BEST OF 2014. On board with your all-purpose tablet

In 2008, with the commercialization of the iPhone, the in-vehicle electronic instrumentation market underwent its first small revolution: fast Wi-Fi data network access and the presence of Gps enabled the development of some mapping apps as early as 2009. But it was with the launch of the iPad in 2010 that Apple patron Steve Jobs decreed real change. The tablet has a relatively large screen, and the touch interface is much more user-friendly than that of a small smartphone: map applications have better resolution and thus excellent readability. In a very short time there has been a proliferation of other brands of tablets and apps that can be used on boats. We are looking at a rich and articulated landscape, so much so that thehe tablet has become a real auxiliary tool on board: while it has limitations (the screen’s poor visibility in sunlight-or if one wears glasses with polarized lenses-despite the retina display of the latest models, the non-waterproofing), it is rapidly gaining popularity among boaters. Not only because of the wealth of dedicated apps (cartography, boat management, tiller alarms, and more), but also because of the ability to interface with on-board electronics, turning into a repeater or even remote control of instrumentation. Thanks to the Internet connection (in tablet models equipped with 3G and 4G, you won’t need a Wi-Fi hotspot to join the network) you will have access to weather charts and much more information not available with traditional tools. In the following pages, we will look at what needs to be done, both in terms of installation and auxiliary accessories, in order to make the best use of the tablet on board. We will also recommend the ideal apps for your browsing.

HOW CAN I USE IT IN THE BOAT?
There are two main uses of the tablet on the boat, other than as a “container” of apps: the first is to use it as a repeater screen for a PC or Mac, and the other as a repeater or remote control of on-board electronic instrumentation.

PC REPEATER SCREEN…
Taking advantage of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection (much slower), you can turn your tablet into a repeater screen for your on-board PC: by downloading the right apps from the App Store, Google Play and Amazon, you will view your computer screen in real time on your tablet, and you can also manage its functions remotely using your finger as if it were a mouse arrow. For example, if you own an iPad, the advantage of this system is that you can use programs such as Max Sea, Adrena or ScanNav from your device, which are based on the Windows operating system and would otherwise be incompatible with iOS software. Even if you are more “geeky” and have decided to rely on the free and open source navigation software OpenCPN, which does not support iOS systems, you can get by in this way. Take a tour of digital stores and you will discover many applications that can create a “bridge” between your pc and tablet: the best known is Splashtop, but there are many others, such as Teamviewer and Logmeln. In viewing mapping you will have only one problem: many tablets (including the iPad) were born for browsing websites and reading e-books, thus having a 4:3 screen, more congenial for this purpose. However, most computers have a 5:3 display, so you will not be able to see the entirety of the screen.

…AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL DISPLAYS
In the wake of the success of iPads and related, the large electronic marine instrumentation houses began to develop applications that could turn the tablet into a repeater for their multifunction displays. It started Raymarine with its free RayView app, which allows you to view the MFP screen on your device, followed closely by RayControl and RayRemote, with which you can manage all the features of the c and e-Series displays (provided you have updated the MFP software to version 4.27, available free of charge). The one related to autopilot control remains excluded for safety reasons. But otherwise with a touch, from anywhere on the boat, everything is done: Raycontrol reproduces on Apple iOS, Google Android, and Kindle Fire tablets the display screen in “virtual keyboard ” mode and allows you to get your hands on cartography, sounder, position, course, radar, thermal imaging cameras, and fishfinders. Shortly after Raymarine came the turn of Simrad, B&G and Lowrance (combined under the company Navico), which launched their GoFree app, which again allows almost total control (no autopilot) of the functions of the NSS7, 8 and 12 (Simrad) and Zeus (B&G) ranges. The app is free, but to allow your iPad to communicate with the instrumentation, you will necessarily need to have the WiFi-1 module, which acts as a “gateway” between the MFDs and any kind of remote control. It works only for iPad and iPhone. Garmin, on the other hand, has developed BlueChart Mobile, with which you can plan and view your routes (again on iPads and iPhones, after installing a Wi-Fi module) by taking advantage of BlueChart G2 cartography. The latest apps in order of time for the remote control of multifunctions, made by Furuno, are NavNet Viewer and Navnet Remote, thanks to which you will transform your iPad into a repeater and remote control of the multifunctions of the NavNet range.

