The many advantages of SD-WAN
The expectation these days is you must always be connected no matter where in the world the yacht is or how far she is from shore. Innovative systems, such as a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) from Videoworks, make this possible by using various internet connections for increased stability and reliability.
Unlike previous hardware-only solutions, SD-WAN provides virtualized resources for connections over wide area networks via standard broadband internet links. “By applying software-defined networking principles to wide area networks, SD-WAN technology abstracts traffic management and monitoring tasks from network hardware and then distributes them to individual applications,” says Paolo Tagliapietra, connectivity and communication manager of Videoworks BU.
As a virtual WAN architecture, its main focus is to ensure the vessel is online 100 percent of the time through bonding and load balancing between different sources: VSAT, Starlink, OneWeb, 5G and Wi-Fi. Channel bonding brings the available connections together in a single channel to strengthen the connection, improve performance and prevent outages. SD-WAN has a dedicated landing IP address to run specific streaming platforms, allow for remote maintenance and support and optimize any available connectivity in the vessel’s navigation area.
The system automatically uses the best solution based on the needs. For streaming, Starlink would be preferred for its bandwidth potential and a brief disconnection would not be much of an issue, but for a meeting, the system would opt for dockside connection, which might not be as fast but is more stable. And if one connection fails, the system redirects traffic to the other available connections.
SD-WAN allows owners and guests to stream content such as Netflix, Sky or Now TV, from sports to movies, via the internet rather than traditional satellite TV. This technology is especially valuable for users who want to access streaming content from their home country, as it helps manage internet traffic and maintain the desired IP address for uninterrupted access to regional streaming services.
Founded in 1998, Videoworks is a prominent international system integrator with more than 25 years of experience in designing, implementing and installing advanced technologies.