Marine technology companies and brands continue to advance in the area of systems integration, combining features and functionalities in ways that are intended to make boating easier and safer. In just the past few weeks, Raymarine and Garmin—two of the biggest players in the marine electronics space—announced new developments around this type of integration.

Raymarine teamed up with ePropulsion to let boaters display their electric-motor engine data directly on Raymarine Axiom displays, without the need for additional gateways or add-on interface boxes. This blending of systems was accomplished by combining NMEA 2000 standards for electric engines with Raymarine’s LightHouse 4.6 operating system that supports electric motor PGN messages.

The Axiom engine dashboard now allows boaters to see the ePropulsion motor’s battery level, speed, gear and estimated range. A dynamic range ring overlays on the chartplotter display, helping boaters to visualize current cruising range and optimize energy consumption. 

“It has been incredible working alongside one of the most innovative electric engine manufacturers to bring industry-first functionality to a previously under-represented class of boater,” Grégoire Outters, general manager at Raymarine, stated in a press release. “We’re confident that those who’ve adopted electric propulsion will appreciate the forward thinking of ePropulsion and Raymarine.”

Meanwhile, Garmin used its April 2024 software release to add support for the FLIR Maritime Thermal Monitoring System.

Supported features now include live display of the video feed from the FLIR camera system; audible alarms and visual alerts on the Garmin chartplotter; thermal, visible and MSX thermal/visible blending; thermal color palette selection; and custom camera naming.

The FLIR Maritime Thermal Monitoring System can monitor machinery and equipment, identifying temperature anomalies in equipment such as gas and diesel engines, generators, bearings and electrical panels. The system can give boaters an early warning about problems that can lead to equipment failure.

FLIR’s system can be programmed to provide alerts based on high-, low- or delta-temperature factors.

“Garmin’s integration with this system allows users to deploy this solution seamlessly, without needing a separate display taking up valuable helm station real estate,” said Outters, who also serves as general manager at Teledyne FLIR Maritime. “The ease of installation and use, combined with the customizability of the system allows users to tailor it to their specific needs or mission.”

Where to learn more about Raymarine and ePropulsion: go to raymarine.com or epropulsion.com

Where to learn more about Garmin and FLIR: visit garmin.com and flir.com

The post Systems Integrations Abound appeared first on Yachting.

In 2020, the BSB Group released Oscar, a machine vision collision-avoidance system. Oscar used cameras to detect objects, and it would send real-time alerts to avoid collisions.

The company, now called Sea.AI, has since partnered with Pixel sur Mer, a French data-management and vessel-control company, and with ENSTA Bretagne, a French university with expertise in robotic engineering and autonomous navigation. Together, the trio is innovating Exos 2024, an AI and multisensor system for detecting, identifying and autonomously dodging obstacles.

These sensors include automatic identification system receivers, global-positioning system receivers, radar and cameras. Exos 2024 fuses information from all the networked sensors, allowing AI to make more-informed decisions than an optical-only solution.

Gaetan Gouerou, Sea.AI’s co-founder, says one of Exos 2024’s main challenges is determining when the system should intervene. “The autopilot will only take over in the event of a proven dangerous situation,” he says. “The acquisition of reliable information required for such action is a challenge.”

Gouerou says the group’s collective experiences will allow them to build a solution faster than any of the three could develop the technology alone. The plan is to make Exos 2024 available to singlehanded sailors competing in the 2024 Vendee Globe around-the-world race.

Database Building

In 2020, Sea.AI commanded a million annotated maritime objects in its database. It’s now more than 9 million objects. Exos 2024’s AI examines real-time imagery captured by its cameras using information gleaned from its database to detect and identify nonwater objects. Sea.AI plans to leverage the gains it makes with the Exos 2024 project to improve Sentry, a collision-avoidance system for power cruising.   

Take the next step: sea.ai

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KVH and GOST are two of the best-known brand names in marine electronics and security. KVH provides connectivity solutions ranging from maritime VSAT to Starlink, while GOST products allow for wireless security, monitoring, satellite tracking and more on board.