HOW DO I CREATE A NETWORK

Unfortunately, as we have seen, there are no multifunction displays that allow quick screen display on the tablet via dedicated apps without a Wi-Fi module. Let’s try to understand why.

BLUETOOTH AND WI-FI
Tablets have a single input that supports physical connection to a small number of devices, mainly photographic and video. For your device to communicate with instruments, it must do so over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The latter type of connection is slow and weaker in range: it is mainly intended for connecting accessories such as external repeaters. Wi-Fi, on the other hand, provides far greater range. For their part, marine instruments have for more than 20 years had a standardized communication protocol that allows them to interface, NMEA. Connecting the tablet to electronic instrumentation, therefore, requires a transducer that is capable of receiving NMEA data and transmitting it over Wi-Fi. These devices have recently appeared on the market, all equipped with a standardized Wi-Fi transmission system. By creating a true onboard network, it is thanks to these Wi-Fi adapters that full integration between tablets and instrumentation takes place.

WI-FI ADAPTERS NMEA 0183
There are several types of Wi-Fi adapters on the market. Let’s start with “multipliers,” which are devices that can combine info from multiple NMEA 0183 devices, converting traditional NMEA data and making it intelligible via TCP/IP link (keep this acronym in mind, we will come back to it later). Based on the multiplier model, the data stream can be transmitted in parallel to a computer via a USB connection, to other instruments via NMEA output ports, and to one or more tablets via Wi-Fi. The most famous of these devices is Digital Yacht’s WLN10: it has a single NMEA input that can be set to two different speeds if desired. At 4800 bps for standard instruments (navigation centers, Gps) or 38400 bps for an AIS receiver or transducer. Transmission is by Wi-Fi only via TCP/IP protocol. Another well-known model is the NMEA-2-WIFI from Comar Systems, which offers two NMEA inputs (again adjustable to 4800 and 38400 bps), two outputs, one of which is NMEA at 38400 bps, and one bidirectional Wi-Fi. One of the most comprehensive multipliers (but the price goes up), which you see in the photo here on the left, is ShipModul’s Miniplex 2Wi. Equipped with 4 adjustable NMEA inputs, it can receive data from any type of instrument: one of its inputs also allows connection to the SeaTalk network of Raymarine instruments (which is based on a private communication protocol), translating data into NMEA 0183. It has 4 outputs (two NMEA, one USB and one bidirectional Wi-Fi) that can receive data from time to time from the connected instruments, but also from the navigation apps running on the devices connected via USB (computer) and Wi-Fi (tablet). A configuration, in addition, allows adjustment of transfer rates and data priorities. It can accept up to five connections simultaneously, including one in TCP/IP. How to display NMEA 0183 data transmitted from the multiply on the tablet? Nothing could be simpler: download the NMEA Remote app (developed by Zapfware, costs 16.99 euros in the App Store). It will allow you to display most NMEA coordinates on fully configurable pages in a multifunction mode and also has various adjustable alarms.

NMEA 2000 WI-FI TRANSMITTERS
With the latest NMEA 2000 interface protocol, multipliers are no longer necessary: all data from connected instruments circulate in a network and are therefore automatically shared. It will be sufficient to connect a device to the network that can “read” this information and transmit it over Wi-Fi. The best known of these devices is the SeaSmart Wi-Fi from Chetco Digital Instruments. This is a NMEA 2000 approved transmitter capable of sorting the received data into an orderly and continuous stream. Transmission is bidirectional, and in addition, SeaSmart 0183 is equipped with an NMEA 0183 input and can “translate” 0183 data into 2000, allowing information from very different instruments to be displayed on the same tablet. In order to view all this data on your tablet you will need to download the SeaGauge app, which is dedicated to displaying data from the SeaSmart in the form of an analog or digital screen. Up to 60 instruments can be displayed on multiple customizable pages.

