TZT2 Ethernet and WiFi solution

I've searched on the forums, and also read everything I could find in the manual and on the support site, but can't find a recommended or even just suggested (not recommended/supported) solution for my setup.

I have two TZT2's and a DRS radar, an AXIS Camera Server, and a PC running TimeZero all on a dedicated Furuno ethernet switch and network.

I am very versed in networking, having worked in the industry for 20+ years, and understand all of the concepts and protocols being used on the network.

My challenge is that I would like to be able to access the AXIS Camera Server and also not have to have a secondary, completely isolated network that the Furuno equipment is using. I also would like to be able to use mobile devices to access and control the AXIS server, as well as the TZTs.

However, those devices should also still be able to access the Internet, plus my existing on-board WiFi/ethernet network with many other devices on it. I don't want to be switching back and forth between WiFi SSIDs depending on what I want to use.

I'm fully aware that you can create an ad-hoc network with a single TZT2 and have the devices join that SSID, but that does not meet my criteria. That would allow the iOS/Android device to see the TZT2 using a mobile app, and potentially the AXIS, but it would not have a route out to the Internet, nor would it be able to reach the devices on my local network.

I found Edition 6 of the iOS and Android App Guide published on the support site, and it says that the only configuration supported is the ad-hoc wifi setup for the TZT2s. I find this hard to believe, given that these devices have been out for 2+ years, the rest of the industry has simplified this quite a bit, and even the older TZT units have a LAN option.

It sounds like the TZT2s have to be the DHCP master, which is similar to the older TZTs. However, with those older models, there was a secondary 192.168.252.xx network that you could configure and have secondary devices on it.

One solution for me would be to setup a VLAN tagged switch and a router that is aware of both my existing network (192.168.3.x) and the Furuno network, connect them together, but not allow anything on the Furuno network unless it is routed through the router. This should work just fine, but it requires another piece of equipment, and VLAN tags, which many simple boat devices/networks do not have.

Is there a plan to address this in a future software release, or a suggested approach for having a WiFi router connected to the Furuno network with these devices?

There is no plan. We haven't had a big demand for it. I will pass your comments to product development. For a PC, many will have two Ethernet cards. One for the boat internet system and one for the Furuno network. What you are wanting isn't possible under the developed design.

To my surprise my iPad app seemed to happily connect to my TZT2 while both where connected to my WiFI router. I had the TZT2 set up to be connected to the internet to load weather etc. Then I tried the iPad app and it said 'searching for NATNET' and a second later connected without problems. This was after upgrading the TZT2 to 6.21. I have not tried this on a previous release, but it seems to work now.

Thanks for the update on the design. It would be great if they were aware, for sure, that this is a limitation.

I understand wanting to keep things separate for reliability purposes, but the fact is that most all marine devices nowadays have to live in a world where people can access them from their smart phones, tablets, PCs, and even remotely through a VPN. The design in place now for the TZT2 does not allow many of those, or it has major limitations.

The other challenge is devices that aren't Furuno, but that have to be on that network to be used by them - in this case, all of my AXIS cameras. With this configuration, I can't access those cameras except from the Furuno TZT2s, and my TimeZero PC, even though accessing them from a phone or tablet would be extremely helpful at times.