Using an Iridium Go

Note that TZ iBoat can use an “Iridium Go” to download weather forecast at sea, where Wi-Fi or Cellular connection is not possible. The Iridium Go is a satellite communicator that creates a Wi-Fi Hotspot for your device:

Although very slow (2Kbps), the Iridium Go offers an unlimited data plan for about $150 per month that can be a very good solution to download weather anywhere, even during an ocean crossing. To setup the Iridium Go in TZ iBoat, set the “Connection Mode” to “Offline” and set the “Download Method” to “By Iridium” from the Weather settings. You will then be able to enter your Iridium Go login and password and test the connection.

Just make sure to connect your device to the Wi-Fi Hotspot created by the Iridium Go before testing the connection or attempting to download weather data.

Note: TZ iBoat communicates directly with the Iridium Go. There is no need for third party app to establish the connection. When pressing the "Download" button, TZ iBoat will automatically establish the satellite connection link (dial up), download the data, and finally close the connection (to save power). In case of interruption during the download, the progress bar will turn orange. Do NOT press on "Cancel" to try to relaunch the process manually, TZ iBoat will automatically attempt to reconnect and resume the download at the point where it left off. Note that for data download to start, the satellite status needs to have at least 3 bars.

Once setup, the "Offline Weather" screen download button will change to display “Download with Iridium GO!”.

After pressing the download button, TZ iBoat will automatically establish the Iridium Go satellite connection (dial up), download the weather data, and finally close the connection (to save power). In case of interruption during the download, the progress bar will turn orange. Do NOT press on "Cancel" to try to relaunch the process manually, TZ iBoat will automatically attempt to reconnect and resume the download at the point where it left off. Note that for data download to start, the satellite status needs to have at least 3 bars on the Iridium Go.

Note: The real-world speed of the Iridium Go is about 10KB/minute. A weather download of 80KB will take a little less than 10 minutes on average. The default maximum size is set to 100kB (from the Weather Options), but you can increase it to up to 1MB (but it might take as long as 2 hours to retrieve 1MB).