Now, the two companies are teaming up to offer exclusive superyacht packages for security, access control and video surveillance. At the recent Palm Beach International Boat Show, KVH and GOST announced that the packages combine GOST Apparition and GOST Watch HD with the KVH CommBox Edge Communications Gateway.

“The combination of award-winning security technology with world-class network and bandwidth management offers a versatile and powerful solution for yacht owners and crews,” Jim George, vice president of global leisure sales at KVH, stated in a press release. “Our new CommBox Edge Communications Gateway delivers seamless integration and control, consolidating GOST’s proprietary security technology with all external and local communication networks on the vessel.”

Brian Kane, chief technology officer at GOST, stated in the press release that the “Superyacht Security Packages include everything needed to remotely monitor all activities on board the vessel from anywhere in the world via computer or smartphone.”

According to the companies, the benefits are that yacht owners, captains and crew can use these Superyacht Security Packages to watch live video of the yacht as it leaves the harbor, or to view activities in the salon, staterooms or engine room, all via the GOST iPhone and Android apps.

Cameras can be set to record clips on motion detection. The security system will send push notices globally via KVH communication channels. At the same time, the CommBox Edge Cloud Portal and mobile application offer real-time control and reporting on yacht data usage, network activity and status of connectivity.

Can the Superyacht Security Packages be ordered with other services? Yes. Value-added services in addition to the Superyacht Security Packages include KVH Elite unlimited streaming. It has no overage or usage limits for streaming HD-quality entertainment anywhere on board. The KVH Elite service is available as a fixed weekly or monthly subscription, with daily extensions available and reservations extending beyond seven days. This service is compatible with all KVH 60 cm and 1 m hybrid and VSAT terminals, as well as with all KVH OpenNet terminals 60 cm and larger with no modifications necessary.

What about additional products from GOST? Its systems can focus on monitoring against everything from theft, fire and smoke to high water, low voltage, loss of shore power and intrusion.

Take the next step: click over to kvh.com or gostglobal.com

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For many owners and charterers, a superyacht is a treasured place to relax in privacy. The trouble, of course, is that these yachts can sometimes be tempting flyby targets for unmanned aerial vehicles at the hands of recreational operators or paparazzi.

The good news? Countermeasures exist.

Marss Group’s NiDAR CUAS Compact system (NiDAR Core is the company’s software-based AI platform, while CUAS means counter unmanned aerial systems) can detect and thwart up to 1,000 drones. The customizable system uses artificial intelligence and sensors for drone detection and optional electronic countermeasures, with the software-driven setup being updated monthly to keep owners ahead of the UAV technology curve.

To understand this technology, consider that consumer-level UAVs rely on two sets of radio-frequency communications. The first set includes flight-path commands that are relayed to the UAV from the human-operated controller via telemetry and the (ballpark) 2.4-gigahertz frequency band. The second set transmits the UAV’s video imagery back to its operator at about 5.8 GHz. While modern drones use frequency-hopping schemes to help ensure connectivity in RF-rich environments like cities, most UAVs are programmed to return to their operator if their RF stream is interrupted.

Sharp readers just spied an Achilles’ heel. Where there are communications, it’s also possible to jam them.

The NiDAR CUAS Compact (from around $250,000) has networked sensors and smart software that’s bundled inside a mast-mounted radome, plus a belowdecks black box that networks with the superyacht’s navigation system. Customers can spec a range of sensors (and countermeasures), and the system can sometimes use the yacht’s existing networked instrumentation.

“It’s a multilayered approach,” says Johannes Pinl, CEO and founder of the Marss Group. “There’s not one solution that fits all.”

The updatable NiDAR Core acts as the system’s centralized brain by drawing on different sensors—such as daylight and thermal- imaging cameras, Doppler-enabled radars and RF-detection sensors—to detect and identify multiple targets before alerting a human operator with a suggested response. Pinl says the omnidirectional RF-detection sensors can spot a microsize drone at 6-plus miles, sometimes with its precise location, altitude and speed. The system’s radar is composed of four high-definition solid-state radar panels on the radome’s lower pedestal, delivering 360-degree coverage. This radar can spot a recreational-level UAV at almost 1 mile out, and its Doppler post-processing provides flight-pattern information that can help the system differentiate UAVs from seabirds.

