VYacht

[Dockhead]

In rummaging around in the Internet trying to find a device which could be used to get data from my backup wind instrument onto my N2K network, I ran across this thing:

vyacht wireless boat networks - open source marine hard and software.


There are various devices which can bridge between N2K and 0183, or Seatalk and 0183, or put N2K or 0183 data into wifi in 0183 format, but this is the first device I've seen which will do all of that, and indeed much more.

This one box, which is very modestly priced at about 160 euros, looks like it will do just about any kind of bridging you could possibly ever want, with the exception of bridging other kinds of data to N2K.

It appears that it will:

1. Bridge Seatalk to 0183
2. Bridge N2K to 0183 either by cable or over WiFi
3. Allow you to connect your computer by Ethernet and get the merged datastream from N2K, Seatalk, and 0183
4. Allow you to connect tablets by Wifi and get the same merged datastream, plus you can connect to the internet if you connect your data router by Ethernet
5. Talk back to your autopilot and/or chart plotter via 0183 from your computer (navigate in OpenCPN, control pilot, etc.)


It's a nearly complete set of functions for hardly more money than you'd pay for the Actisense NGW, which only bridges N2K to 0183.

It also supports SignalK, so when OpenCPN has this capability, you will be able to get a richer variety of N2K data into O.

You can even order it with a USB port so you can put a hard drive on it and use it as a media server. A real Swiss knife, this thing.

Looks like a terrific device.

I'm going to order one of these and I will report about how it works.

Meanwhile -- anyone else using this? I would be very interested to hear about the experience of others, what applications they've found, etc.

[Capt.Don]

I bought one several years ago and it is great! If is basically a small Linux server running openwrt and gpd.

[muttnik]

Interview with the vyacht creator:
Water and Electrickery: vyacht router: Now with Signal K

There's a couple of threads you can dig out on the YBW forum with people's experiences including one on the PBO forum at the moment about vyacht and N2K.