Remote working on a boat

How do you work from a boat with no conventional broadband connection, which might not even be in the same place from one day to the next? How do you work in a 39m^2 (420ft^2) space with no spare room, limited storage, and shared with two other people and a cocker spaniel? Turns out it's easy, and in many ways the boat is the best space I've ever worked from.

I've been working in the boat for 2.5 years, not counting the year we lived at a friends while we did the refit. I've worked for a University and two charities in that time, doing management and technical roles, and all involved lots of meetings over Zoom or Teams. I think anyone living in a tiny house/micro home can easily accomodate home working, and I'm hoping this blog provides some ideas about how.

Technology

Whilst I work in Tech I'm not a high-tech person, even when I lived in a house and had space for a much grander setup I didn't bother with webcams, microphones, ring-lights and ultra-wide displays. Since I became aware of the cost of consumption, technology became a means to an end, not an end in itself. This (and the space constraints of living on a boat) means this setup is minimalist, low cost, and could be adopted by anyone.

Equipment

I use a standard issue laptop, typically a 13" display. It's usable though I am planning to add a second 23" display alongside it as I work with datasets which require a larger screen to navigate.

For my keyboard and mouse I wanted to be as energy efficient as possible. My keyboard is on brand, it's a Logitech K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard! It has a built-in numpad which makes data entry a breeze, and it's entirely solar powered (aided by the big windows on both sides of the boat). My mouse is Logitech Marathon Mouse M705 which has a three year battery life, about as energy efficient as you can get.

For audio I use a pair of JLAB GO Air Sport True Wireless Earbuds, but only because I bought them for my daughter after she lost her previous set, which she then found! Before that I was using my ancient (7 year old) Sennheiser HD440 BT headets which you can't get any more, but the HD450BT refurbished is a good equivalent.

Connectivity

In a boat (or any non-permanent structure) traditional DSL or Fibre broadband options are out, so your options are 4G, 5G or satellite broadband.  A popular satellite option at the moment is Starlink, but I wouldn't touch anything associated with Elon Musk with a bargepole, so that was never an option.  Having tried three different mobile networks (Three, O2 and Vodafone) and three different routers (the Three broadband hub, a Fritzbox 6850 (5G) and the Teltonika TCR100 4G Home Router) our tried and tested boat broadband setup is as follows.

• Teltonika TCR100 4G router (now discontinued but if I was replacing it I'd go for the Teltonika RUTM51)
• Poynting XPOL-1-5G 2x2 MIMO Omni-Directional Antenna
• Vodafone 5G Unlimited Plus Data Plan

This provides reasonable performance, obviously it varies but testing just now I got 24Mbps download, 15Mbps upload (3MB/s download 1.9MB/s upload) which is plenty for remote working over Teams or Zoom, and can support other users at the same time (though streaming HD whilst doing a Teams video call will probably result in one or the other being degraded).

Working space

Unlike most houses or flats there are no spare rooms or unused corners to put a working area in. However, I found a Harmoni Standing Desk on the breakfast bar works well enough. I wouldn't recommend anyone in the UK buy one of these as the vendor has gone dark and stopped responding to emails, if I was buying one now I'd go to Humbleworks.

I prefer to stand when I work as it's kept me fitter and prevented upper back pain which I previously suffered from however well my desk area was configured.
The standing desk means my display, keyboard and mouse are all at exactly the right height, and I've got freedom of movement whilst working.

There are two improvements I'm planning to make;

1. Buy (or get Nat to make 😀) a second wide shelf for my standing desk, which will allow me to put my monitor and laptop on the top shelf, giving me dual display. This will be a huge help as my laptop only has a 13" display and some content is difficult to navigate and process on such a small screen.
2. Move my work area from the breakfast bar to the corner by the fire, putting the standing desk on the portable frame Nat built for Pez's dog crate. That means I'm out of everyones way and my camera is facing out of the boat so my family can get on with their life without worrying about appearing in my Teams meetings.

An important aspect of home working is being able to stop and switch from work to home mode at the end of the day. In my case the standing desk and laptop packs away under the sofa bed (and in the future there's room for the second display). This means the boat returns to non-work mode, I can switch off, and I'm not wasting any space.

Conclusion

I've previously worked from conventional homes in a dedicated space (with a regular office desk and chair) and using my standing desk in kitchens and lounges, and I can confidently say the boat is the best place I've ever worked remotely.

The main win is the light. The big windows (1200mm and 1500mm) both sides mean the interior is full of natural light, even in the winter.  The standing desk also is a huge win for me, it means I don't feel stuck, because I'm moving all the time. Finally, the small space (which would put some people off) is great for me, everything is within reach, and I don't need to go far to get coffee, water, lunch or just sit on the couch for a change of scenery.

If you're thinking of living on a boat and want to know if it's possible to work from home, it absolutely is. I'd even be comfortable working on a narrowboat with the same setup (the standing desk takes up almost no room), it's all about finding clever ways to use your space.