I'm wondering has anyone else done any work making their boat a smart boat? Lighting, heating and ac, cameras, warnings, security, engine monitoring, and all the fun and exciting tech available for homes and such? Or am I the only lunatic trying it?
I'm wondering has anyone else done any work making their boat a smart boat? Lighting, heating and ac, cameras, warnings, security, engine monitoring, and all the fun and exciting tech available for homes and such? Or am I the only lunatic trying it?
So other than some poor attempts at sarcasm, I will wait for some actual respnses.
You can buy outlets and wall switches that are on your Wi-Fi network and can be managed via Alexa, an app, or programmed for timing. So, for example, a boat can look like someone is on board when there isn't or you can turn things off and on without getting off your lazy arse!
So other than some poor attempts at sarcasm, I will wait for some actual respnses.
My last three houses have all had lighting automation, in one form or another. Currently I have 200+ devices on my home system (lighting, shades, sound, tv, cameras, etc). I have zero on the boat. Well, nothing integrated, there are some Blink wifi cameras.
Automation requires power and any automated switches would have to be on constant power. That's the nature of the beast, something on standby, consuming power, always ready to respond to automation requests. This presents problems on a boat. I mean, besides the obvious parasitic power drain issues. Automation systems depend on stability. Devices coming and doing do not work well with automation. So lighting devices behind breakers that get turned off... well, the automation system sees them as gone. Then you've got a cascade of other problems, like scheduled events that won't work because the devices are gone.
So, ok, you decide the standby power drain isn't an issue, then what? Well, then you've got to deal with how boat wiring isn't the same as home lighting. Again, besides the obvious 12vdc vs 110vac (or whatever). I believe Fibaro is one of the only suppliers of automation switching devices that'll work with DC voltage (I could be wrong, it's been a while since I last checked... Sonoff, maybe?).
Then you've got to convert anything you want controlled from being controlled through the existing switch, to through a module. You'd have to re-wire such that your existing switch(es) would connect to the automation module and then THAT would be wired to the lighting. Where ya gonna put this? Is there enough room in the boat's existing switch boxes to accommodate something like this? If it's anything like my GB47... NO, THERE ISN'T. Thus you'd have to install the module 'somewhere' and have new wiring leading to and from it.
These are the real show-stoppers here. There's just not enough free space to cram in the switches (even though they're pretty small). There's also no reasonably simple way to re-wire the circuits. There's no loose wire running through conduits, everything is secured (as it should be) and then covered by cabinets and/or expensive headliner material. If the boat was being torn apart and remodeled... maybe.
So while I know HOW to do this... I decided against it. Mainly because I want to use the boat for fun, not as yet another hobbyist nightmare I inflict on my wife.
I have a smart boat, she starts when needed and stops when asked to do so.
Oh and she has a smart captain to take care of her
L