NMEA 2000 is the main path from modern vessel sensors and equipment into BoatKit. Supported PGNs feed shared models for position, heading, wind, depth, engines, transmissions, tanks, temperatures, pressure, AIS, and other equipment. Garmin autopilots can additionally provide mode and target-heading state and, on compatible installations, deliberate administrator-only helm controls.
BoatKit can configure several independent physical networks. Each gets its own connection, address-claim domain, and durable source identities, which matters on vessels with separate navigation, machinery, or tender busses. When more than one device reports the same category, the data-source layer preserves those origins and supports a preferred or automatic source.
Choosing a physical connection
A dedicated BoatKit device can connect directly to the bus through a compatible Pi CAN HAT. Both dedicated devices and supported tablet setups can also use USB through an Actisense NGT-1 or CANable v1/v2, or receive the bus over the vessel network from a compatible Wi-Fi gateway. The right option depends on the host, electrical isolation, available ports, driver support, charging, and whether the installation needs to remain online continuously.
Mobile USB support is platform-specific. Android supports selected USB-host SLCAN and Actisense connections. The verified direct iPad CAN path uses a supported M-series iPad, CANable 2.0, and the separately installed iCAN++ DriverKit driver. These are bounded configurations rather than universal claims for every USB-CAN adapter.
Raw traffic sharing is configured separately through the NMEA 2000 RAW gateway. NMEA 2000 is a trademark of the National Marine Electronics Association, and BoatKit support does not imply NMEA certification.