Most systems employ two cameras: one daylight/low-light camera with a 14x continuous optical zoom and one thermal-imaging camera with a 30x continuous optical zoom. These are housed in a radome that can pan through 360 degrees and tilt through minus 45 degrees to plus 90 degrees. These cameras also help identify potential threats, with live video feeds of the target(s) on networked displays or tablets.

NiDAR Core also uses the video feed to perform AI-driven image classification for fixed-wing drones, quadcopters, seagulls and such. For example, Marss trained NiDAR Core to know that birds flap their wings roughly once every three seconds. If wing motion isn’t detected, the absence can escalate a detection situation.

While the NiDAR CUAS Compact system can automatically identify, track and defeat UAVs, it is built with a human-on-the-loop scheme where input from a person is required to initiate countermeasures. This setup also creates what Marss calls “hybrid” intelligence between the system’s AI and its human operator.

System- and vessel-depending, these countermeasures often start off analog before going digital. For example, crewmembers can alert the yacht’s helicopter about a potential hazard or advise anyone enjoying the yacht’s sun decks of the situation, and suggest that they relocate.

Should the drones linger, the next step sometimes involves jamming the drones’ Achilles’ heels and sending them home. While effective, this step can include legal concerns.

“Jammers are not allowed to be used in all jurisdictions,” Pinl says, adding, “They are allowed to be owned in most of the jurisdictions and, in general, are allowed to be used in international water.”

Most recreational drones share these RF vulnerabilities; however, savvy operators sometimes program their UAVs to fly pre-scripted routes, and they set the drone’s camera to record its video imagery locally. These actions close the door on telemetric countermeasures.

The fine print on jamming is that these devices are often legal to own, but they can be illegal to use. As a result, such countermeasures are typically reserved for installations that protect heads of state (see sidebar). Marss does offer GPS jammers on some high-end military-facing systems, and customers can also sometimes buy this technology from third-party vendors.

So, if you aren’t interested in providing headline fodder for the paparazzi, investing in a Marss NiDAR CUAS Compact system could be wise. Timing, of course, matters, and Pinl advises against waiting until a crewmember discovers a UAV with flat batteries perched on the helipad (a true story).

Physical Countermeasures

While electromagnetic pulses and lasers are years away, Marss’ AI-guided Interceptor is a counter-UAV system that’s designed to protect heads of state, ships and military installations. Each Interceptor can fly at almost 180 mph to autonomously defeat multiple small and medium-size UAVs at ranges over 3 miles using battering-ram tactics.

The post MARSS’ NiDAR CUAS Compact System Ensures Privacy appeared first on Yachting.

GOST, which makes security and monitoring systems, says its Universal Control Unit can be used with the GOST Apparition IDP and NT Evolution IDP to be fully compatible for hardwired inputs for up to 192 zones.

The Universal Control Unit has traditionally been known for its wireless sensor capabilities, but it also can be used to hardwire GOST systems.

“While our UL-listed wireless transmitters are a great solution for many clients, we have many boatbuilders and after-market refit installations that can make full use of hardwired sensors such as door and hatch sensors, and float switches, to name a few,” Brian Kane, chief technology officer at GOST, stated in a press release. “Hardwiring a system is always a preferred option to reduce operator battery maintenance. It also lends itself nicely to the refit market with contact sensors, and wire runs are already installed.”

The UCU comes with a 4G LTE GSM Module for communications such as alerts, and arm and disarm functions. Local arming can be done via key fob, or optional 5- or 7-inch touchscreen keypads. Additionally, the UCU can work with any existing onboard internet via a third-party CAT5 ethernet plug.

The UCU can communicate with up to 32 wireless sensors, five relays and 32 users/key fobs. The system includes wireless, completely independent door/hatch contacts, infrared beam sensors, deck pressure sensors, high water sensors, DC battery low voltage, AC shore power loss and smoke detectors. It can also have wireless relay outputs for control of light switches, additional sirens, and more.

