Frequently Asked Questions
Ship-to-Shore: General Questions​
What happens while the vessel is offline?​
All sensor data is continuously recorded on board in Hoppe Marine’s iDB server, which runs on a dedicated HOMIP2 or mIoT device. During operation, the system periodically exports this data into small database files and stores them in the device’s outbox. These files remain buffered in the outbox until they have been successfully transferred to our onshore server.
As a result, all sensor data is retained for extended periods, ensuring no information is lost while the vessel is offline. Once an internet connection becomes available again, the buffered data is automatically transferred to shore.
Which requirements must be met by the vessel’s IT infrastructure?​
The Hoppe Ship-to-Shore connection does not provide its own VSAT connection. Therefore the client must ensure to have a VSAT connection available. For the communication with the land-based servers, the following IP addresses on the corresponding port for outgoing TCP data traffic of HOMIP2 or mIoT device must be enabled in the vessels firewall.
The Hoppe Ship‑to‑Shore solution does not provide its own VSAT connection.
| IP | Port | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Address | 75.2.111.192 | 11550 |
| Fallback Address | 99.83.166.216 | 11550 |
A detailed checklist can be found in the Ship-to-Shore Fact Sheet provided in the Download section of our product page.
How often is the data updated onshore?​
The Export Schedule defines how frequently data packages are transmitted from ship to shore.
In typical configurations, the Export Schedule is set to once per hour or once every 5 minutes - we recommend the latter.
How do I get notified in case of system malfunction?​
Our shore server continuously monitors the status of all ship‑to‑shore connections. This includes checks for:
- connection health
- data age
- missing transmissions
- device clock settings
If a problem persists, the system automatically sends email notifications to the configured recipients.
You can verify and adjust these recipients in the Master Data tab of the Fleet Connect portal. As a user of the Fleet Connect portal, you can also subscribe to additional email alerts in the Alerts tab.
Security​
Is the Ship-to-Shore transmission secure?​
Yes. The Ship‑to‑Shore transmission uses a multi‑layer security concept with dedicated mechanisms for identity protection, access protection, and integrity protection. These layers work together to ensure that data is transmitted only between trusted endpoints, remains confidential during transfer, and arrives unaltered.
Identity Protection​
The first security layer ensures that all communication partners can reliably identify each other. Each device is equipped at the factory with a unique private cryptographic key, which remains stored securely on the device and never leaves it.
Only devices with valid, matching credentials are permitted to send or receive data. This guarantees that no unauthorized endpoint can join the communication link.
Access Protection​
Once the identity of both endpoints is verified, the system establishes a TLS‑encrypted communication channel. This encryption ensures that:
- Data cannot be read or intercepted by third parties.
- Communication remains private and protected from man‑in‑the‑middle attacks.
- Only the authenticated endpoints can access the data in cleartext.
Integrity Protection​
After transmission, the data undergoes an additional verification step to ensure that it has not been altered. For this purpose, the system uses cryptographic signatures based on the industry standard RFC 7519. This guarantees that the content received on shore is exactly identical to what was sent from the vessel.
How and when does the encryption take place?​
| Service/Device | Encryption |
|---|---|
| Datastore on HOMIP2 | None, but secured by Debian system security and RBAC scheme. |
| Export data files | Cryptographically signed with elliptic curve private key. |
| Data transport to shore | TLS encryption in transit. |
| Data store on shore | AES encryption at rest. No in-memory encryption during data handling. |
| Data distribution to customer via API | TLS encryption in transit. |
Data Handling​
How does the data transmission work?​
Data transmission is file‑based. The export interval can be configured according to operational needs. For each transfer, the onboard system requires a satellite connection and opens a direct, encrypted link to predefined fixed IP addresses; no DNS resolution is used.
All recorded data is stored in small database files, which are exported by our onboard database. A hash‑based integrity test is applied to each file to ensure that the entire content is transferred without alteration. The file transmission is additionally subject to bandwidth management, which defines an upper limit for the monthly data transfer volume.
