Installing the GoFree Wifi

WARNING: NERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDD SHIT FOLLOWS

So I got this thing. It’s a Simrad Gofree wifi wireless router.

When hooked up it allows you to have the complete MFD display on a tablet/phone. Also you can control everything from there! Cool hey?

Hooking it was up as simple as plugging in the ethernet cables and hooking it up to my breaker board. Then I connect to the new wireless network and start the ‘gofree’ app on a tablet/phone.

Then I select my unit

And hey presto! I can view my MFD display from the comfort of the cockpit.

This will come in handy for route plotting, and checking the windspeed at 4 in the morning when I get woken up by a storm (it’s ridiculous right now, I’ve been trying to go to Orcas Island to pick up some stuff for the last couple of weeks but it’s been TEN DAYS of solid gale force winds! It’s 50+ knots today again!)

One interesting thing to note is that you can actually get ANY wireless router to do the same thing as long as you have a simrad/lowrance/B&G display with a bit of configuration. I went for the fancy dedicated one as it uses a lot less power than a household wireless router and is a bit more rugged.

I am hoping to find an anchor alarm app for my phone that can use the NMEA2000 GPS data being sent over the network instead of relying on the shitty phone GPS – this leads to SO many false alarms, and stumbling out of bed cursing at 2am.

The next step is to tie my internet into the same network using a ethernet hub – this should happen when I get another cable. This means I will have a unified network that can be used for internet access and navigation, while at the same time being secure from each other.