Lowrance 4G Radar, HDS-Gen3 Wi-Fi, & OpenCPN

[MArnold]

I'm working through the final stages of Complete Electronics Upgrade for New Moon.....lots of wiring, Ether-networking, N2k-networking......Tons of fun.


I now have Lowrance 4G Radar Ethernet networked to (2) HDS Gen3 MFD's. I have also added a Laptop running OpenCPN.



The laptop can receive its GPS data either over a wired N2k-USB cable, or through Wi-Fi from either one of the HDS Internal Wi-Fi if I connect thru wireless.


What I want to do is get the Radar Data through the HDS Wi-Fi as well.


According to this post it can be done using the GoFree WiFi Module from Navico.

Yes, I am using a GoFree WiFi to transmit halo radar data to a PC running openCPN quite successfully. It has not been slow at all (No missing radar spokes with both ranges running) after I enabled the multicast mode in the GoFree router. Based on the info in the advanced set-up guide from Simrad, multicast is disabled by default to keep the radar data from clogging the GoFree bandwidth in case you have many devices using the router. Since the radar data is really what I want, I enabled multicast and the radar data passes through at high speed. I have also made sure there are no slow WiFi devices on the net as the router defaults to the slowest transmission rate of any connected device.

My GoFree is hardwired to the radar control box, and hardwired to the chart plotter, but is wireless to the OpenCPN PC (Windows 10, 802.11N) The usual connection is to hardwire directly from the radar box to the chartplotter, but the GoFree passes the traffic correctly (as it should)
I can control the radar from either the PC or the chartplotter. The display changes on both displays when I make a change on either one. I see no reason the set-up shouldn't work with the other Simrad radars and other Wifi Routers as long as multicast can be enabled.

Cheers, Eric

Navico Radar plugin beta 3.816 released - Page 2 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums


So it would seem: If the GoFree Module will send the Radar over the Wi-Fi, the HDS Gen3 MFD's would do the same thing based on their Internal Wireless capabilities and specs. (802.11b+g)


Can it be done? Has it been done?


I can cut into the Ethernet, add RJ-45 Connectors and a Network Switch and connect the Laptop with a cable if I need to, but would love to figure out how to do it thru the Wi-Fi instead if it is at all possible.


Thanx Crew,
Mark-


P.S. Lots of other stuff hooked up through networks in this system but the rest is irrelevant to the questions about wi-fi.

 

[MArnold]

Got my Answer......

Pretty sure no one reads any OpenCPN stuff over here, so it was the wrong place to ask the above question, Sorry.
However, I have figured it out: Lowrance Gen 3 Units (and all Navico MFD's running 18.3 software) DO NOT pass Radar Data over their built-in Wi-Fi.
That said, I am using OpenCPN more & more and now have my radar wired to the Laptop.

The Laptop with OpenCPN is a POWERFUL & COST EFFECTIVE combination to integrate to an existing electronics system, or just as a complete standalone backup nav system.

I'm becoming a big fan fast, especially now that I have the Radar hooked to it.
Mark-