The simple answer upfront: No, receiving and forwarding AIS data over the internet will not affect your internet connection. It will not slow down your internet connection or consume a large amount of data. We explain why this is the case in this article.
AIS-transmitted data packets are quite small, with an average message size of about 128 bytes. Consequently, the bandwidth required is minimal and represents only a tiny fraction of the capacity provided by ADSL, cable, or even dial-up internet connections.
Here's a rough estimate of daily bandwidth consumption for a standard AIS station. You can check your own statistics to see the average number of messages your station receives. The "AIS Messages per Minute (Daily)" graph is particularly useful for this. It shows the average number of messages your station receives per minute throughout the day.
In this example, we have an average of 208.27 messages per minute throughout the day. For calculation purposes, we will round this up to 210 messages per minute.
210 Messages * 60 Minutes = 12.600 Messages per hour
12.600 Messages per hour * 24 hours = 302.400 Messages per day
302.400 Messages per day * 128 bytes = 38707200 bytes = 38,7 MB per day
This example illustrates the data consumption of a well-performing AIS station. However, some stations might consume more data due to higher activity, while others might use less depending on their coverage. Here’s a rough estimate of data usage for this example station, broken down by hour, day, and month:
1.6 MB per hour - This is roughly equivalent to the data size of a single image posted on social media.
38.4 MB per day - This corresponds to streaming about 12 music tracks.
1161 MB per month - This is comparable to the data used by streaming a 41-minute Full HD video.
These comparisons help illustrate how AIS data consumption compares to common online activities.
If you're operating the station over mobile or satellite internet, this could be a consideration, but even then, obtaining a stable internet connection with sufficient data volume is generally more cost-effective. If your bandwidth is limited and this poses a problem, please contact our support team, and we will be happy to assist you with advice and solutions.
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