Using Wi-Fi on your boat

Use Wi-Fi on your boat
Trådlöös communication brings a number of benefits for a boat and its network. The main reason to use it is, well... because it's trös! No wires/cables means no messy cable runs and no tight spaces where it might otherwise be difficult to run physical cable. This is good when it comes to saving time and money.

However, there is a fundamental problem with using remote communication as the method of choice, and it's disturbances and connection stability. It is recommended to use Wi-Fi as an additional "nice to have", rather than the primary data transfer method on board. Some data shared between devices in a network is considered security critical, which means it is very important!

Data such as AIS targets, radar, GPS, depth such as ä is key to keeping the vessel and passengers safe must always have a constant connection (ie a physical connection such as a NMEA 2000 network). An ideal scenario for tree communication is to have a phone/tablet on board. The primary unit receives data such as AIS targets to be sent to the plotter / MFD on the NMEA 2000 network, but it is perfectly acceptable to have this on; a second screen like a tablet or like an MFD.

If this data was shared across Wi-Fi and the connection is interrupted, or if the signal suffers from interference (which is quite common with things like microwaves and rain causing problems), you can potentially lose AIS information! In a situation where the NMEA 2000 network displays this data on; your MFD and you lost track of the three-way connection, this is good because you can åreå to MFD and keep track of all targets.

However, if you were to only have the tablet on board and then lose the remote connection, you have immediately lost AIS targets along with position and depth. ; once. This article does not suggest; that thread's connection is bad, because it generally isn't, and it turns out to be a very useful addition to most networks. The purpose is to explain how using wired communication as the primary communication method can cause major problems, and why a physical connection should always be the primary method of data transfer. ;ring.

If you are looking for a trådlös gateway to add to your NMEA 2000 network, our W2K-1 is an excellent choice. With logging capabilities and support for a variety of data formats, including NMEA 0183 powered by our award-winning NGW-1 conversion engine, the W2K-1 can help expand your system.< /p>

Our tråösa gateway has been tested and tested with several NMEA 0183 applications on both iOS and Android, including industry favorite Navionics. We're always looking to add more apps to the tested list, so if you have any you want to test, please let us know. The list of supported applications can be found here.

Actisense W2K-1 NMEA 2000 to WiFi Gateway

Förstå signal strengths
A good Wi-Fi connection strength is crucial for the continuous operation of all 3D devices connected to a 3D gateway, router , PC etc... but how is the Wi-Fi strength displayed and what does it mean?

There is more än one way to show signal strength, which can complicate things a bit, but one method is more common than the others. Signal strength can be displayed in milliwatts (mW), på an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) scale, but more commonly as decibels in relation to a milliwatt (dBm).
dBm is the most consistent and universal way of showing signal strength. Fortunately, since RSSI uses different scales, many receivers and adapters will convert it to dBm. dBm works on a negative scale, the lower the number, the worse the signal, usually on; a -30 to -100 scale. In this scenario -30 is a much better signal than -85 for example.

dBm is a logarithmic scale, meaning that any increase or decrease in value becomes a multiplier. In this case, each 10dBm represents a 10-fold power change. Thus, a 0dBm signal is equivalent to 1mW and a -10dBm signal is 0.1mW. This means that a simple two-digit number can represent massive changes in signal level – for example -80dBm is a signal level; on 0.00000001mW!

RSSI is considered a more common measurement method than mW, but there is no standard universal scale for RSSI. På because of this, you can get variation in measurements, e.g. if one works on the scale 0-255 and the other is 0-60, a solution to 30 very different på both.

Signal strength, What this means

• 30 dBm This is approximately as close to maximum signal strength as you can get. The device must be very close to the access point for this. This strong signal is not required for the device to be used.
• 67 dBm The signal level considered to be "guideline" for streaming etc... this is a good strong signal that will support most things.
• 73 dBm This is the lowest signal strength that required for reliable and constant data/packet transfer
• 80 dBm At this signal level; there is a risk of instability and packet loss. Basic connection will probably work on; it hears the level, but not much else
• 90 dBm This is right at the bottom of the range; signal strength scale. På this levelå the connection will be susceptible to a large amount of interference and will probably not hold a connection very long, if at all!

In short, provided your signal strength is -73dBm or higher, you will have a reliable communication stream for data when using gateways that are W2K-1 for NMEA Data transfer.