A guest hands you her phone, unlocked, and says, "Just put me on the wifi and get my holiday photos on the big screen." It is a small request that touches network security, guest privacy and a system you are not allowed to reconfigure. Doing it well takes two minutes. Doing it badly can take the boat offline.
Getting a device onto the guest network
- Connect the device to the guest wifi only - never the crew or vessel network, whatever the guest says about needing a better signal.
- Enter the current password yourself if the guest prefers, or hand over the credentials as your yacht does it. Set the expectation as you go: a calm word about shared bandwidth now is worth ten apologies later.
- If it will not connect, check the obvious - aeroplane mode, the device sitting on a saved network, wrong password - then stop. Do not change any network setting on the yacht side, add a device to a different network, or plug anything into a wall port.
- Some yachts limit devices per guest or require the ETO to register a device. Know your yacht's rule before you promise anything.
Casting, AirPlay-style sharing and screen mirroring
Sharing a phone screen to a TV depends on the device and the display being able to see each other on the network - which, on a yacht with segmented networks, is often deliberately restricted. Sometimes it works, sometimes it will never work, and only the ETO knows which.
| Situation | Safe interior action | Stop and escalate |
|---|---|---|
| Guest wants to cast photos | Try the yacht's documented method once | If casting is not enabled, say so honestly - do not experiment |
| Device not visible to the TV | Confirm both are on the guest network; retry once | Beyond that, ETO |
| Guest asks to plug a laptop into a TV | Only if the yacht permits and a cable is provided | Any rack or wall-port cabling |
| Guest wants their own router or hotspot | None | Captain and ETO decision, always |
Bluetooth audio
Pairing a guest's phone to a bluetooth speaker or zone is usually straightforward, but remember it is a shared device: the last guest may still be paired, and a paired phone can hijack a zone from another cabin. Clear old pairings when your yacht's procedure allows it, and unpair a guest's device at departure.
Onboard Notes
- Never hand out crew or vessel network credentials. Never. If pressed, escalate to the chief stew or ETO.
- Never plug an unknown device, cable, dongle or USB stick into a ship system to make something work.
- Unlocked guest phones in your hands are a privacy risk to you as much as to them - do only what was asked, in front of them where possible.
- Log what you paired and what you connected, so it can be undone at departure.