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Manage high-bandwidth streaming

Use high-bandwidth streaming to view live camera, radar, or sonar imagery remotely through BoatKit Cloud. Enable the types you need, then test your saved view on the vessel’s actual uplink—the connection that uploads data from the boat to the internet.

Remote imagery is available only to that vessel’s administrators. Viewers, followers, and public visitors cannot receive it, even if an older configuration allowed all viewers. Access to ordinary vessel data and public tracking remains separate.

Before you start​

You need:

  • A vessel paired with BoatKit Cloud and an account with administrator access to that vessel.
  • Configured camera, radar, or sonar equipment and a saved view that uses the desired source.
  • The computer running BoatKit online and connected to the source equipment.
  • Internet connectivity at both the vessel and the device you will use for remote viewing.

Enable remote imagery​

  1. Sign in to the vessel’s Viewer as an administrator.
  2. In Settings, find Vessel Data Streaming and turn on Enable Data Streaming. Remote imagery also requires this ordinary vessel-data connection.
  3. Open Settings > High-Bandwidth Data Streaming.
  4. For each available type—Cameras, Radar, or Sonar—choose Administrators to allow remote imagery or Disabled to prevent remote streaming of that type. Each choice saves immediately.

The high-bandwidth section appears only when at least one camera, radar, or sonar is configured to be shown. Only the corresponding equipment types appear. Its controls are unavailable while Enable Data Streaming is off.

Confirm it is working​

Test through BoatKit Cloud so the test includes the vessel’s uplink. Direct local playback does not test that connection.

  1. Start with one remote Viewer displaying one source in a saved view. Close other remote views requesting imagery during this initial test.
  2. Confirm that live imagery appears and continues updating. For a camera, the connection message should give way to video; for radar or sonar, confirm that new imagery continues to arrive.
  3. If the camera offers quality choices, test the quality you intend to use with the selector at the top of its tile. Camera quality affects bandwidth use.
  4. Open your intended layout and any additional remote Viewers, then check again for pauses or delayed updates on the actual cellular, satellite, or other vessel connection.
  5. Close remote views you no longer need to save uplink use.

Understand bandwidth use​

Enabling a type permits remote requests; it does not upload imagery continuously. A source uploads imagery on demand while a remote view requests it. Closing the final remote view requesting that source releases its remote stream. Closing one view will not end the stream if another still requests it.

Multiple tiles or Viewers may share a source, and camera views may request different qualities. Test the complete layout instead of estimating usage from the number of tiles alone.

There is no guaranteed data rate, delay, minimum upload speed, or monthly internet cost that applies to every source and connection. High-bandwidth streaming provides live imagery, not cloud recording or archived video. It is also not a meter for the vessel’s total internet use or bill.

Equipment wake behavior​

Live requests can affect Garmin equipment:

  • A Garmin radar request keeps the chartplotter network awake.
  • A Garmin sonar request wakes the chartplotter that provides that sonar source.
  • Camera streams do not wake Garmin chartplotters.

Disabling a stream prevents its remote imagery but does not guarantee that equipment will power down.

Local and offline use​

Choosing Disabled preserves local administrator camera playback and local radar and sonar viewing. Local BoatKit operation does not need an internet connection. Remote live imagery requires connectivity at both ends, an online BoatKit computer, and an available source.

Older saved configurations may still permit local camera playback for users with Viewer access. Selecting either current Cameras choice—Disabled or Administrators—makes local camera playback administrator-only. Those older permissions never grant remote camera access to non-administrators.

If remote imagery is missing or keeps pausing​

Check these in order:

  1. Vessel role. Confirm that you are signed in as an administrator of this vessel. A remote camera tile shown to a non-administrator explains that remote video is available only to the vessel’s administrators.
  2. Streaming settings. Confirm that the desired type is set to Administrators and Enable Data Streaming is on. Ordinary vessel data appearing remotely does not by itself mean high-bandwidth imagery is enabled.
  3. BoatKit and source connections. Check that the computer running BoatKit is online and the selected source is connected. If the source also fails when viewed locally, check its availability before repeating the remote test.
  4. Connection quality. Check internet connectivity at both ends and repeat the test with one source and one remote Viewer. If that works but the full layout pauses, reduce the number of sources being viewed remotely and test again.
  5. Camera quality. If quality choices are available, select a lower camera quality and repeat the test.

After reconnecting, playback may wait for a fresh image that can be displayed without earlier frames. A restored connection can therefore take time to produce visible imagery.