NMEA to introduce OneNet

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The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) is developing a method for sending NMEA 2000 messages via Ethernet. The new system is called OneNet and the projected operational date i set for late 2014.  

High bandwidth Ethernet is often used to send video and proprietary messaging data, but these approaches lack the standardization of a protocol like NMEA 2000. So, a committee of manufacturers spawned the idea for OneNet – with the primary goal of standardizing a transmission method for NMEA 2000 data over Ethernet.

Committee contributors include: Actisense, Airmar, Digital Yacht, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute of South Korea, FLIR, Fugawi, Furuno, Garmin, Johnson Outdoors, Korean Maritime University, Krill Systems, Maretron, Molex, Mystic Valley Communications, Navico, Raymarine, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Victron Energy.

According to the official NMEA press release, the USCG R&D Center's contribution offered "invaluable input to ensure that OneNet meets the needs of commercial vessels in addition to those of national and international standards authorities."  Some of the other contributors in the manufacturer's committee include Garmin, the Korean Maritime University, Victron Energy and Raymarine.

Other primary goals of OneNet include complimenting and interoperating with the established NMEA 2000 network standard, and establishing standardized gateway rules between NMEA 2000 and NMEA OneNet.

The key features of OneNet would vastly improve NMEA communication ability; Power Over Ethernet (PoE) delivers up to 15.4 watts directly into adjoined devices, and greater bandwidth provides information transfer speeds at 1GB or faster (at least 400 times the speed of the NMEA 2000 Controller Area Network, or CAN). The PoE is a crucial detail when considering the actual amount of devices that could be supported by OneNet – as opposed to the NMEA 2000's current CAN bus's limit of 50, OneNet may support up to 65,024.


Some of the final standardized concepts deemed "essential requirements" of NMEA OneNet are a device webpage providing product info, and a Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) that "is like your printer telling our PC or MAC that it's there." Additional information about OneNet will be presented and discussed at the NMEA International Marine Electronics Conference & Expo, Orlando, Florida, between September 23-29.  

NMEA's projected deadlines and release dates:
• Completion of the written standard by end of 2013
• Completion of beta testing by end of 2014
• Publication of the standard by the end of 2014
You can visit this link for the official NMEA OneNet press release and other NMEA news.

 

 

 

By Ocean Navigator