It's over a year later (and thanks to our beta testers that couragously
installed it on their boats and your ideas on this newsgroup) but we've
finally launched our 802.11 wireless NMEA server for the general
public.

http://www.marinewireless.us/

One of our more extravegant boats has numerous wireless laptops (1 at
the helm drives the autopilot and the others are display only) so that
the owner and guests can see the electronic chart and virtual
instruments anywhere on the boat.

I know our device is on the expensive side so if you're looking for a
less expensive alternative you should also checkout ShipModul's
Bluetooth MUX:

http://www.shipmodul.com/en/

-Todd

Todd wrote:
I just want to say a big thanks to everyone on this group who
responded to my post last year regarding a wireless NMEA navigation
server. Based on your ideas and suggestions we've turned it into a
real product and are currently beta testing it with a number of
boats:

http://www.marinewireless.us

Anyhow, thanks again for all the feedback and help in turning this
idea into reality. Now we'll just have to see if there is any real
market demand for wireless navigation ;-)

-Todd

thuss wrote:
It's over a year later (and thanks to our beta testers that
couragously installed it on their boats and your ideas on this
newsgroup) but we've finally launched our 802.11 wireless NMEA server
for the general public.

http://www.marinewireless.us/

One of our more extravegant boats has numerous wireless laptops (1 at
the helm drives the autopilot and the others are display only) so that
the owner and guests can see the electronic chart and virtual
instruments anywhere on the boat.

I know our device is on the expensive side so if you're looking for a
less expensive alternative you should also checkout ShipModul's
Bluetooth MUX:

http://www.shipmodul.com/en/

-Todd

Todd wrote:
I just want to say a big thanks to everyone on this group who
responded to my post last year regarding a wireless NMEA navigation
server. Based on your ideas and suggestions we've turned it into a
real product and are currently beta testing it with a number of
boats:

http://www.marinewireless.us

Anyhow, thanks again for all the feedback and help in turning this
idea into reality. Now we'll just have to see if there is any real
market demand for wireless navigation ;-)

-Todd

If the dollar contiues it's downward plunge, I'll soon be able to afford
one!

I think the 802.11b and Bluetooth will become a VHS vs. Betamax battle, with
Bluetooth well in the driving seat at present. Anyone disagree?

Remove "nospam" from return address.


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"thuss" wrote in message
oups.com...
It's over a year later (and thanks to our beta testers that couragously
installed it on their boats and your ideas on this newsgroup) but we've
finally launched our 802.11 wireless NMEA server for the general
public.

http://www.marinewireless.us/

One of our more extravegant boats has numerous wireless laptops (1 at
the helm drives the autopilot and the others are display only) so that
the owner and guests can see the electronic chart and virtual
instruments anywhere on the boat.

I know our device is on the expensive side so if you're looking for a
less expensive alternative you should also checkout ShipModul's
Bluetooth MUX:

http://www.shipmodul.com/en/

-Todd

Todd wrote:
I just want to say a big thanks to everyone on this group who
responded to my post last year regarding a wireless NMEA navigation
server. Based on your ideas and suggestions we've turned it into a
real product and are currently beta testing it with a number of
boats:

http://www.marinewireless.us

Anyhow, thanks again for all the feedback and help in turning this
idea into reality. Now we'll just have to see if there is any real
market demand for wireless navigation ;-)

-Todd


Also consider using a Bluetooth USB-serial replacement cable, the cheapest
and most flexible solution of all.
Connect your GPS or your multiplexer of choice (e.g. a Brookhouse mux) to
your computer via bluetooth. The computer-end plugs in a USB connection, no
blue tooth support in computer required, as this a true "cable replacement".
Other serial connections are also possible, e.g. with your autopilot. A
number of "aircables" can be connected simultaneously.
Wout

Dennis Pogson wrote:

If the dollar contiues it's downward plunge, I'll soon be able to afford
one!

I think the 802.11b and Bluetooth will become a VHS vs. Betamax battle, with
Bluetooth well in the driving seat at present. Anyone disagree?


I disagree. They are apples and oranges. Wireless is for networking
and Bluetooth for connectivity. Both are useful, but they are for very
different purposes. More info he

http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/...cles/art_1.htm
http://www.palowireless.com/infotooth/tutorial.asp

"Wired" magazine has an interesting article in the current issue about
the vulnerabilities of Bluetooth. Pretty easy to steal data from or
plant viruses on Bluetooth devices (phones, pda's, etc.).