What if a boater needs to monitor more zones? The Universal Control Unit’s com bus can be interfaced to an eight-zone hardwired expansion and have multiple expansion modules.

Take the next step: go to gost.com

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I bought my last used car in 2001. I was 24 and enjoying a few (ahem) hard-earned years of post-college adventuring, and I was seeking a reliable mileage-maker. I found a 1998 Nissan Altima with clean papers, but I still brought it to my mechanic. Smart move: He showed me evidence of a serious prior accident and questionable maintenance.

So, I instead drove away in a just-off-lease 1996 Honda Accord. It wasn’t flashy or fun, but it delivered 100,000 trouble-free miles.

Now, flip this script and imagine that the asset involved is a new or brokerage-market yacht. Wouldn’t you like more insight into the vessel’s entire history?

Radian IoT Inc. provides information about a boat’s real-time location, inventory list and maintenance schedule, and how, when and where the boat has been or is being used. Yes, customers can use Radian’s device to power on or off compatible onboard devices and systems, but the device can also generate cloud-based geofences and huge amounts of vessel data.

Radian’s cellular-enabled M2 is a stand-alone IP67-rated black-box hub for sensors and communications. The M2 has an embedded three-axis accelerometer, a thermometer and battery-voltage sensors, and can connect to two hard-wired external sensors and pair with 24 Bluetooth-enabled devices. Additionally, the M2 has a built-in date-and-time clock, a 56-channel GNSS receiver, embedded memory that’s unaffected by power cycling, a five-year internal lithium battery (plus the ability to run off 12-volt power underway), NMEA 2000 and J1939 compliancy, and the ability to tackle over-the-air updates and configurations. Customers can also purchase external sensors for things like bilge pumps and water levels, and connect the sensors via hard-wiring.

Each M2 also has a 4G LTE Cat 1 cellular modem that can simultaneously run off three separate carrier networks and that is backward-compatible with 3G networks for use in 130 countries. The M2 reports its data at variable rates when connectivity exists; if the yacht exits coverage, the system briefcases its reports and cloud-loads them when connected.

Once data reaches Radian’s Amazon Web Services-based cloud, Radian’s in-house data scientists and AWS’ artificial intelligence sift through the ones and zeros for what Joe Czarnecky, Radian’s CEO, terms “the nuggets.” Depending on how the system is configured, and when and how it’s being used, this data can be made available to the vessel’s manufacturer, financiers, dealers, OEMs, customers and service providers.

“This is a data business,” Czarnecky says. “We have to have a great piece of hardware, but we’re really a data company, supplying data for that consumer all the way back to the dealer and manufacturer.”

Radian M2 boxes ($225 to $350, depending on their sensor payload) can be installed at the factory, or by a dealer or owner. Radian is currently supplying M2 boxes as OEM equipment to about a dozen boat manufacturers. So far, the system has been installed on thousands of new and brokerage yachts.

Scott Crutchfield, Radian’s president and founder, likens M2 boxes to SiriusXM satellite-radio receivers—standard equipment that requires a third-party subscription. In Radian’s case, airtime costs $9 per month. Once deals close, owners elect how much information they share via a series of opt-in and opt-out choices.

“We’re proud of this part,” Czarnecky says, because customers don’t “feel like their privacy is being jeopardized.” Customers can, for example, share their vessel’s health data with their dealership but decline to divulge information about their helm-time habits.

In the case of a new build with a factory-installed M2, there are three main groups of Radian-generated-data consumers: manufacturers, dealers and financiers, and customers.

Crutchfield says the manufacturer can detail up to 280 attributes about a particular yacht. “We capture the entire build sheet,” he says, adding that this helps OEM-level manufacturers optimize their billing and supply chains. Once a vessel leaves the yard, the system allows all interested parties to track the vessel’s journey to the dealership, and it gives the manufacturer insight into popular configurations.

