Best N2k Cloud Service?

[mikehar]

My boat is older (2006) with NavNet 3D MFDs/BB. Most of the interesting data is on the n2k network. I'm looking for something that ingests n2k data and makes it available remotely and has the ability to alert me via my phone (and maybe SMS) if something is amiss.

I'm just starting to look into options. Since I had a bunch of Maretron stuff lying around I started with that. I don't know who is in charge or Maretron's software, but oh my is it horrible. I like their devices and tools, but I really don't like their closed system approach and their displays. The IOS apps are a joke. The pricing model is bad (come on, bandwidth is not your main cost driver, $75/m for 100GB, come on...). So many other problems.

I'm just starting looking at SignalK. I really like the idea and that there are some decent plugins and the ability to write your own, but the cloud service seems pretty thin, and not sure how much I trust it. Still, there is a lot to like here. It's not all that hard to put a raspberry pi on the n2k net and be done with it.

Are there other options that I should consider? I don't want to get locked into a system that is 100% proprietary, but I would consider using something that is a mix of open/closed.

 

[stevemitchell]

There are quite a few options out there, but it would really depend on what specific features you want. Most of the main manufacturer solutions are just as bad or limited as Maretron - boxed in to force you to use their solutions, and have limitations or poorly created access methods.

I have been testing boat remote monitoring solutions from Siren, BRNKL, Blue Guard, and about 8 others who expose some of the N2K data, but that is still an emerging market for them with some big potential. They have much better architectures to store the data, and apps to access it, but there's a way to go.

Signal K and other more open solutions actually are what I use for my remote management and monitoring primarily right now. From the Grafana dashboards which I've written about here before, and the more open protocols for alerting including IFTTT, SMS, SNS, and many other choices, you can really end up with a nice solution.

I use a combination of things for critical alerting - Maretron N2Kview running on a dedicated system, and boat monitoring systems, plus alerts in Grafana via Signal K. For data analysis and more detailed statistics, SignalK+Grafana all the way.

 

[mikehar]

Steve, I think I've read most of your blog posts at least twice by now -- they are so helpful!

What are using for push notifications?

 

[ksanders]

The whole remote access and integration issue is why for boat monitoring I shied away from N2K.

Frankly for most things on a boat outside of navigation and engine systems there are better and cheaper solutions.

Here is my boat's system monitoring display. This is in real time, and is a screen shot of what I have on my IPAD and IPHONE. When on the boat I have the same display on a dedicated Amazon fire that I paid less than $150 for.

This is through a home automation hub. The brand I chose is Samsung's Smartthings platform. The cool thing is you can choose other platforms and the forty something sensors I have on the boat would all work with it just fine. The home automation world has settled on two defacto standards. Zwave and Zigbee. These are low energy wireless standards which results in excellent reliability and about a year of battery life. It's pretty cool to deploy a sensor or control that not only works, it does not need any wires to be run.

Please look at the display screenshot. I have First Alert smoke and CO sensors in every major area, Monitoring of the bilge areas, tank level monitoring, temperature monitoring and more.

I can turn on and off furnaces, and block heaters, and even the flush on my watermaker. I also get alerts by both text and email if something goes into alarm. I can even sign up to have one of several third party alarm monitoring companies have a live person monitor 24X7 with phone calls to me, or to fire, police, or my favorite boat emergency repair provider.

Guys N2K is marine only protocol and a very small market. The home/business monitoring market is exponentially larger in scope meaning that you have more choices and lower costs.

Oh... The really cool thing is that these home/business automation systems are designed so that real people can install and configure them. You do not need to know how to program, or have a advanced degree in electrical or software engineering.

 

[stevemitchell]

Steve, I think I've read most of your blog posts at least twice by now -- they are so helpful!

What are using for push notifications?

It depends on which service. The boat monitoring solutions, which include similar things to what Kevin has too (SmartThings) have push stuff in their apps natively, and some do text and email in addition.

For Signal K, I use a plugin that sends alerts through to Wilhelm SK, an iOS app.

I also use some other things to send stuff through to Slack, which I have on my computer and phones and tablets and includes a lot more info.