Is obsolescence on the cards for NMEA 2000?

Announcing a new NMEA protocol incorporated into Onwa KM and 1299 series chart plotters in 2022As Onwa plotters become more technically complex with ever more functionality Onwa are looking ahead in their design to a time when so much intercommunicating equipment needs a data communication system with greater bandwidth and capability. NMEA2000 cannot provide that (maximum is 250Kb) and so now there is a 'new kid on the NMEA block' - NMEA OneNet.

 

OneNet is applicable for KM-Series and KP-1299 (New Gen) Series

ONWA KM Series (KM-8, KM-8A, KM-8C, KM-8X, KM-12, KM-12A, KM-12C, KM-12X) and KP-1299 series (KP-1299, KP-1299A, KP-1299C, KP-1299X) has the ability of Radar share, Sonar share and ONENET.

ONWA are the FIRST manufacturer in the world to include the latest technology of NMEA new standard: OneNet. With just one Ethernet cable all signals including NMEA (GPS, AIS etc.), Radar and Sonar/Fishfinder can share to all OneNet Onwa plotters in the network.

 

Does this mean the end of NMEA2000?

No,  NMEA200 as with 0183,  has its devotees and works fine for older equipment. Each system works well but is a product of its time and as technology changes so newer systems come along embracing new technology that cope better than the previous versions. IP (internet protocols) protocols are not new - the PC that you are using accesses the internet by just such a system, and it was always likely that the communication between marine navigation equipment would go down that route eventually just as so much technology in other industries has moved to Internet Protocol communication.

 

I have an old boat with an old system – will I have to change?
No, is the simple answer, whether NMEA1083 or NMEA2000. As long as the equipment on your boat can communicate with each other, the old saying ‘if it works don’t change it’ holds true. My feeling is that the many advantages of a superfast system will be the obvious choice for all new installs making connecting a new piece of kit a matter of plugging in an RJ45 (network plug) into a router - job done. The ability to send data at very high speed will be the ultimate deciding factor as NMEA2000, whilst an excellent data transfer system, has a limiting speed of 250Kb compared to up to 10Gb of OneNet.

 

But I use NMEA0183, surely this is obsolete - it must be true as I read it on a forum?

Some posts on forums tend to focus on the fact that NMEA0183 is an older system and that NMEA 2000 systems make installs easier(only true if the NMEA2000 cabling is already in place), occasionally one will even state that 0183 simply doesn't work. Yes, it is an old serial system  but it has been updated many times over the years and when connected to 0183 devices it most certainly does work. Although connecting equipment together is not always as easy as it is when using NMEA2000, 0183 does work and doesn't need a 2000 cabling infrastructure. Stating the contrary, when all equipment on the boat has 0183 capability, is simply incorrect.

From Wiki:

NMEA OneNet is a latest standard for maritime data networking based on 802.3 Ethernet, and will complement existing onboard NMEA2000 networks by allowing for high-capacity data transfers. Current maritime data networks have bandwidth capacities of less than 1Mbit/s. Building on Ethernet, OneNet allows for capacity in the hundreds or thousands of megabits per second (up to 10Gb). This extra bandwidth is needed for transferring unprocessed sensor data from sonar/radar, as well as video feeds from cameras.

The primary features and goals of OneNet are as follows:

  • NMEA 2000 data transfer over IPv6 in a standard format
  • High-bandwidth applications such as radar, video and more that are not possible via NMEA 2000
  • Support Ethernet and TCP/IP at 1 gigabit and faster speeds
  • Utilize standardized connectors (RJ45  and X-coded M12 depending on installation
  • Robust, industry-standard cybersecurity requirements
  • NMEA2000 gateway compatibility
  • Mandatory device & application certification by the manufacturer, then verified by NMEA

 

ONWA KW-360 now has ONWA Weather PC software!

ONWA Weather allows Users to now monitor Weather conditions by connecting the KW-360 to a computer, making it not only used for Marine but can also be used in Land Applications!

Features:
• Displays the following weather from KW-360
– Wind speed
– Wind direction
– Air pressure
– Air temperature
– Humidity
• ONWA weather software allows input of NMEA0183 GPS and heading data
• Position Location can be set manually or automatically (need to connect external GPS/heading Sensor)
• Shows Air pressure and Air Temperature curve for weather warning purpose
• KW-360 data and data from External Sensor is automatically recorded and saved
• Automatic Data Refresh based on refresh time settings
• User defined Air pressure and Air temperature alarm
• Setting of installation altitude for high ground installation
• Setting of output baudrate and output format (NMEA or Modbus (Industrial use) of KW

 

 

 


 

** Applicable for KP-1299 Series (New Gen) within the same network

Sonar Share– Sonar Functions are shared to Client Units (a Fish Finder Server unit is needed in the network such as KP-1299C, KP-1299X or KM-Sonar). (Below is an instruction guide on how to set Sonar Share settings)

Radar Share– Radar functions are shared to ALL units in the network (ONWA Radar Antenna must be connected to KM-Router within the network). There is no server or client for radar share, it shares the radar images through KM-router and ALL units can control the radar antenna through KM-router.

For Example: By connecting one ONWA radar antenna (to KM-Router) and one fish finder server (like KP-1299C new gen or KP-1299X), the sonar function and radar function can be shared with all units in the network as shown below:

 

The range, gain and other settings of radar and sonar can be controlled independently either from server unit or from client units.

All changes of settings from either unit in the network will sync with other units in the network.

Sonar Share Settings:

  • A KP-1299X, KP-1299C or a KP-1299 connected a KM-sonar can be set as Server or Client.
  • For the rest, KP-1299A and KP-1299 with KM-sonar connected can ONLY be set as a client.

To set the Server and Client Unit for Sonar Share, below are the instructions:

1) There is a network settings in the fishfinder menu:

2) In the network settings menu you can select “server” or “client”

3) In the network if there are 2 servers then the client can select either server.