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

I think the 802.11b and Bluetooth will become a VHS vs. Betamax
battle, with
Bluetooth well in the driving seat at present. Anyone disagree?

Hi Dennis,

When we built the device we considered both Bluetooth and 802.11. One
of our requirements was supporting multiple devices simultaneously
wirelessly (mainly laptops but also PDA's). Bluetooth can't do that
using the serial profile. You can only have one device (with the serial
profile) connected to the server at a time (like a virtual serial
cable).

At around the same time we were talking with some interested parties
(mostly in the US) and all of them already had laptops with 802.11 and
a few had wireless PDA's, the majority with 802.11. In the US Bluetooth
hasn't taken off nearly as much as I would have hoped. We also wanted a
strong transmitter for good reception on larger yachts and commodity
802.11 200mW transmitters and external antenna's are more readily
available in the US.

Anyhow, if the bluetooth serial profile had supported a special 1 to
many mode I think we would have gone with Bluetooth. Once we realized
we were going to probably do it over TCP/IP anyhow (since our next
planned product is a dual wireless instruments server and wireless
access client to connect to shoreside internet while at anchor), then
802.11 became a more natural fit for us.

Anyhow, that's the background of why we ended up going 802.11 instead
of Bluetooth.

-Todd
http://www.marinewireless.us

They are targetted at different markets/requirements. It is invalid to
compare them.

Doug
s/v Callista


"Dennis Pogson" wrote in message
...
thuss wrote:
It's over a year later (and thanks to our beta testers that
couragously installed it on their boats and your ideas on this
newsgroup) but we've finally launched our 802.11 wireless NMEA server
for the general public.

http://www.marinewireless.us/

One of our more extravegant boats has numerous wireless laptops (1 at
the helm drives the autopilot and the others are display only) so that
the owner and guests can see the electronic chart and virtual
instruments anywhere on the boat.

I know our device is on the expensive side so if you're looking for a
less expensive alternative you should also checkout ShipModul's
Bluetooth MUX:

http://www.shipmodul.com/en/

-Todd

Todd wrote:
I just want to say a big thanks to everyone on this group who
responded to my post last year regarding a wireless NMEA navigation
server. Based on your ideas and suggestions we've turned it into a
real product and are currently beta testing it with a number of
boats:

http://www.marinewireless.us

Anyhow, thanks again for all the feedback and help in turning this
idea into reality. Now we'll just have to see if there is any real
market demand for wireless navigation ;-)

-Todd

If the dollar contiues it's downward plunge, I'll soon be able to afford
one!

I think the 802.11b and Bluetooth will become a VHS vs. Betamax battle,
with
Bluetooth well in the driving seat at present. Anyone disagree?

Remove "nospam" from return address.


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.798 / Virus Database: 542 - Release Date: 18/11/2004

"Jack Erbes" wrote in message
...
I disagree. They are apples and oranges. Wireless is for networking
and Bluetooth for connectivity. Both are useful, but they are for very
different purposes. More info he

You can also setup a Piconet with Bluetooth.

http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/...cles/art_1.htm
http://www.palowireless.com/infotooth/tutorial.asp

"Wired" magazine has an interesting article in the current issue about
the vulnerabilities of Bluetooth. Pretty easy to steal data from or
plant viruses on Bluetooth devices (phones, pda's, etc.).

Being able to plant a virus on a phone is not the fault of bluetooth. It's
the fault of the phone designers who let java stuff to be downloaded onto a
phone.

Meindert

"thuss" wrote in message
ups.com...
When we built the device we considered both Bluetooth and 802.11. One
of our requirements was supporting multiple devices simultaneously
wirelessly (mainly laptops but also PDA's). Bluetooth can't do that
using the serial profile. You can only have one device (with the serial
profile) connected to the server at a time (like a virtual serial
cable).

Yes and no. The serial profile is indeed a point to point connection. But a
BT module as we use, can setup multiple serial profile connections at the
same time, thus making it possible to "connect" more than one device.

At around the same time we were talking with some interested parties
(mostly in the US) and all of them already had laptops with 802.11 and
a few had wireless PDA's, the majority with 802.11. In the US Bluetooth
hasn't taken off nearly as much as I would have hoped.

A pity indeed. Especially if you know how 802.11 drains the batteries of a
PDA. Using a 802.11 connection on a PDA for continuous navigation will give
you 2 hours of service maximum.

Meindert

Glen Wiley Wilson wrote:

Interesting. I just installed Net Stumbler on my laptop. It picked
up a network in the marina with an SSID "Albin 42", so I guess it's
not exactly unknown.

