How Shipshape Uses Your Internet Connection

Shipshape Monitored6 min read

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The Short Answer

Shipshape uses a very small amount of your internet bandwidth. Most households will never notice any difference in their internet speed or performance after installing Shipshape.

How Much Bandwidth Does Shipshape Use?

Sensor data is tiny. Each reading (temperature, humidity, power, water detection) is just a few kilobytes of information. Your Shipshape gateway sends these small data packets to our cloud servers throughout the day.

Typical monthly usage: less than 100 MB.

To put that in perspective:

| Activity | Data Used | |----------|-----------| | Shipshape (entire month) | ~100 MB | | Streaming one hour of Netflix (HD) | ~3,000 MB | | One video call (1 hour) | ~1,500 MB | | Downloading one phone app | ~100-500 MB | | Browsing the web (1 hour) | ~60 MB |

Your entire month of Shipshape monitoring uses roughly the same amount of data as 2 minutes of streaming video. It will not slow down your internet, affect your streaming, or impact anyone else's online activity.

How the Gateway Connects

Your Shipshape gateway is the hub that collects data from all your sensors and sends it to the Shipshape cloud. Here is how it works:

Sensors communicate with the gateway using low-power wireless protocols (not WiFi)
The gateway connects to your router via a wired ethernet cable
The gateway sends data to Shipshape cloud servers over your existing internet connection
The app and web dashboard retrieve your data from the cloud

The gateway uses a wired ethernet connection rather than WiFi for reliability. A wired connection is more stable, less prone to interference, and ensures consistent data delivery. This means the gateway needs to be placed near your router or a network switch with an available ethernet port.

What the Gateway Does NOT Do

Understanding what the gateway does not do is just as important:

Does not slow down your internet. The bandwidth used is negligible.
Does not access other devices on your network. The gateway communicates only with Shipshape sensors and Shipshape cloud servers. It does not scan, monitor, or interact with your computers, phones, smart TVs, or other connected devices.
Does not use significant bandwidth. Even homes with 20+ sensors use well under 200 MB per month.
Does not require a high-speed connection. Any standard broadband connection works fine, including basic DSL, cable, fiber, or fixed wireless.
Does not use your WiFi. The gateway connects via ethernet cable, so it does not compete with your wireless devices for WiFi bandwidth.

Minimum Internet Requirements

Shipshape is designed to work with virtually any home internet connection:

Minimum speed: 1 Mbps upload (even basic DSL exceeds this)
Connection type: Any broadband, including DSL, cable, fiber, fixed wireless, or satellite
Router requirement: One available ethernet port (or a simple network switch if all ports are in use)
No special configuration needed — plug in the ethernet cable and the gateway connects automatically

If your internet is fast enough to browse the web or check email, it is fast enough for Shipshape.

What Happens If Your Internet Goes Down

Internet outages happen. Here is what to expect:

During the Outage

Monitoring pauses. The gateway cannot send data to the cloud without an internet connection, so real-time monitoring is temporarily unavailable.
Sensors keep working. Battery-powered sensors continue recording data locally. They do not depend on the internet to function.
No data is lost. Sensor readings are buffered and will be uploaded once the connection is restored.
SAM cannot send alerts. Without a cloud connection, alerts cannot be generated or delivered during the outage.

When Internet Returns

The gateway reconnects automatically. No action is required on your part.
Buffered data uploads. Any sensor readings collected during the outage are sent to the cloud, filling in the gap in your data history.
Monitoring resumes. SAM begins analyzing data and generating alerts again.
You may receive a "gateway back online" notification confirming that everything is working normally.

For more details about power outages (which affect both internet and the gateway), see our article on power outage preparedness.

Network Security

Your home network's security is important. Here is how Shipshape protects it:

Outbound-Only Communication

The gateway only makes outbound connections to Shipshape servers. It does not:

Open any ports on your network
Accept incoming connections from the internet
Create any entry points that could be exploited

This is a fundamental security design choice. The gateway reaches out to Shipshape. Nothing from outside reaches in.

Encrypted Communication

All data between the gateway and Shipshape servers is encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security). This is the same encryption standard used by banks, healthcare systems, and government agencies. Even if someone intercepted the data in transit, they could not read it.

Network Isolation

The gateway does not interact with other devices on your home network. It has no ability to:

See what other devices are connected
Access shared files or printers
Monitor network traffic
Interfere with other smart home devices

Changing Internet Providers or Routers

If you switch internet service providers or replace your router, reconnecting Shipshape is simple:

Unplug the gateway's ethernet cable from the old router
Plug it into the new router (any available ethernet port)
That's it. No reconfiguration, no app changes, no setup process

The gateway will detect the new connection and resume normal operation automatically. You may see a brief "gateway offline" notification during the transition, followed by a "gateway online" confirmation once it reconnects.

If your new router is in a different location and the ethernet cable does not reach, you may need a longer cable or a network switch. Your internet service provider's technician can usually help with this during installation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Shipshape with a mobile hotspot or cellular internet? Technically yes, as long as the hotspot provides an ethernet connection (via adapter) and stays on continuously. However, mobile hotspots are not recommended for reliable home monitoring because they can disconnect, have data caps, and may not provide consistent connectivity.

Does Shipshape work with mesh WiFi systems? Yes. The gateway connects via ethernet to your primary router or mesh base station. It does not use WiFi, so the type of wireless system you have does not matter.

Will Shipshape conflict with my other smart home devices? No. Shipshape sensors use their own wireless protocol to communicate with the gateway. They do not interfere with WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, or other smart home protocols.

Can I see how much bandwidth Shipshape is using? Most modern routers have a traffic monitoring feature in their settings page. You can check the gateway's usage there. It will be one of the lowest-bandwidth devices on your network.

What if my router does not have an available ethernet port? You can use a simple network switch (available at any electronics store for $10-$20) to add more ports. Plug the switch into one of your router's ethernet ports, then connect both the gateway and whatever was previously using that port to the switch.