Buyer's guide
There are several remote boat monitoring systems on the market, from established names to newer platforms. The best boat monitoring system is the one that watches what can actually go wrong on your boat, reaches you when it does, and works with what is already aboard.
These are the questions worth asking of any system — including ours. Where we describe Cloud Shelter, it is what the product does today; we do not make claims about other companies' products.
At minimum: bilge water and the pump, batteries, shore power and position. Ask whether it reads the bilge pump's runs or only a high-water float, whether it sees each battery bank or only one voltage, and whether smoke detection is included — and what kind, since smoke and carbon monoxide are different detectors.
Cloud Shelter watches bilge runs and levels, leaks, lithium and Victron battery banks, shore power, smoke, temperature, doors, hatches, motion and position. It does not detect carbon monoxide.
An alarm that only sounds aboard helps only if someone hears it. Check whether alerts reach your phone, whether they say what is wrong in plain language, and whether you can acknowledge them so you are not reminded every minute. Cloud Shelter sends alerts on Telegram with an acknowledge button, and a siren can sound aboard.
Some systems need sensors wired back to a central unit. Ask what must be cabled. Cloud Shelter's sensors are wireless; the hub needs power, the battery monitor connects over Bluetooth and the NMEA 2000 gateway uses the existing backbone.
If you have Victron kit, a lithium bank or an NMEA 2000 network, a system that reads them saves duplicating sensors. Cloud Shelter reads up to ten Victron devices, JBD, Daly and JK lithium packs, and NMEA 2000 engines, tanks, GPS, depth and wind.
Ask how the system gets online — its own SIM and data plan, or the boat's Wi-Fi, 4G or Starlink — and what it costs per year once the hardware is paid for. Cloud Shelter uses the boat's existing connection, starts from €5 a month per boat billed yearly, and add-on sensors carry no monthly fee.
A system is only as good as its weakest sensor. Ask whether you are told when a sensor stops reporting or its battery runs low, and when the whole boat goes offline. Cloud Shelter alerts on both, so silence is never mistaken for good news.
Your boat's data is hosted in the EU, in Frankfurt, and stays in your account. You can export it or delete the account at any time from your settings.
This guide describes what to look for; it is not a review of other companies' products. Compare current specifications and prices with each supplier directly.
The one that watches what can go wrong on your boat, reaches your phone when it does, and works with what is already aboard. Use the questions on this page to compare any system.
Some systems include their own cellular connection. Cloud Shelter uses the boat's existing connection — marina Wi-Fi, 4G/LTE or Starlink.
Wireless sensors avoid cable runs; reliability depends on range and on the system telling you when a sensor goes quiet. Cloud Shelter alerts you when any sensor stops reporting.
Costs vary by system. Cloud Shelter starts from €5 a month per boat, billed yearly, with devices from €150 one-off; the setup builder prices your exact boat.
Yes. The Harbour plan has a 30-day free trial with no hardware needed, and a free 1-to-1 consultation helps you decide what is worth monitoring on your boat.
Boat monitoring with Cloud Shelter · yacht monitoring · bilge alarm · boat battery monitor · Build your setup