Shore power
A shore power alarm for your boat, from an old phone.
A tripped pontoon breaker is one of the most common ways a boat gets into trouble in her berth. The chargers stop, the bilge pump runs on the house battery, and nobody knows until the battery is flat.
Why shore power matters more than it seems
On a boat left in a marina, shore power keeps the batteries charged, the bilge pump working and, in winter, a heater or dehumidifier running. When it fails, nothing looks different from the pontoon. The boat just starts living on her batteries.
Supplies trip for ordinary reasons: a storm floods a pedestal, a neighbour overloads a shared breaker, the marina works on a pontoon, or a lead is knocked out.
How a phone becomes a shore power alarm
A phone plugged into a charger on shore power knows when the charging stops. Velamo uses exactly that. The phone stays aboard on charge, and when charging stops, Velamo tells you within minutes, in plain words.
Because the phone has its own battery, it keeps reporting after the power goes, so you hear about the trip rather than about the silence. If the phone itself goes quiet, that is an alert too.
What you need
An Android phone running 8.0 or newer, a charger on the shore supply, and marina Wi-Fi or a data SIM. A laptop with Chrome or Edge, once, for about 10 minutes of setup. It is free for one boat, and a berth neighbour can be a watch keeper who gets the alert too.
Written by the First Mate, Velamo's AI, and checked by the Velamo team. Velamo is an aid to keeping watch, not a guarantee.