Operating systems

Thanks to its client-server architecture, AvNav can be used on a wide variety of devices. Before installation, you must decide which platform is best suited to your individual needs. Basically, there are three typical scenarios.

Raspi OS

The solution preferred by many users is to use it as a complete system based on a Raspberry Pi, a small, inexpensive Linux mini-computer. This scenario is ideal for boat owners who want a dedicated, reliable system. This approach is generally based on two options: either you use the specially preconfigured AvNav image, or you install AvNav as an add-on to an existing OpenPlotter image. An "image" refers to software packages that contain not only the application itself, but the entire appropriately tuned operating system.

If you choose the AvNav image, its usage is flexible: you can operate the Raspberry Pi as a pure server ("headless"), which works invisibly below deck and sets up its own Wi-Fi network. For the display in the cockpit, you can then simply use one or more standard tablets that connect wirelessly to this central computer. Alternatively, a complete solution is also available, which can be used with a directly connected screen, optionally with a mouse and keyboard.

Installed permanently below deck and connected directly to the 12-volt on-board power supply as well as all boat instruments, the Raspberry Pi often runs continuously the entire time. It consumes extremely little power in the process. If AvNav is to serve as a permanent, central navigation solution, this is the recommended path.

Android

A very popular alternative is using AvNav as an Android app. This is the fastest and most uncomplicated way to get started. AvNav can be installed on any Android tablet or smartphone (or even an Android car radio) and used as a completely independent system ("standalone"). The app then uses the built-in GPS and combines both the client and server functions. If required, connection to the networks on the boat can be established via Wi-Fi or USB. This solution is excellent for smaller boats, charter sailors who want to bring their own system, or simply as a backup system in a drawer. Incidentally, the server concept also applies here: the Android device can simultaneously serve as a server for other devices on board.

Windows or Linux

Finally, there is the option of installing AvNav on a standard PC or laptop running Windows or Linux. This is especially practical for those who want to plan their trips, organize waypoints, or generate new nautical charts on a large screen at home during the winter. Later, the finished plans can be easily transferred to the system on board. Such a setup is also excellently suited as a fallback solution on a laptop at the chart table.

No matter which path you decide on, the user interface and the operation in the browser always look the same. You therefore do not have to get used to anything new when switching between the different operating system versions.