Third Party Equipment

Krill's Digital Instrumentation System has been carefully designed to work in conjuction with the third party equipment described below to enable Sensor data to be displayed anywhere on your vessel or even halfway around the world.

Wireless Routers

A wireless router on your vessel will enable you to access Krill sensor data anywhere on or around your boat by connecting multiple laptop or desktop computers via Ethernet cables or wirelessly using WiFi. Krill SoftDisplay running on each computer will display the same sensor data on its screen regardless of its location.

Connecting an Internet access bridge to the Router's WAN port will allow all computers and Krill equipment to access the Internet. Krill will then be able to send email to any remote PC or text messages to cell phones in case of an alarm condition. A remote computer running Krill SoftDisplay will also be able to connect to your boat and display the same exact screen as the boat PC in real time.

Routers from manufacturers such as Linksys, NetGear or DLink may be used.

Internet Access

There are currently 3 basic ways to obtain Internt access on marine vessels; Satellite, WiFi or Cellular Data .

Satellite

Satellite access is the most expensive and typically offers the slowest access speeds compared to WiFi or Cellular. However, if you are in the middle of the ocean, satellite will be your only option.

WiFi

WiFi is a relatively short range wireless data technology that works typically less than 1/4 mile from a base station. With a powerful WiFi transmitter and an external antenna, ranges of several miles are possible. Internet access is often available at most marinas either though the marina or commercial ISP's such as Broadband Express. Commercial ISP's typically charge about $35/month with a annual contract commitment.

The problem with WiFi is that once you leave the Marina, picking up unsecured hotspots along the way or at an anchorage is not assured. Connecting to a hotspot also requires a human to enter the account name and password, so it is not suitable for remote monitoring when no one is present on the boat.

Cellular Data

Cellular data access offers Internet connectivity anywhere a Cell phone can be used, which is the entire coasts of North America. Near large cities, the data rate is 400 kb/sec and higher, which offers a pleasent web surfing experience. Elsewhere, the data rate can be as low as 56 kb/sec. This rate is still more than adequate for sending email alerts or allowing PC's to display Krill sensor data remotely.

The disadvantage of Cellular is that the service is specific to a particular provider. For example, if you have a Verizon account and access the Internet heavily in Canada, you may receive a hefty bill from roaming charges. If you plan to cruise Canadian waters extensively, it may be more economical to obtain a Canadian Telus account that includes data access to both U.S. and Canada for approximately $100/month. If you frequently cruise in the Carribean, WiFi may be a better choice.

Cellular Aircards available from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint or Telus are designed to be usually plugged into laptops, which makes it difficult to share the Internet with other computers or Krill equipment.. Special routers, however, are available that has a slot in the back that allows the Aircards to be plugged directly. The router then insures that a continuous connection to the Internet is always maintained, and allows multiple PC's and Krill equipment to share the internet connection. Routers with this features are the Kyocera KR2 , Linksys WRT54G3G and Dlink DIR-450 series. The problem with these routers are that they were not designed to be used in a harsh marine environment. The aircards typically have an extremely small flimsy external antenna connectors, and there is nothing to prevent the aircard from working its self loose under heavy sea conditions. These routers also seem to require frequent power resets, which is not practical on an unattended boat.

Shakespeare makes a product called Cruisenet, which is a Cellular modem packaged in a rugged enclosure with standard external antenna connectors. Extended testing has shown that the Cruisenet is more reliable in maintaing a solid connection to the Cellular network at all times. We strongly recommend using this product for Internet access for email alerts and remote Krill sensor displays.

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