THE TCP/IP PROTOCOL

We spoke earlier about TCP/IP protocol: the acronym is an acronym for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It is a communication protocol consisting of a set of standardized Internet communication rules. The system provides a unique IP address to each computer on the network so that it can send the same coordinate packets to all. This protocol, in Wi-Fi transmitters, is implemented so that NMEA data from connected navigation instruments can be exchanged.

AIS RECEIVERS AND TRANSPONDERS
You can also view AIS data on the tablet, a somewhat useful feature if you are navigating in an area subject to commercial traffic and do not want to be constantly glued to the AIS or chartplotter screen looking for boats in collision courses. Digital Yacht’s iAIS was the first to be equipped with a Wi-Fi transducer: it communicates with Apple tablets and smartphones via the aforementioned TCP/IP protocol. Needs a simple connection to a dedicated Vhf antenna (or to the onboard Vhf antenna via a splitter). In addition to being able to view AIS data (position, name, MMSI number, course and speed of navigation of detected vessels) on the tablet with the dedicated app of the same name, iAis, or with other compatible apps, the device can share other data available on board the boat thanks to a 4800 bps NMEA input and transmits it combined with the AIS data. In addition to Wi-Fi, two NMEA 0183 and USB outputs allow direct connection to a Mac or PC.

HOW DO I MARINATE MY TABLET?
Since the tablets are not designed for marine use, they suffer not a little from saline and especially water. To use them safely on board, it is essential to protect them with a watertight case designed in such a way as not to compromise their use.

WATCH OUT FOR THE CASE
If you decide to purchase a waterproof case, you will need to check certain features carefully to avoid finding yourself unable to use certain functions later. Check that the touch functions of the screen are preserved once the tablet is placed inside the protective casing and that the buttons are all accessible. Depending on the price of the case model, some of its features vary, first and foremost water resistance: you will notice among the product properties a code beginning with the letters I and P and a two-digit number. The two letters stand for nothing more than International Protection. The first of the two digits, ranging from 1 to 6, indicates protection against access by solid bodies and contact with hazardous parts: check that the housing always has the value 6, i.e., is fully protected against dust. More important for surfers is the second digit (1 to 8), which indicates protection against liquid access. Number 7 indicates protection from temporary immersion, 8 from continuous immersion. Thus, an IP68 case should theoretically provide you with total protection from dust and water. Tablets (including the latest iPad model, with its retina display) have another limitation: in sunlight their screen loses a lot of visibility, and the problem occurs even when wearing glasses with polarized lenses. A weakness that is amplified if the coating of the case in its part in contact with the screen is not anti-reflective. Also check that the material is hydrophobic, so that water will drain away quickly making it easier to read the display. If you plan to use the tablet while keeping it on you at all times, opt for a case that has a strap with which to attach it to your wrist or palm, preventing it from falling into the water (by the way: a floating “case” model will do the trick).

FIXING BY MEANS OF SUPPORTS
If, on the other hand, you want to use it as a chartplotter, mounting it near the rudder, you will need a bracket or suction cup mount (on the next page, we review three different models) to prevent sudden movements of the boat from causing it to fall off. Many waterproof cases are already sold with attachments-why not kill two birds with one stone? Models that preserve the mobility of the tablet are preferable (depending on where the sun is coming in, you will have to adjust the position for maximum visibility). Fixing it poses a problem: On average, tablet battery life is around 10 hours, so you’ll need to plan for charging via the on-board batteries (they generally have a 12V voltage, which keeps the tablet battery charged). Very important, in this case, check that the case allows you to charge the device while maintaining the watertight effect.

INSTALL THE TRANSMITTER
We have written in the previous pages how a Wi-Fi adapter is essential for interfacing your tablet to the onboard instrumentation, so it too deserves special attention during installation. Usually adapters are water-resistant devices (with exceptions: for example, Comar’s NMEA-2-WiFi is not waterproof), but it is advisable to mount them in a dry place. In choosing the locationand, you will have to consider leaving enough space behind the unit for the connection of the cables and Wi-Fi antenna; also, try to keep a distance of at least half a meter from the compass so as not to create magnetic conflicts and avoid fixing it inside metal enclosures that may affect proper signal reception.