Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about the product, pricing, hardware, privacy, and the project itself.
The product
Is it really free?
Free is a real plan, not a demo: the anchor alarm from your phone’s GPS, friends, messaging and the trip planner, on every platform. Putting sensors on a boat starts at Dockside ($20/yr). Hardware is a one-time purchase: the sensors, and a station if your marina does not run one.
What is the DockNeighbor Station?
A small box that hears DockNeighbor sensors by long-range radio up to about a mile away and carries their readings to the cloud. A marina runs one for the whole facility; a boat with no station nearby, or one that cruises, runs its own aboard. The M2 ($99) uses Wi-Fi or a wired connection; the M2-4G ($149) adds cellular with your own SIM. The app sets it up in minutes, and it never counts against your plan’s devices. See Supported Devices.
What happens if the internet goes down?
The station keeps hearing the sensors and catches the cloud up when the connection returns. While it is down, alerts and the live view wait with it. If the boat goes completely quiet, the cloud notices that too.
Can it really shut off the water by itself?
Yes, with a LinkTap valve on the dock hose. The valve is a partner device on Weekender and up; a flood alarm closes it on its own, and you can close it from the app. Behind that, every valve open carries a volume or duration limit, so a burst hose ends with a bounded amount of water either way. Flood alarms themselves reach you on every plan, valve or not. See Water control & safety.
Which platforms are supported?
Web (any browser), native macOS and Windows apps, and Android, with iOS in beta. Desktop and Android downloads come from the downloads page; the web app runs at app.dockneighbor.com.
What does “beta” mean for me?
It means we are early and honest about it. What is documented on this site is real and working, but expect rough edges, fast-moving releases and the occasional breaking change.
Pricing & plans
What does “per vehicle” mean?
Plans attach to the boat, not to people. The owner subscribes a vehicle, and everyone it is shared with inherits that vehicle’s features at no extra cost per person. Each vehicle can be on a different plan.
How does the free trial work?
Every account can opt into one month of Dockside free, started from the plan badge in the app’s Settings › Vessel. No commitment: it drops back to Free automatically if you do not continue.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Plans are managed in the web account portal at account.dockneighbor.com (the native apps open it in your browser). Cancel whenever you like and the vehicle drops back to Free.
How many sensors can I add?
Dockside includes up to 2 DockNeighbor sensors. Weekender carries 15 devices and Voyager 25, DockNeighbor sensors and partner devices together. The station never takes a slot. Partner devices — a LinkTap valve, Shelly gear, Starlink, Peplink, Cradlepoint or GL.iNet routers — are on Weekender and up, and each takes a slot like a sensor.
Hardware
What hardware do I need, and what does it cost?
Sensors, and a station if your marina does not already run one. The sensor line covers water (a leak sensor with probes at the height you choose, or a float sensor in the bilge), batteries (a voltage sensor, or one box on the house bank that also takes a bilge float and watches shore power), shore power (an outlet switch, a current clamp, or a hard-wired loss sensor) and location (a GPS tracker). Start with one and add the rest later. Approximate prices are on Supported Devices.
How long do the batteries last?
Years. The sensors sleep between reports and wake the instant something changes, and they talk by long-range radio, which sips power. A sensor that looks quiet in the app is asleep with nothing to say, not offline.
How do I add a sensor?
Scan its code in Settings › Devices. It appears under the matching system — Flood, Power or Location. A few sensors finish their setup over Bluetooth from the app, which tells you when. Placement is covered in Hardware setup.
Do the sensors need Wi-Fi on the boat?
No. DockNeighbor sensors talk by long-range radio to the station, not to a Wi-Fi network. Only the station needs the internet — the marina’s, the boat’s own, or a SIM in the 4G model.
Can it monitor temperature?
Temperature comes from the sensors that carry it, and shows up with that sensor’s readings.
Privacy & data
Is my data private?
The DockNeighbor cloud keeps your boat’s last-known sensor state, so the app can show status from anywhere, plus history at your plan’s retention. See the privacy policy.
Can I export my data?
History export (CSV) is on Weekender and Voyager.
Can I delete my account?
Yes — full account deletion is built into the app.
The project
How do I request a feature or report a bug?
In the app, tap ? then Report a bug: it files a ticket with the app’s recent errors and the screens you were on, and you follow the replies right there. You can also file a ticket from the Support tab of your account portal, or head to the Support page. Hardware suggestions from fellow boaters are especially welcome.