Q: What Cellular providers does AMBOK support?
A: AMBOK comes pre-installed with a Global SIM that provides connections on 2G/3G in North America. You can also use a SIM from local carriers. It needs to support SMS (texts) and to save costs it should be unlimited.
Q: What installation requirements are there?
A: The boat should have common ground and be bonded. 2 battery connections and one ground are available on an external barrier strip. The unit should be mounted somewhere that the cellular connection can easily be made. One battery connection is required. The second one is optional.
Q: What comes with it?
A: Its pre-tested, with a SIM, pre-installed and active. "Boating Mode" as default, with blank Customer Cell and DockMaster Cell numbers(updated at install) with latest revision of software. If you purchase your own SIM, then it will need to be installed onsite. Email me about this.
Q: Warranty?
A: One year from activation. If it needs replacing, I'll send another out. I cant warrant that the cellular companies still maintain 2G or 3G. That would be a bad day if they didnt. In that case, there may be a cost to upgrade to LTE or another standard to keep the AMBOK in action. Email me with any questions. Rogers is phasing out 2G in 2021, but from what I've seen, only 3G has been connected in use. So, no worries.
Q: Monthly / Ongoing costs ?
A: There are monthly costs for the cellular connection and outgoing Texts. Standby fee is $4.50cad a month (just to have the right to send a text) and texts are about $0.25 each(all plus HST). You would expect no texts FROM the AMBOK unless there was a problem. Texts TO the AMBOK are free, but the texts BACK cost. To make life easy for us all, requests for payments for data will be made once a month. (All this money goes to the cellular carrier(s).)
Q: Other Boat inputs ?
A: There are future plans looking at - OTA (over the air) updates (future), Additional inputs or controls (bilge level, pumps, shore power detection...), Battery State Of Charge, NMEA2000 (CAN)connection to instrumentation, Cloud for data logging, status, configurations and more. Email me with inputs !
Q: How accurate is the "GPS" ?
A: The main processor used in the AMBOK is cellular based which is used to generate GPS locations based on cell tower triangulation. An option exists (extra cost) to have a GPS unit add-on for geolocation and more accurate GPS. If that is used, not only will AMBOK show your location, it will be down to the accuracy of the SLIP number ! Email me !
