STARSHIP Digital Switching Evolution: 2 years to build, 21 years in the making.
by Bruce Loxton01 September 20243 min read
The journey to Wireless Digital Switching began more than two decades ago, shaped by visionary insights, technological advances, and a relentless pursuit of innovation. It’s a story that intertwines the early seeds of wireless communication and the rise of smart technologies, culminating in a product that redefines connectivity in the RV and marine industries.
Kurt Hellstrom, CEO of Ericsson, sketched out a vision that would guide me for the next 21 years, focusing on the inevitability of wireless technology and the critical role of IP (Internet Protocol) in managing the future flood of data. He emphasized that IPv6, with its vast address space and security features, would be crucial for scalable and secure connectivity, setting the stage for a new era of communication.
Fast forward to November 2022, and the landscape had changed dramatically. The big players—Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung—had agreed on a common connectivity standard named "Matter." This standard embraced the core principles Kurt had outlined. The Matter standard promised seamless integration across devices, enhanced security, and the ability to keep all "smarts" within the smartphone.
However, integrating Matter with NMEA 2000, CAN 1939 and Long Range Bluetooth was very challenging. Read how we did it.
There are 10 products in the STARSHIP Family:
4 Controllers: 150A 12 channel, 40A 12 Channel, 40A 4 Channel IP68, 20A 2 Channel IP68
4 Switches : 4 button IP 22, 4 button wall IP22, 4 button Custom IP 22, 4 button IP68 portable.
7 inch Display: Integrates Switching with Victron Cerbo GX data plus high power DC DC's
Smartphone Integration: Connects natively through "Matter".
There are over 2,000 Connectable Devices and the Smarts are kept on the Smartphone
As of August 2024, there are over 2,000 compliant devices and thousands more in the making. Fridges, Air conditioners, lights, wall switches are just some of the items approved. Imagine the convenience when a majority of global players move to this wireless communication standard and one app on your smartphone can control them all. Thats the Vision of Safiery with STARSHIP. The STARSHIP difference is it is all DC power for RV's and marine and has integrated CAN/NMEA and Long Range Bluetooth Switches.
Any output channel of STARSHIP can activate any other of the 2,000 devices if such a connection makes sense. The "automation" is all done on the smartphone.
When a user approaches their RV or boat, the automation can turn lights on, then switch to amber for no insects, blue or red late in the evening all completely automatically. Switch the light on over the galley kitchen and the AC powered induction or air fryer is automatically turned on. Switch it off and its all off. Leave the boat or RV and the Inverter and non essential power is automatically turned off. It does the smarts. As the phones get embedded AI, (Google has already released AI Scripts) the user gets the immediate benefit.
Regional languages are not a problem as the smartphone automatically converts the words used to the native language on the phone. STARSHIP is a truly global product!
Read article below
