VESPER AIS with Wifi question

[Cutwater28GG]

Anybody installed the Wifi version of the Vesper AIS unit? interested to see if the NMEA data from the plotter etc is available on this wifi network for other devices such as iNavx on an ipad? or is it only the AIS data that is broadcast for consumption over the wifi channel. I.e. is the vesper operating as a wifi gateway for all NMEA data?

 

[j&lgray]

We installed the Vesper AIS system on our boat. The unit is connected to the power supply for the VHF radio and we used a splitter the VHF radio thus preventing the need for another antenna. Turn on the breaker to the VHF radio and the Vesper unit powers up. The Vesper unit comes programmed by the dealer with the boat's specs and identifying data. The Vesper unit sends our AIS data out on the VHF antenna. It is a class B system so the signal is sent several times a minute and not continuously like the commercial class A systems. The Vesper receives AIS signals from other boats by way of the VHF antenna and sends them by WIfI signal that our iPad picks up. We run a iNavex program on the iPad with Navonics and the AIS boats are nicely shown on the iPad.

To answer your question, the Vesper unit is not connected to the boat's chartplotter because our chartplotter does not want to play with others. We are very happy with a separate unit because it is portable and provides redundancy should something fail.

 

[Gin]

I installed the Vesper XB8000 on our R27. It connects to the NMEA 2000 backbone and “plays nice” with our chartplotter and with iNavX on the iPad. Can’t say enough good things about the Vesper product — and how well it works and the support by Vesper (they improve it frequently, but they accomplish it all through free upgrades — doubt I will ever need to replace the unit).

Gini