IPAD AIS

Thanks laika. I have been using OpenCPN on my PC and, via an ad hoc connection, to my iToys. I am trying to avoid running a PC (I also have a Raymarine chartplotter/autopilot/. . . and a good AIS below decks). I don't have a WiFi network (other than the ad hoc when its working).
I was hoping to stumble across a YAPP equivilant of say the Comar NMEA-2-WiFi unit which can input NMEA at 4800 and 38400 and turn it into WiFi which iNavX can use (AIS and instruments). At £200 the Comar (etc) are more expenisve than I like to pay (especially with the Au$ being so low at present). Cheers Andrew.
 
Andrew G said:
I was hoping to stumble across a YAPP equivilant of say the Comar NMEA-2-WiFi unit which can input NMEA at 4800 and 38400 and turn it into WiFi which iNavX can use (AIS and instruments). At £200 the Comar (etc) are more expenisve than I like to pay (especially with the Au$ being so low at present).
Click to expand...

Aussie dollar "low"??? Have you all forgotten the world pre-2009? :-)

The last link I gave is functionally what you want. Cost is Raspberry pi + power supply + case + usb wireless dongle + rs422 to usb or rs232 to usb converters (although your AIS may have USB out). That's maybe AUD120 max, though you may have some of that lying about to bring it in well under $100. If you have multiple NMEA feeds to multiplex you might need a USB hub. The setup described works for me but the simpler option by far is to just go with the set-up described in the first link and plug it into a cheap second hand access point router (bought for peanuts from someone upgrading from 802.11g which is all you need on board to 802.11n or ac). Obviously check the current draw.

Advantages of homebrew approach:
* If you add in a long range wireless receiver or 3/4g modem you can plug it into the same wireless network as your NMEA. With the dedicated NMEA-to-wifi devices you'd have to change wireless networks to browse the Internet and see your nav data
* functionality and flexibility: The homebrew setup described can multiplex arbitrary nmea data streams, do failover between multiple redundant GPS units, sentence filtering etc.

Advantages of the dedicated unit:
* More physically robust? But how robust is ipad navigation?
* Manufacturer support
* Probably lower current draw than pi + router (but check)
 
Andrew G said:
Curtius (et al). It's been a couple of months now. How did the " http://bit.ly/1aGW3WE " route work out?
(I am playing with my iNavX (on an iPad) and a cheap NMEA to WiFi would be interesting if it can show AIS and chart anywhere on the boat . . .)
Is it time to arouse Angus McDoon?
Cheers, Andrew
Click to expand...

Hi guys, I believe I owe you an update. Well the RS232 to Wifi convertor arrived safely from Shenghai a couple of weeks ago and I had a chance to test on my boat last week. I have to report that as yet I have been unsuccessful in transferring data from my NASA AIS Engine 2 via the convertor to my iPad. I am able to connect the iPad to the convertor without problem but the AIS targets do not show on the chart. I am able to confirm that the NASA Engine is working correctly by connecting it via a Serial to USB convertor to a PC Netbook running Open CPN. Having invested several dollars in a copy of iNavX plus Navionics charts for the iPad I don't feel like giving up too easily so am in process of double checking all settings before I return to the boat for a further attempt. I think I may have running with the incorrect baud rate selected so am quietly confident that I can make this work!

Below is a link to the User Guide for the convertor:

http://www.uploadmb.com/dw.php?id=1386273320

Some of the detail is lost in the translation but it may mean more to the IT experts among you than it does to me! The following screen dumps show the settings selected. I'd appreciate any comments/guidance.

http://www.uploadmb.com/dw.php?id=1386274748

http://www.uploadmb.com/dw.php?id=1386274868

http://www.uploadmb.com/dw.php?id=1386274918
 
Got the manual (my but the adverts on that file download site are annoying) but the screenshots don't seem to be screenshots: Appears to be web pages referencing files on your computer.

Things to check, as well as baud rate (38400):
parity should be "none" data bits "8" and stop bits 1, no hardware flow control.
The "manual" seemed a bit thin on details. The bit on testing seemed to imply that the device creates a tcp server and the shot of the test program running on a PC suggests that tcp server runs on port 8234 of the box but maybe this is a configurable option?: Are you happy that you've got iNavX connecting to the right port for the converted serial data?
 
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Success! It was the baud rate which I'd not previously set to the required 38,400. All the other settings I left untouched (port was correct at 8899). As soon as I selected the 'Link' command on the iNavX TCP/IP dialogue box 'Connected' appeared in the display screen and incoming data started to appear. On returning to the Chart display, hey presto, a number of targets appeared which could be interrogated for bearing, speed etc. Now all I have to do is mount my aerial a little higher (currently mounted on the pushpit) in order to increase the range. All in all I'm very pleased with the outcome and would like to thank Forum members who helped me achieve my objective.

