Question 1

Why the EM400-MUD and not a camera?

Accepted Answer

Cameras are difficult from a data protection perspective in public harbors (person detection). They also have problems in fog or heavy rain. The EM400-MUD uses ultrasound, is 100% anonymous, weather-independent and significantly cheaper in acquisition and maintenance.

Question 2

How is the sensor mounted?

Accepted Answer

The sensor is simply screwed to the side of the pier or sheet pile wall and aligned to the center of the berth. Since it's battery-powered (10-year lifespan), no cables need to be laid.

Question 3

Does it work in waves?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The sensor can be intelligently configured to ignore short-term fluctuations (waves). It only reports when an object (boat) is permanently in front of the sensor.

Question 4

Why do we use LoRaWAN instead of WiFi for the harbor?

Accepted Answer

WiFi is often unsuitable for harbors. Water reflects and dampens signals, and boats (especially steel hulls) block reception. Additionally, WiFi's range is too short, requiring many expensive repeaters. LoRaWAN, on the other hand, has excellent range over water (often several kilometers) and penetrates obstacles better. A single gateway at the harbor office is often sufficient for the entire marina.

Question 5

Do I have to lay cables on the piers?

Accepted Answer

No. This is the decisive advantage of our infrastructure. The Milesight EM400-MUD and many other sensors are battery-powered (up to 10 years lifespan). You don't need to dig expensive cable trenches or lay power lines on floating docks. Installation is "non-invasive" by screwing or gluing.

Question 6

How robust are the sensors against seagulls and dirt?

Accepted Answer

The EM400-MUD is industrially manufactured (IP67) and has a self-cleaning effect due to its smooth design. Ultrasound is generally less sensitive to light contamination than optical lenses (cameras/lasers). If a bird sits directly on the sensor, our software recognizes this as an anomaly (implausible distance) and filters out the value.

Question 7

Can the system also detect theft?

Accepted Answer

Yes, indirectly. You can define rules: If a boat leaves the berth at night between 02:00 and 05:00 (status changes from "Occupied" to "Free") without a checkout logged, an alarm can be immediately sent to security or the harbor master.

Question 8

What happens in winter storage?

Accepted Answer

The sensors are temperature-resistant from -30°C to +70°C. Many harbors continue using the sensors in winter to ensure berths stay free or to monitor ice formation (with additional temperature sensors). If you remove the piers in winter, the sensors can simply be dismounted or (for fixed piers) left in place.

Question 9

Can we also measure power consumption at the supply pedestals?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. We can integrate LoRaWAN-capable meters or retrofit modules into your supply pedestals. This allows power consumption to be read remotely and assigned directly to the berth. This ends disputes over flat rates and enables consumption-based billing.

Question 10

How accurate is the water level measurement (tidal range)?

Accepted Answer

With the Milesight EM500-SWL (submersible probe), we achieve an accuracy of ±0.5% of the measuring range. This is precise enough to predict critical low water levels for deep-draft yachts or trigger high water warnings for the quay wall.

Question 11

I already use harbor management software. Does it work together?

Accepted Answer

That's our goal. merkaio is the infrastructure layer. We provide the data (Occupied/Free, meter readings) via modern interfaces (API, MQTT, Webhooks). Your software partners can easily retrieve this data and display it as a green/red traffic light in your booking system.

Question 12

Who takes care when a sensor fails?

Accepted Answer

That's part of merkaio ops. We monitor the battery level and signal quality of all sensors around the clock. When a battery becomes critical or a sensor stops sending data, we inform you proactively or replace the device (depending on the Service Level Agreement).

Question 13

Is the system scalable for large areas?

Accepted Answer

Yes. LoRaWAN is extremely scalable. Whether you monitor 50 or 5,000 berths makes hardly any difference to the architecture. You can start small (e.g., just the guest pier) and gradually add permanent berths or winter storage later.

Question 14

How are false alarms from wave action prevented?

Accepted Answer

The sensor doesn't measure just once, but continuously at intervals. We configure a "hysteresis" and smoothing in the backend. The system only reports "Free" or "Occupied" when the state has been stable for a defined time (e.g., 5 minutes). A brief rocking of the boat or a wave doesn't trigger a status change.

Question 15

We don't have harbor management software yet. Can you develop it for us?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely. Through our division merkaio dev, we develop customized IoT platforms when standard solutions aren't sufficient. We build for you:

• The Harbor Master Dashboard: A central web view with live map, occupancy status and alarm management.
• The Skipper App: A mobile web app for your guests to see free berths, reserve and pay directly.

The advantage: Since we also deliver the sensors (Infrastructure), hardware and software mesh seamlessly with us – without interface problems between different service providers.

The Harbor Master's View. Digitized.Smart Marina Infrastructure.

End the "Patrol Round Management".

Chaos in the Harbor Basin

Live Occupancy Data

Manual Fee Collection

Auto-Notification

High Maintenance Effort

Industrial Hardware

Infrastructure for Harsh Environments.

merkaio core

merkaio ops

merkaio dev

Technology That Breathes Sea Air.

Milesight EM400-MUD

Milesight UG67 Gateway

Milesight EM500-SWL

The Digital Harbor Map.

Map View

Utilization Report

Alerts

Custom Harbor App?

Frequently Asked Questions

Make Your Harbor Smart.