actually try to relax a bit. We did succeed splendidly and even read a couple of books, until we found a great internet signal in front of an 11 mile deserted beach! Well, I guess the beach isn’t totally deserted, based on that one building a couple of miles down. That Wirie, I tell ya…