WLN30 – Smart Wireless NMEA Multiplexer

“The WLN30 is a smart NMEA to WiFi Multiplexer designed to connect your smart phone and other wireless devices to your boat’s navigation systems. It features three NMEA0183 inputs and easy web interface configuration.”

Description

LED Status Indicators on latest WLN10/30/NavLink

The following table explains the meaning of the WLN10/WLN30/Navlink2 LEDs:

Condition Red LED Yellow LED Green LED
ON (Solid) Failed to Connect in STA Mode HTTP or TCP Connection
Blink AP Mode Data Wireless Connection
OFF Connected in STA Mode No Data No Connection

Cannot connect a device to the WLN NMEA Server

Things have moved on in the iPhone world since 2012 and a number of security updates and changes in the way this wireless data is handled have made some of our older wireless products incompatible without getting an update.

You can either send your WLN10HS back to us for an update which is 1hr labour £45 + VAT plus postage or we can offer you a special 30% discount price on our latest WLN10SM – https://digitalyacht.co.uk/product/wln10sm/

Contact us at sales@digitalyacht.co.uk for a 30% discount code, including your proof of purchase and return the WLN10HS to us by following this FAQ: https://support.digitalyacht.co.uk/question/returning-a-product-to-our-uk-office-for-service/

How to update the built-in web interface?

The WLN10, WLN30 & NavLink2 have a built-in web interface. We have released a new web interface as well as some new functionalities. You can now filter the NMEA data and untick specific NMEA sentences which may create conflicts with some apps or software.

You can also choose a specific mode for the product, for instance, you can choose the AIS mode to only send AIS and GPS data to get a better result with an app that can only accept AIS & GPS data, such as Navionics.

The data monitor has also been improved and it is now easier to save the data. You can also choose to merge the product to an existing WiFi network and this functionality has also been enhanced to make it easier.

This video explains how to update the built-in web interface.

https://youtu.be/LcKC0n3hgrQhttps://youtu.be/qjqjIxhFMjA

How to update the WLN10/30 firmware?

Since the WLN10SM unit was originally released we have released a few firmware updates to improve performance and add features. The latest version is V1.47 and we would recommend this update to anyone who has an earlier version of firmware on their unit – you can see the version number in the footer of the WLN10SM’s main web page.

The firmware update can be downloaded by clicking here.

IMPORTANT NOTE – the file you download is a compressed ZIP file, make sure you extract the binary (.bin) file inside and upload this file not the ZIP file, otherwise you could “brick” your WLN10SM and it will need to come back to Digital Yacht for repair (not under warranty).

We have tried to make the firmware update process as easy as possible on this new WLN10SM model and everything is done through the unit’s built-in web interface. To make things even easier, we have produced a short video of the process…

What’s the WiFi network password?

By default, NMEA to WiFi server’ creates a wireless Access Point (hotspot) on-board your boat. The Name (SSID) of the Access Point will be “NavLink2-xxxx” or “DY-WiFi-xxxx‘, etc, depending on the product you’ve purchased, where xxxx is the unique four digit code of your device.

To connect to the NMEA to WiFi server, you will need to scan for wireless networks, find and select it in the network list and then when prompted, enter the default WPA2 password, which is “PASS-xxxx”, where xxxx is the same, unique four digit code that is in the hotspot name.

For instance, if you have a WLN30 and the WiFi network name created is DY-WiFI-D4B7 then the WiFi network password is: PASS-D4B7

How to interface our WLN10/WLN30 to your navigation system?

Find out how to wire our NMEA to WiFi server WLN10/WLN30 to your navigation system (GPS, Chart plotter, Fish Finder, AIS, etc.) with this page.

I don’t receive NMEA data on an iPad/iPhone app

If you don’t receive the NMEA data on your iPad or iPhone, then you must follow this procedure:

1- Close all apps in the background or restart your device.

 Always a good idea to shut down your iPad/iPhone device and then power it back up again, as this will close all background apps and ensure all of the right services are running. For more information: https://digitalyacht.net/2018/07/27/background-apps-stopping-wireless-nmea-transmission/ 

2- Local Network Settings

If you are using iOS 14 or higher, make sure the “Local Network” privacy settings are enabled for the app they want to use….

Go to Settings>Privacy>Local Network and make sure that the App is in the list and enabled….

3 – UDP or TCP?

Check what mode/protocol our product is set to, TCP or UDP (check product manual) and ensure that you set the same type of connection in the App. If the device is set to UDP and you try to use TCP in the App it will not work, both the device and app must be set to the same mode/protocol TCP or UDP. For TCP connections you need to enter an IP address of 192.168.1.1 and Port 2000, while for UDP you need to enter 0.0.0.0 and Port 2000, or if this fails try 192.168.1.1

4- App configured?

You must make sure that your app is configured. You should look at our section How to Configure Apps & Software to find out how to configure your navigation app.

5- GPS Settings

If you want the app to use the GPS data from the wireless connection, then go to Settings>Privacy>Location Services, on your iOS device and set the App to “Never” which will force the App to use the GPS position from the wireless connection, rather than try and use its internal GPS or even worse “Assisted GPS” if it is a Wi-Fi Only iPad.

 

 

What is the wireless interface range?

The Wi-Fi will typically footprint a boat up to 25m LOA. Contact us if you need a bigger footprint or have a steel or carbon vessel.

I have already a Wi-Fi router on board – can I join the product Wi-Fi to an existing network?

Yes! You can program this through the web interface so you just have one Wi-Fi network on board with our product linked directly to your other Wi-Fi network as a client.

This is explained in your product manual.

This works well as well with Furuno WiFi radar installations.

How to configure a navigation app or software?

We keep on our blog a list which explains how to configure all the popular navigation apps & software. This list explains how to configure a NMEA connection (UDP/TCP) on the app/software but also how to configure the AIS settings.

To see the list, please click here.

WLN30 Smart Quick Start Guide V1_01_Eng

Additional information

Weight 212 g
Dimensions 180 × 145 × 40 mm

  • 1m Power & NMEA 0183 cable
  • 3dBi Wifi Antenna
  • WLN10/WLN30 Firmware Update

    Common problems with Wireless NMEA on iOS devices