On the dealership and finance level, Radian data can do things like provide insight into delivery times and delayed shipments, track how long each vessel has been in inventory, and track demo trips. Dealers can set geofences that trigger notifications anytime the yacht leaves the marina, and they have 24/7 access to its real-time location. The system also records the time and date that an owner officially takes possession, and it registers the vessel’s warranty.

Longer term and with the owner’s opt-in, dealers and service providers can monitor the vessel’s health and advise owners on maintenance.

Post-sale, owners can access and manage M2-gathered information via Radian’s IQ app, a web-based user interface; or a compatible multifunction display, letting them know where the boat is at any time and what happened on each trip. Here, the M2’s three-axis accelerometer and GNSS receiver capture where, when, how long, how fast and how hard a vessel was used. The system can detect abnormal vibrations, impacts, G-forces and temperatures.

In addition, owners can set an unlimited number of geofences. If these are breached, the system can alert multiple recipients via email or text.

Depending on an owner’s preferences, Radian can make onboard data and geofence information available to third parties, including engine manufacturers and insurance companies. For instance, Radian is working with multiple insurers that plan to offer discounts to owners who divulge their data.

If Radian’s technology sounds like it could add honesty to buying, maintaining and selling yachts, you’re on the right tack. One can also imagine that Radian-gathered data will be valuable to manufacturers, dealers and consumers as vessels age. So, for anyone considering a new or brokerage yacht, ask if the dealership or firm works with Radian. If you’re already an owner, it could be worth calling your insurer to see if installing an M2 could lower your rates.

For everyone else, wait a few years, and that next brokerage experience could be a lot more transparent than my close shave with that lemon on wheels so long ago.

Smart Stowaways

While Radian IoT provides a wealth of information, installation can take mere minutes. The key, according to company officials, is to mount it someplace discreet. The device has embedded tamper detection, so if thieves find it while attempting to abscond with a boat, this too shall be recorded and reported.

The post Radian IoT Manages Vessel History appeared first on Yachting.

Raymarine has unveiled new products, including the Axiom 2 Pro and Axiom 2 XL multifunction displays, a new suite of sonar products and an advanced marine camera system.

The Axiom 2 Pro is the most powerful all-in-one Axiom system ever developed, according to Raymarine. It has a fast six-core processor and an intuitive LightHouse 4 operating system. It’s available in 9-, 12- and 16-inch sizes in two variations.

The Axiom 2 Pro S includes embedded high-chirp sonar for premium cruising and sailing vessels, while the Axiom 2 Pro RVM is engineered for anglers.

Axiom 2 Pro RVM models come standard with new RealVision MAX 3D sonar, which combines chirp DownVision, SideVision and RealVision MAX 3D channels. The high-frequency chirp sonar channel also has 600 watts of output power, significantly expanding the depth range to 1,200 feet and greatly improving the clarity of fish targets detected throughout the water column.

The flagship Axiom 2 XL is designed for sportfishing yachts, offshore battlewagons and luxury cruisers, and is available in 16-, 19-, 22- and 24-inch sizes, with enhanced networking and extended multimedia capabilities. Features include HDMI input and output, and touchscreen pass-through. Axiom 2 XL screens are also built on the new six-core platform with LightHouse 4 operating system.

“Whether you are a professional offshore angler or a long-distance cruiser, Axiom 2 Pro promises the clearest sonar pictures at the greatest ranges in a display that is built to withstand the harshest conditions thrown at you,” Grégoire Outters, general manager of Raymarine, stated in a press release.

What else is new at Raymarine? The company also added the new CAM300 Marine Camera, which is slightly larger than a golf ball, with high-definition resolution and a 160-degree field of view.

Where to learn more: go to raymarine.com

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GOST has unveiled a new line of low-profile cameras called the Mini-Dome LED 1080P SS that can be installed vertically or in bulkheads, rather than overhead.

“We are constantly listening to our customers and trying to develop new solutions that meet their varied and individual needs,” Brian Kane, chief technology officer at GOST, stated in a press release. “Our new cameras give better performance and a more discreet installation than existing cameras on the market.”