Did you try to log onto the network? I was at a marine in Florida last
April and, with their permission (they had to give the the SSID, I used
their wireless network to get email and get some online support download
some docs for the equipment I was installing.

Later, in Baltimore, the marine there has a "cash and carry" wireless
network available. You logged in, made a payment with a credit card,
and got a certain amount of access time. I don't remember the specifics
of costs but I considered it reasonable. I have done some wireless
networking and realize that when someone puts you on an AP and a T1
network connection there are some costs that have to be paid.

I did not have Net Stumbler then but do now and won't go anywhere with
out it. It has been great for trouble shooting my home wireless too.

If you have a PCMCIA wireless card with an external antenna connector (I
like the Buffalo cards for that) you can add a higher gain external
antenna and it will make a big difference in finding AP's and staying
associated.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jacker at midmaine dot com

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 10:10:22 -0500, Jack Erbes
wrote:
Wow, this is a really old post. I don't really remember the context.
Glen Wiley Wilson wrote:

Interesting. I just installed Net Stumbler on my laptop. It picked
up a network in the marina with an SSID "Albin 42", so I guess it's
not exactly unknown.

Did you try to log onto the network? I was at a marine in Florida last
April and, with their permission (they had to give the the SSID, I used
their wireless network to get email and get some online support download
some docs for the equipment I was installing.

No, for several reasons. The main one is that it obviously belonged
to the Albin 42 on the next dock, hence probably not intended for
public consumption. Anyway, it had WEP enabled. Not that WEP
presents any problems if you seriously want in and know what to do.

Later, in Baltimore, the marine there has a "cash and carry" wireless
network available. You logged in, made a payment with a credit card,
and got a certain amount of access time. I don't remember the specifics
of costs but I considered it reasonable. I have done some wireless
networking and realize that when someone puts you on an AP and a T1
network connection there are some costs that have to be paid.

Several marinas I've been to, including my home marina, use a wireless
service. I tried it, was unimpressed for several reasons. Support
was non-existent. Security was non-existent. Oh, you needed a
password to log in, and that password was encrypted. But anything
else that goes over the ether was wide open, since WEP is not enabled.
A lot of critical web traffice will be secure, but things like email
are wide open. Again, WEP is hardly Fort Knox, but why make it easy?
In my marina, there's a college within range of their AP fer
chrissake. Nothing like having a hundred or so wannabee hackers
reading your email.

I thought the cost was out of line. You could install a phone line
and DSL for less, if you're looking at more than a few months of
service. Or basic cable and a cable modem. Bear in mind, you get
nothing but the connection. No news server, no email address. Very
few of the marina liveaboards and regular weekenders are using the
WiFi. Actually, none that I know of.

For transients, the value of the service is whatever they're willing
to pay, but most marinas I've been in have a spare phone line for
dial-up users nowadays. Still, it's not a bad deal for a day's use.
If I was doing it, I'd price with the objective of getting all the
liveaboards and a lot of the regular weekenders signed up. Transients
would be gravy.

Their marketing pitch is off as well, in my opinion. They emphasize
that you can sit by the pool and use your computer. Who does that?

I did have one unorthodox use for the service when I had it. My NMEA
repeater program supports network operations, so I could actually
monitor a few things remotely. Wind speed and direction, obviously.
I could also get tide state by watching the depth in the slip. I
wrote the code to monitor laptop battery level remotely, which would
tell you if AC power was off, but I never released it.. The
networking feature was intended for use on the boat's network, not
connecting to the outside world. Most people don't have static IP
addresses, so permanent connections of that sort aren't very doable.

I did not have Net Stumbler then but do now and won't go anywhere with
out it. It has been great for trouble shooting my home wireless too.

Yeah, it's great for that.

If you have a PCMCIA wireless card with an external antenna connector (I
like the Buffalo cards for that) you can add a higher gain external
antenna and it will make a big difference in finding AP's and staying
associated.

Jack

When I first started using NetStumbler, the Orinoco cards were hands
down the best choice. Very litlle else was supported and they have an
antenna connector. I reinstalled NS about a year ago after a hiatus
and things seem to be a lot better now. The latest version even
supports the onboard wireless on my new laptop.

Glen

__________________________________________________ __________
Glen "Wiley" Wilson usenet1 SPAMNIX at world wide wiley dot com
To reply, lose the capitals and do the obvious.

Take a look at cpRepeater, my NMEA data integrator, repeater, and
logger at http://www.worldwidewiley.com/