SeaNet springboards off cup connections

By ADAM GIFFORD

Following the America's Cup, wireless equipment developer SeaNet is looking for backers for its next phase.

During the regatta the Auckland-based firm was kept busy providing fast internet access to cup syndicates, superyachts and cruise ships. Managing director John Talbot said the regatta was a distraction from the company's real business.

"We should have been developing the technology and giving it to service providers to develop the service, but we couldn't find a provider who wanted to do that so we did it ourselves," Talbot said.

The future, said Talbot, was in the small grey box sitting on a table in SeaNet's harbourside offices. The latest generation of the company's Aquatude router combines the low-cost 802.11b technology SeaNet used for its Hauraki Gulf and Kaikoura Whalewatch networks with the CDMA band Telecom is using for its digital mobile network. Signals out come through an ethernet connection or wireless card.

The device has an embedded operating system, based on Linux, on flash memory. It incorporated a bridge to convert the wireless signal to Ethernet, a router to connect multiple PCs or client devices, a firewall, and IPSec TCP/IP for security.

SeaNet is also working on adding capability to switch to Vodafone's GPRS mobile data network.

Chief technology officer Derek Gaeth said the device was ideal for ships which could shift off satellite communications to faster and cheaper networks when they got close to a port. The New Zealand Navy is testing a SeaNet system, which can create secure virtual private networks.

Talbot said SeaNet was looking for at least $1 million to develop the product.

SeaNet