Those with an interest in environmentally-conscious living will already be familiar with solar electricity, but a surprising range of useful products are also powered by the sun’s natural energy.  The market has seen an explosion of solar-powered gadgets and tools designed to provide the ultimate in off-the-grid convenience with low impact on the environment. Here are a few unique inventions that will help you take the comforts of civilization to even the remotest island.

Enjoy your favourite music on your island without the hassle of batteries. Sundance Solar offers a range of sun-powered radios, from stand-up units to hiking-friendly armbands and headsets. Not only do these products come in solar-powered designs, but there are even hand-cranked versions for stormy weather: Read more »

For the sake of discussion, let’s say your island is too far from the mainland to be accessible by a telephone landline or cellular network. You’ve got to keep in touch no matter where you are, but consider who you’re going to be contacting the most and why. From there, you can determine what your needs technology-wise will be, and how much you should be spending on keeping yourself connected- despite being an island unto yourself.

In recent years, two-way radios have become popular with consumers looking for an alternative to cellphones. In addition to the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), the Family Radio Service- FRS for short- has provided ultra high frequency (UHF) radio communication to the North American public since 1994. Operating above the bandwidth used by cordless phones, remote-controlled toys and other radio devices, the FRS is a dedicated system, minimizing radio interference to ensure clarity. Read more »

Radios are a great way to keep abreast on the news, hear your favourite music or get updated on the local weather. Unfortunately since radio signals can only travel 30 to 40 miles, many island locations are too remote to get a radio signal. Therefore an alternative technology that many island owners invest in is satellite radio. Satellite radio, also called digital radio, offers uninterrupted, near CD-quality music beamed to your radio from space.

Satellite radio is a relatively simple concept. Music, news, or talk stations beam the signal up to the satellite from the respective satellite radio company (i.e. XM or Sirius). The satellites broadcast the signal back to Earth, where it’s picked up by a receiver unit (your radio).

To get satellite radio you need to have a tuner or a receiver (the radio). The radio typically connects and plays through a home stereo system however many island owners get a stand alone or portable satellite radio system. The portable system comes with a rechargeable battery and a built in antenna, and can be listed to any where a radio signal can be received. Much like other satellite equipment objects such as trees and buildings can interfere with the signal.

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Depending on the location of your island you may not be able to get cell phone reception and land lines may not be available in the area. Therefore in order to stay in contact with the outside world you may want to use a Satellite Phone. Unlike cellular phones that rely on cell towers for signal transmission, satellite telephones or “Satphones” use Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites for transmission. When you turn on your satellite phone and make a call the signal goes to the orbiting satellites where it is directed by the gateway to the call destination. The call can be directed to either a land line or a cellular network. The reverse of this process is also true in that a land line or cellular phone can also call your satellite phone on your island. This process allows you to use your phone even when you are on a remote island far from a cell phone tower.

While there is some variation in systems most satellite phones will work anywhere on the planet. Modern satellite phones resemble the cell phones of the 1980’s and will most likely continue to shrink in size. Satellite phones have large antennas that protrude from the phone in order to provide the necessary reception. Reception on satellite phones is general good but may vary depending on your location. The more unobstructed the sky is the better your signal will be. Solar flares and dwellings tends to be the biggest obstructions.

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For many island owners being able to get a stable broadband Internet connection is vital to their business or personal interests. Given the remoteness and isolation of private islands the best option is to access the internet via satellite. The advantage of satellite internet services is that it can be accessed anywhere in the world, which is ideal for individuals living on islands. Unlike traditional internet connections Satellite Internet does not use telephone lines or cable systems. Instead it relies on a satellite dish for two way data communication (uploading and downloading). Although not as fast as Cable or DSL connections, Satellite Internet is still about ten times faster than connection via a traditional dial-up modem.

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