For reference the convertor I am using is the 'RS232 to WiFi' convertor module W602 obtained on eBay from 'topengineer1986' for £39. See previous link.
 
nigelmercier said:
Glad you got it sorted. Does this module work via a router, or do you have to connect directly to it?
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From the manual curtius posted it seems to work in AP and/or station mode. You can use it as an access point, or will act as a station on another wireless network or (I think) both at the same time, which would negate my earlier point about some of these boxes forcing you to have 2 separate networks, one for NMEA data and one for Internet.

For the money, sounds like a great result.
 
nigelmercier said:
Glad you got it sorted. Does this module work via a router, or do you have to connect directly to it?
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I am not using it with a router. The module generates a discreet wireless network which I connect to in the normal way. This does mean that in order to connect to the internet I have to select an alternative Wifi network or switch Wifi off on my iPad in order to connect via a 3G signal.
It would be useful to retain internet connectivity whilst still connected to the module but I am not sure how this can be done without additional components.
 
curtius said:
It would be useful to retain internet connectivity whilst still connected to the module but I am not sure how this can be done without additional components.
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I seem to have deleted the manual for your thing which I downloaded and on my 3G connectivity I can't face all those "loose fat with this one weird old tip" adverts again but...

Have a look where it talks about AP+Station mode. You might be able to have this thing act as an access point and also connect it to another wireless access point which it will route (or bridge) traffic to. You connect it to the remote access point, then you connect your ipad/laptop to it and go through it to the Internet. More of a faff than doing it directly from your ipad but no big deal. "AP+STA" mode was distinct from "AP mode" (which it's probably working as now) or "STA mode". I could be wrong but it's worth a look.
 
laika said:
Have a look where it talks about AP+Station mode. You might be able to have this thing act as an access point and also connect it to another wireless access point which it will route (or bridge) traffic to. You connect it to the remote access point, then you connect your ipad/laptop to it and go through it to the Internet. More of a faff than doing it directly from your ipad but no big deal. "AP+STA" mode was distinct from "AP mode" (which it's probably working as now) or "STA mode". I could be wrong but it's worth a look.
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Thanks, laika. It does appear that the 602 module can work in the AP+STA mode with a MiFi router in order to access the internet on the same network, however apart from the cost of the router I would need to find a way of instructing the module to operate in this way using an AT command. As I do not have a computer with a serial port which would allow me to do this I shall probably settle for accessing the internet by either switching networks on my iPad or temporarily switching off WiFi.
 
curtius said:
It does appear that the 602 module can work in the AP+STA mode with a MiFi router ...
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I think it can also work in STA mode, so you connect to the router.

Any reason you got the W602 rather than the W610?

Manuals on manufacturer's web site: http://en.usr.cn/Serial-to-WIFI

I've contacted them asking what the differences are, I suspect it has the same module, but one has Ethernet.
 
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curtius said:
I would need to find a way of instructing the module to operate in this way using an AT command. As I do not have a computer with a serial port which would allow me to do this I shall probably settle for accessing the internet by either switching networks on my iPad or temporarily switching off WiFi.
Click to expand...

The manual Nigel linked (when it eventually downloaded) seemed to indicate you could set this (or simply station mode, as Nigel suggested, which I think is preferable even if the manual argues otherwise) from the web interface. If that isn't possible for any reason, usb to serial converters can be used for the AT commands, but do definitely check out the web interface (section 3.1.2 in the manual)

I note that the downside of this device is that it's one which implements it's TCP "server" in such a way that it only accepts one client with an option to configure a second on a different address/port.
 
curtius said:
I would need to find a way of instructing the module to operate in this way using an AT command. As I do not have a computer with a serial port which would allow me to do this I shall probably settle for accessing the internet by either switching networks on my iPad or temporarily switching off WiFi.
Click to expand...

Can you not send the AT commands via the TCP/IP port? I haven't read the manual properly yet.
 
Curtis.... how about writing up a quick "How to.." instruction guide for all us numpties.... You are now the expert in this....

What did you use? How is it all connected up?? What does it give you when finished??

Cheers
 
Alpha22 said:
Curtis.... how about writing up a quick "How to.." instruction guide for all us numpties.... You are now the expert in this....

What did you use? How is it all connected up?? What does it give you when finished??

Cheers
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that I deserve the accolade of 'expert' but I will put together a description of the system that I constructed. It may take a few days as I have to check on a couple of settings when I am next at my boat.
 
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