Networking
Marine Networking & NMEA Integration Systems
Integrate all your marine electronics seamlessly with professional networking solutions. Our networking collection enables communication between different brands and systems:
- NMEA 2000 Cables & Connectors - Industry-standard marine networking backbone
- NMEA 0183 Products - Legacy marine data communication
- Network Interfaces - Convert between different protocols and systems
- Raymarine RayNet - High-speed Raymarine networking
- Garmin Network Cables - Garmin-specific networking
- Navico Ethernet - Ethernet networking for Simrad, Lowrance, B&G
- Raymarine SeaTalkng - NMEA 2000 compatible networking
- SimNet Cables - Legacy Simrad networking
Essential Actisense products enable integration between all major brands.
System Integration: Connect chartplotters, autopilots, instruments, radar, AIS, and power management systems for complete vessel monitoring.
NMEA 2000 versus NMEA 0183 basics
Most modern instruments, chartplotters and engines talk NMEA 2000, a twisted-pair backbone that carries power and data on the same cable and lets devices be added or removed without breaking the network. Older instruments, radios and some autopilots still use NMEA 0183, a simpler serial connection that generally needs a dedicated cable run per device rather than a shared backbone.
The two protocols do not talk to each other directly, so where you are mixing generations of kit, a converter or multiplexer sits between them to translate sentences both ways. Backbone length, the number of drop cables, and terminator placement at each end all affect network reliability, and a busy network benefits from its own dedicated power feed rather than relying on a single device to supply it.
Brand variants such as SeaTalkng, SimNet and Garmin's own cabling are electrically NMEA 2000 underneath, so adaptor cables let you cross between brands on the same backbone without rewiring the whole boat.
