345/348 - Battery Monitor convert away from Sentinel

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Battery Monitor convert away from Sentinel

Printed From: myHanse.com
Category: Hints & Tips
Forum Name: 345/348
Forum Description: 345/348 Hints, Tips and News
URL: https://www.myhanse.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14119
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 03:51
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.06 - https://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Battery Monitor convert away from Sentinel

Posted By: foxdog
Subject: Battery Monitor convert away from Sentinel
Date Posted: 03 July 2023 at 13:36

Has anyone disconnected the Sentinel monitor and used the same sensor wires for a battery monitor?

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348 Hull#174 2021

Replies:

Posted By: marsella
Date Posted: 03 July 2023 at 14:55

I no longer use Sentinel, their annual fees are outrageous and their units provide too little info. I have Victron Cerbo GX paired with 5G PEP wave Max Transit that broadcasts all the boat data online, linked CCTVs, and in addition, Deltran battery monitors that give updates on charging state of each battery (bank). Cheers!

Posted By: Dubs2021
Date Posted: 08 July 2023 at 17:10

I stuck with Sentinel for another year. The cost is 20 euro per month. Aside from the investment in a Cerbo GX, and the 5G PEP wave Max Transit, what do you pay for your subscription on the 5G PEP wave Max Transit?

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Hugh

Posted By: S&J
Date Posted: 08 July 2023 at 17:38

I also abandoned Sentinel this season after my subscription expired.

I have Victron Venus running on Raspberry Pi connected to my Victron shunt and mppts and a WaveShare hat to connect the whole lot to N2K.

This means all my battery, solar and Ruuvi temperatures are available on the MFD.

I have an LTE router/WiFi that works as a boat internet, either from its own SIM or piggybacking onto marina WiFi.

The Victron VRM puts all the data on the cloud - even better with Signalk.

I modified my N2K backbones to put wind, depth and gps on permanently so I can monitor anchor watch and wind remotely.

I haven't found a way to utilize the shorepower or bilge pump detector yet.

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H458 #159 Primal Mediterranean cruising

Posted By: marsella
Date Posted: 08 July 2023 at 23:59

Sentinel is not LTE modem and wouldnt make you WiFi network, it only broadcasts some boat data to their server which you can access using their app. Their pricing strongly depends on where you sail and where you dock therefore when they quoted 600EUR/year for thier SIM in Caribbean, I thought its a bit out of control. I got dual SIM Max Transit modem router which has both ethernet ports and makes WiFi network, therefore you can install all sorts of montoring devices, Cerbo GX, CCTVs, switches, water alarms, motion sensors, turn on/off lights, so on so forth. I even run portable dehumidifier remotedly when my boat sits on the hard and control it from my phone depending on himidity level which I can also monitor via WiFi sensor. For SIM pricing, I got one SIM from local company in Antigua and Google Fi data SIM for islands hoppings. Local SIM costs lillte to none when I am away and I just buy mobile data package when I get to sailing. Google Fi charges 10$ per 1Gb of data and provides LTE speeds worldwide without roaming charges, it is ideal when I go outside local area. In principle, it would be ideal solution to use Google all the time but they dont like if you use too much mobile data outside the US, thats why getting local SIM is essential in my case. Cheers!