During installation, the camera’s inner ball can be adjusted and then locked into position by tightening the outer bezel to achieve the desired view. The camera’s waterproof, stainless-steel case is rated for a wide range of operating temperatures. It measures 3 inches (80mm) in diameter and 1 inch (28mm) above the mounting face, so it’s small enough to be used in cramped locations.

Features include built-in IR LED illuminators, which provide a 33-foot range of night vision. The 1.8 mm wide-angle lens comes standard, with 3.6 mm and 2.8 mm lens options available.

What kinds of onboard uses does GOST recommend for this camera? Reversing and docking, onboard security and general surveillance.

Where to learn more: go to gost.com

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The saying goes that necessity is the mother of invention. Robert Balog, KVH’s chief technology officer, experienced this firsthand a few years ago while cruising with his wife aboard their Viking Sport Cruiser 43. The couple was berthed in Nantucket, Massachusetts. While there were 20-plus Wi-Fi hotspots ashore, none offered serviceable bandwidth. The boat’s KVH-built LTE-1 provided cellular connectivity until the ferry arrived with data-starved tourists (think concerts). The couple could use their KVH-built satcom system, of course, but this was a more expensive option than shore-based cellular or Wi-Fi.

That’s when necessity met innovation as Balog pondered how a single radome could deliver next-generation connectivity.

After almost four years of hardware and network development, his idea is here. While these technologies aren’t new, KVH’s TracNet H-series terminals, which operate exclusively on KVH’s ONE hybrid network, are the first to bundle cellular, satcom and Wi-Fi antennas into one system.

In 2021, KVH unveiled its V30 satcom system, which operates on KVH’s HTS network and has ground-up architecture. This architecture is centered around an Ethernet-power-over-coaxial (EPOC) cable that shuttles data between the antenna and the system’s rack-mounted belowdecks unit (BDU) at a rate of 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps). To put this cable into perspective, V30 units transmit and receive data at up to 2 and 6 Mbps, respectively. That leaves a lot of untapped bandwidth.

Fast-forward a year, and KVH recently released its H30 ($20,000), H60 ($28,000) and H90 ($45,000) systems. The “H” stands for hybrid, referring to the ability to communicate via cellular, satcom or Wi-Fi. All three radomes have single-cable installation, allowing the stabilized satcom antenna to articulate freely inside the radome via a commercial-grade rotary joint that eliminates cable-wrap worries. All three send data to their BDU via a super-fast EPOC pipeline.

The single-channel H30 uses a 37-centimeter aluminum dish that’s stabilized across two axes. It can send and receive satcom data at up to 2 and 6 Mbps, respectively. The dual-channel H60 employs a 60 cm aluminum dish that’s stabilized across three axes. It sends and receives data via its high-speed connection at up to 3 and 10 Mbps, while its unlimited-use channel (read: crew and guests) delivers data at up to 3 and 8 Mbps. The H90 uses a 1-meter carbon-fiber dish that’s stabilized across three axes; it transmits and receives satcom data on its high-speed channel at up to 3 and 20 Mbps, while its unlimited-use channel delivers speeds up to 3 and 8 Mbps.

H60 and H90 customers seeking faster download speeds can select KVH’s Elite network, which yields speeds up to 25 Mbps (H60) and 40 Mbps (H90).

Additionally, all three systems bundle high-gain 5G/LTE and Wi-Fi antennas and radios in their radomes. This “modem in the dome” architecture is critical because cellular and Wi-Fi work on a line-of-sight basis, so having the antennas mounted up high enables better performance than systems with rail-mounted or belowdecks antennas. The radome-mounted cellular-communications equipment contains a built-in SIM card, and the BDU has an additional two SIM slots, one of which can be used by customers who want to purchase third-party cellular connectivity (say, for cruising the Bahamas). And Balog says the EPOC cable doesn’t suffer typical radio-frequency signal loss between the radome and the BDU.

