Maretron MConnect

Maretron’s WSV100 MConnect gives owners the ability to peer deeply into their NMEA 2000 network. Courtesy MConnect

Growing up, I learned that there were times when it was best to give my dad maximum leeway. One example was anything involving the boat’s systems or electronics. While my dad has a Ph.D. in physics, electronics and systems were clunkier animals decades ago. Accessing information or troubleshooting often involved poorly written manuals.

Today, we have NMEA 2000 networking capabilities and Maretron’s WSV100 MConnect HTML 5 web server. They make it much easier to control onboard systems and devices, and to diagnose issues by tapping glass.

The past decade has seen numerous monitor, track and control systems introduced to the marine-electronics market. Maretron’s MConnect ($600) has one foot in this world: It provides the M and C, but it’s not “just” a troubleshooting tool. Instead, MConnect uses smart networking and clever software to give owners and captains access to more than 400 NMEA 2000 data points. The setup allows them to see—and sometimes control—what’s happening aboard their vessel via customizable graphical user interfaces. These interfaces can be accessed via compatible multifunction displays or any browser-enabled device, so long as the MConnect can share its data locally or with the internet.

In terms of hardware, MConnect’s black box is built out of ABS plastic with an aluminum backside that acts as a heat sink and has an IP67 water-ingress rating. Its overall dimensions measure 2.68-by-6-by-4.04 inches, which includes four screw-mount holes.

Connectivity-wise, each MConnect has two NMEA 2000 Micro-C ports, a serial port (users can switch between RS-485 and RS-232 protocols), a USB 3.0 port, an RJ45 Ethernet port and a power-cable port (9-30 volts). The power, Ethernet and both N2K connections each have dedicated LEDs that give at-a-glance status reports.

Additionally, MConnect systems have built-in Wi-Fi (2.4 gigahertz and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth (5.0 and BLE) capabilities, as well as HTML 5 web browsers.

MConnect’s N2K ports are designed to communicate with two discrete N2K networks. This allows users to connect a navigational network to one N2K port while connecting a vessel-monitoring network to the other. MConnect doesn’t bridge data between the two networks, but it does let users see data from different networks displayed on the same page.

Users have several options for networking, sharing and displaying MConnect-created user interfaces. For yachts that navigate using PCs, owners can connect a wireless router, such as Maretron’s E2500, to the MConnect’s Ethernet port and then access data wirelessly. (MConnect has built-in Wi-Fi that’s expected to be activated in a future software update.)

For yachts that navigate with a compatible multifunction display, owners can connect a nav display to MConnect via an Ethernet cable.

Or, for yacht owners who want to access MConnect data through an MFD and wireless devices, MConnect can be networked to the MFD via Ethernet, and a USB-to-Ethernet adapter can be plugged into the USB port and then networked with a wireless router. This option also opens the door to connecting MConnect with a yacht’s satellite-communications system.

Finally, users can network an MFD to MConnect via Ethernet and use the USB port to connect a 4G dongle, which supplies connectivity to the MConnect. This option—as well as networking schemes that involve the vessel’s satcom system—allows users to access MConnect data from anywhere using a wireless device and Maretron’s Telemetric Cloud Service.

MConnect users also can add a free Tailscale virtual private network to the system to ensure that onboard data remains secure.

“The majority of users will access the data locally via a compatible MFD, but we are seeing more and more remotely operated vessels looking at the MConnect as their solution for remote operation,” says Jim Catterall, Maretron business development manager.

Once MConnect is installed and networked, the web server takes NMEA PGNs (parameter group number, a code that identifies specific network data) and converts them into colorful and high-definition graphical user interfaces that are easy to customize and understand. These interfaces can be displayed on compatible and networked MFDs, as well as on any device with a browser. As many as four users can simultaneously access MConnect data; remote users need to install the Tailscale VPN onto their devices to access these graphical user interfaces.

Each MConnect has 87 screen components, which are like reusable building blocks—for example, buttons—that can be used to build a graphical user interface. Components include 72 out-of-the-box options and 15 user-defined options that let users add their own custom graphics. Users can, for example, build a page that displays engine data such as temperature, rpm and fuel-tank levels, with green, yellow and red zones on the gauges to best match a vessel’s characteristics. The overall idea is not just to customize how data can be viewed, but also to have at-a-glance views for whatever the yacht owner believes is most important to keep an eye on.

MConnect also can be integrated with a yacht’s N2K digital-switching systems, allowing users to create actionable scenarios. For example, users can create an underway mode, where MConnect monitors the engine-room temperature and automatically turns on the circuit breakers that control the engine-room fans.

Alternatively, users can leverage a digital-switching system to gain manual control over onboard systems. For example, in the description of the custom-built engine-data interface, they could add a virtual switch that allows them to control their engine-room fans manually.

Given that MConnect web servers can simultaneously access two independent N2K networks and 400-plus different N2K PGNs, it’s fair to say these systems have a wide sweet spot in terms of appropriate waterline. “The MConnect is designed to work on an MFD through HTML, so really, it’s suitable for all leisure yachts small and large,” Catterall says.

While there’s a lot of daylight between the size of a center-console and the span of a superyacht, it’s likely that the biggest common denominator among prospective MConnect users will be a desire to access vessel data in a user-friendly and graphically engaging way.

Overall, for yachtsmen who want real-time N2K data but don’t speak PGN, MConnect is ready to turn cumbersome codes into information-rich and engaging displays.

My regret after learning about everything this modern technology can do? That this kind of network whispering didn’t exist decades ago, when it would have meant a lot more sailing and far fewer headaches for my long-suffering dad.

Password Protected

MConnect users can set a password to protect custom configurations. However, if this password is lost or forgotten, users must send their MConnect to Maretron to be reimaged. This costs time, and the reimaging process erases everything. So, passwords must be stored safely.

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