I recently replaced an old RayMarine set of instruments with B&G. I have the 16" Zeus 3. I'm only just learning how to use it. Everything seems to work well together.
It is quite easy to connect my first generation iPad (Model A1219) to the wifi network served by the Zeus. Using the SIMRAD GoFree App by Navico I can connect to the Zeus, see the screen mirror and control the Zeus.
Because the iPad is a first generation machine, it can only support on older version of iOS. Because the version of iOS the hardware will support is not supported by the update for the SIMRAD GoFree app - Link: Connect Your Boat, I'm stuck using the older software.
THE PROBLEM is that there is a long delay (seconds) between when you touch the iPad running SIMRAD GoFree and it responds to the command. I can connect my iPhone 6Plus with the latest version of the Link app and its more responsive, but hard to use because of the size of the device. I'm wondering if others have seen good, responsive performance with other hardware.
Thanks!
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New iPad, no problems here.
No problems getting connected. Still, my portable devices proved useless in a sailboat cockpit.
I connected a 2015/16 Samsung Tablet and a 2017 Google XL (large) smartphone with Android using the GoFree WiFi-1 product that came with my J/109 to a pair of Zeus 3's.
In practice the screens of both mobile devices were not useful in most weather conditions. Neither device likes wet fingers, sunlight, or even reflections of sunlight.
My Google XL is big and bright, I can read email while standing still on land. Usually I can find some angle free of reflections and work with the XL until eyes get tired.
Not so on a boat. The added reflections off the water onto the glass screen comes from everywhere, even on an overcast day, overpowering the contrast of the display. Email is barely readable, and unsurprisingly, navigation tasks are difficult.
Using the tablet downstairs was fine while the boat was still, while underway it proved difficult to use if light was reflecting in the windows to my nav table.
So my 6" phone, unmounted, not weatherized, and a fraction of the brightness of my B&G didn't stand a chance of providing anything useful in an open cockpit.
Dan, I know a perfect solution. Move to Maine, or the Netherlands, where we don't have such bright sunshine and if we do have sunshine it's much lower on the horizon than in Florida...
After all these years you believe I live in Florida? I am not quite neighbors with Ben, here in Huntington, NY. And no matter the Sun is at 11 clock or obscured by clouds, I found these two mobile devices useless for navigation.
If they had better screens, having mobile devices linked to boat instruments including precision compass via GoFree, is far superior to using smartphone compass (+/+ 30 degrees) and SOG/COG.
When are you writing next on Panbo, your articles are much appreciated.
Thanks for the replies, guys!