In which intervals is the sensor data stored?​
On board, Hoppe Marine’s iDB server stores sensor data at varying intervals, depending on the characteristics and relevance of each signal. Typical logging intervals are 1 second, 10 seconds, or 1 minute. These differing intervals help conserve resources on the embedded device while still capturing all required information. Because we know the expected signal behavior during the engineering phase, the appropriate logging interval is defined in advance.
Since transferring data via satellite connection is costly, the data is downsampled and aggregated when exported for ship‑to‑shore transmission. This significantly reduces the required bandwidth and overall data volume while retaining the essential information needed for analysis. The recommended Aggregation Interval is 1 minute.
What kind of data transmission volume between the ship and the shore can we expect?​
The amount of data transmitted from ship to shore depends on several factors, in particular:
- Number of Logged Signals
- Aggregation Interval (timespan between consecutive data points after downsampling for export)
- Export Schedule (how frequently data files are sent to shore)
In practice, a typical installation exports 50–500 signals with aggregation intervals between 15 seconds and 5 minutes. Data is usually exported either every hour or every 5 minutes, with shorter intervals resulting in a higher transmission volume due to additional overhead and metadata.
The exported data is further compressed prior to transmission, typically reducing the file size by up to 90 %.
Example system​
- 240 tank‑related signals (e.g., height, volume, mass, density for 60 tanks)
- 40 nautical/navigation signals (GPS, wind, speed, heading, rudder etc.)
- 50 main engine signals (RPM, torque, power, turbocharger RPMs, exhaust temperatures, etc.)
In this example, 330 signals are downsampled to a 1‑minute aggregation interval, and the data is exported once per hour. Each exported file therefore contains 330 × 60 = 19,800 signal values collected over the previous hour.
Expected monthly data volume​
Studies of real‑world installations show the following approximate ranges for monthly file‑transfer volume:
| Export Schedule | Aggregation Interval | Number of Signals | Size per Package (compressed) | Expected Monthly Data Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | 15 s | 200 | 80 kB | 55 MB |
| 5 min | 1 min | 200 | 9 kB | 75 MB |
| 5 min | 1 min | 600 | 20 kB | 170 MB |
| 1 hour | 1 min | 600 | 85 kB | 60 MB |
| 1 hour | 1 min | 850 | 135 kB | 100 MB |
| 1 hour | 5 min | 600 | 30 kB | 20 MB |
Depending on the configuration, the expected monthly data volume typically ranges between 20 MB and 200 MB for the file transfer from ship to shore.
We recommend to export the data once every 5 minutes with an aggregation interval of 1 minute.
Additional communication—such as synchronization between the onboard client and the server or technical status exchanges—may add minor extra traffic, but this overhead is usually negligible compared to the file transmissions.
Exceptions​
Actual values may differ depending on configuration and software version.
In rare cases, when the vessel has been offline for an extended period, a backlog of recorded data may be transmitted shortly after the connection is restored. This can temporarily increase the monthly bandwidth consumption.
What is the origin of the timestamp for time series data?​
The time‑series data is logged by Hoppe Marine’s iDB server, which uses the master time provided by the HOMIP2 or mIoT unit. This time source is configured on the device and operates independently of the operating system’s date and time settings.
If a GPS receiver is installed on board, the HOMIP2 can use the GPS time signal as its time source. GPS‑based time is preferred because it provides a highly reliable and standardized reference and minimizes the risk of incorrect manual time entries.
Our shore server continuously monitors the time configuration on board. If any discrepancies are detected, the system automatically sends an email notification.
Why is time correctness essential for meaningful high quality data​
Accurate and consistent logging of ship‑operation data is essential.
Reliable timestamps are a prerequisite for meaningful reporting: they enable precise identification of when an event occurred and what the corresponding signal values were at that exact moment. Without a correct time source, this level of accuracy cannot be ensured.
In the worst case, if the system time is set backward, duplicate data points may be created for the same time period. This leads to inconsistencies that make reliable reports and analyses impossible. For this reason, we strongly recommend taking corrective action as soon as any discrepancy in the time settings is detected.