All H-series systems run their cellular, satcom and Wi-Fi connections as discrete virtual local area networks (VLANs). “The [BDU] box has access to all three [VLANs], and the box decides which to use,” Balog says, adding that the BDUs employ a form of artificial intelligence to ensure lowest-cost data routing. “There’s a rules-based AI that’s looking at things like trends,” he says. The system attempts Wi-Fi connectivity first, then cellular, then satcom. “It ranks connectivity and calculates a score for each connection,” he says. “If it sees [this score] sliding, it will change connections.”

Each BDU includes a display with an intuitive graphical user interface that gives at-a-glance information about the system’s connectivity status.

H-series antennas operate exclusively on KVH’s ONE hybrid network. Satellite communications are handled by KVH’s proprietary network, while KVH partners with a global carrier for SIM cards and 5G/LTE airtime. Wi-Fi connectivity is provided locally and, like with smartphones, is typically free. Users pay a single monthly bill to KVH for their cellular and satellite communications.

Balog says it took KVH’s engineers three and a half years to create the H-series systems and ONE network. “Both were equally challenging,” he says. “We have equal-size teams working on both. It’s a mixture of hardware and software. There was nothing commercially available that could get it done, so we built all [the hardware] in-house.”

While KVH can’t optimize traffic over cellular and Wi-Fi networks the way it can with its own satcom network, Balog says the company still monitors third-party metrics, including packet loss, latency and jitter, to ensure a good user experience.

Cybersecurity is a growing concern, and KVH took big strides with the V30. This same thinking about building in protections went into the H-series antennas. “We incorporated state-of-the-art cybersecurity, from the lowest level of the bios all the way through the network security,” Balog says. “It’s so protected that even if a hacker had the box in hand, took it apart, and flashed code to change the antenna to get into the [KVH] network, it won’t run.” H-series cybersecurity includes encrypted system-level internal communications; interested owners can optionally build even taller cyber walls.

Balog says customers should see strong Wi-Fi performance with this setup, even on notoriously bad marina Wi-Fi networks. He cited a recent visit to Newport, Rhode Island, where he realized speeds of 60 to 70 Mbps using his H60 over a marina Wi-Fi network; the speed (or really, lack thereof) plummeted to less than 10 Mbps when he bypassed the H60 and just used his iPhone.

So, if you’re interested in bolstering your onboard communications and like the idea of an end-to-end satellite-communications network that’s piggybacked with cellular and Wi-Fi communications, KVH’s latest offerings are worth considering. The gains can be huge (pun intended), even if a ferry full of data-hungry tourists arrives just as you’re settling in for some après web surfing.

Rack-Mounted Cybersecurity

While KVH’s TracNet systems provide robust cybersecurity, yacht owners seeking enterprise-grade network security could consider adding a FortiNet firewall. This rack-mounted white box and attached subscription service ($250 per month) works with KVH’s hardware and network, and can, among other capabilities, determine whether an infected device is attempting to join a network.

The post Staying Connected with KVH’s TracNet and ONE Hybrid Network appeared first on Yachting.

Iris Innovations, which makes onboard security cameras and situational awareness systems, has partnered with Garmin on the IrisControl app.

The app is now compatible with Garmin’s TD50 5-inch display.

Iris redesigned the IrisControl software, in conjunction with its CMAC range of camera management and control systems, into a control pad-style application for Garmin’s TD50 displays.

Users can also view and control onboard cameras from the IrisControl interface even if they aren’t using a compatible Garmin system.

“In 2021, we launched the CMAC range of camera management and control systems for boats,” Carl Hitchcock, managing director of Iris Innovations, stated in a press release. “Hosting the unique and feature-packed IrisControl app for the Garmin OneHelm platform, CMAC provided boat owners with a single unified camera management, control and recording interface. Now, our proven software is greatly enhanced, allowing us to offer Garmin’s TD50 with the same great functionality.”

The TD50 interface is marketed as being ideal for larger vessels where screens are set back out of reach, or are not touch-based.

How might this work on board? By installing a Garmin TD50 version of the IrisControl interface into a captain’s chair or within arm’s reach, users can now fully control, switch, manage and review their onboard camera video.

Take the next step: go to boat-cameras.com.

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