Frequently asked questions

The product

Is it really free?

Yes. The core app is free — no license fee, ever. Everything works locally on your boat’s network at no cost. The optional hosted plans (from $20/yr per vehicle) only pay for our cloud running the remote parts for you. Your one required cost is the off-the-shelf hardware.

Does it work offline / without internet?

DockNeighbor is local-first: when your device is on the same network as the sensors and gateway, the app talks to them directly — no internet, no cost. Local monitoring, control, and the in-app flood watchdog (while the app is open) work for everyone on every tier. Internet only matters for the remote features: checking in from afar, push alerts, and the cloud flood-shutoff fallback.

What happens if my internet goes down?

The most important protection doesn’t depend on it: the valve only ever opens with a volume or duration limit, so even if a hose bursts while everything is offline, the water stops at a bounded amount. On the local network the app keeps working normally. Remote monitoring, push alerts, and the cloud shutoff fallback pause until connectivity returns.

Can it really shut off the water by itself?

Yes — on plans with the valve (Dockside and up). While the app is open, the in-app flood watchdog closes the valve on a flood alarm, and the cloud fallback does it even with the app closed: we’ve measured about 16 seconds from flood alarm to valve-close command. Behind both layers, every valve open carries a hard volume/duration limit, so the shutoff makes a bounded incident end sooner — it isn’t the only line of defense. Flood alarms and push reach you on every tier, valve or not.

Which platforms are supported?

Web (any browser), native macOS and Windows desktop apps, and Android. Desktop and Android downloads come from our downloads page (downloads.dockneighbor.com); the web app runs at app.dockneighbor.com.

Is there an iOS app?

A native iOS app is on the roadmap. In the meantime the web app works on iPhone and iPad.

What does “beta” mean for me?

It means we’re early and honest about it. The features documented on this site are real and working, but expect rough edges, fast-moving releases, and the occasional breaking change. Anything marked “coming soon” is planned, not shipped.

Pricing & plans

What does “per vehicle” mean?

Plans attach to the boat, not to people — a bit like Plex. The owner subscribes a vehicle, and everyone it’s 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 — one trial per account, started from the plan badge in the app’s Settings › Vessel. No commitment: it drops back to Free automatically if you don’t continue.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. Plans are managed through the web account portal at account.dockneighbor.com (the native apps open it in your browser). Cancel whenever you like — the vehicle drops back to Free and keeps working there, and everything local keeps working regardless.

What do I actually get on Free?

More than a demo: the full app on every platform, the anchor alarm — in-app and cloud watch, so a drag still alarms with the app closed — bilge and flood alarms delivered immediately, away push notifications (push only — alert emails start at Dockside), local and remote monitoring at about 15 min freshness for routine readings, cloud settings sync, 1 year of history and 1 saved voyage, 20 trip-planner lookups a day, up to 10 friends and your home marina — for up to 0 monitored devices. Paid plans add Away (Aboard and Anchor are on every plan), the city-water valve — adding it, controlling it, and its automatic flood shutoff — plus fresher telemetry, more devices, longer history, unlimited friends and, from Weekender up, SMS, integrations and inviting crew to the vehicle.

Do paid plans include automation like schedules and rules?

Not yet — cloud automation (timers, schedules, and condition rules) is coming soon, with an Essential level planned for Dockside and an Advanced level for Weekender and Voyager. The same goes for voice-call alerts and integrations such as Home Assistant, MQTT, and IFTTT: on the roadmap, not shipped.

Hardware

What hardware do I need, and what does it cost?

DockNeighbor uses off-the-shelf smart-home gear: a LinkTap G2S valve (~$85–100) with its gateway for water shutoff and flow metering, a Shelly Flood Gen4 (~$30) for leak detection, a Shelly Plus Uni for battery voltage, and a Shelly PM Mini Gen3 (~$25) for shore power. A typical full build runs about $235–260 one-time — no proprietary hardware, no hardware subscription. You can start with just one device and add the rest later. See Supported Devices.

How do battery-powered sensors last?

They’re event-driven, never polled. The Shelly Flood Gen4 deep-sleeps until it actually senses water, then wakes and pushes the alarm instantly. No polling means no battery drain from constant check-ins.

How do I set up the Shelly sensors?

The Android app can provision Shelly devices over Bluetooth, which is the recommended path. From any other platform you can use the sensor’s own Wi-Fi setup mode or enter its IP manually.

Can it monitor temperature and humidity?

Yes. Add a Shelly Plus H&T (or a DS18B20 probe on a Plus Uni) and it appears under Vessel › Climate, alongside water shutoff and flow, flood detection, battery voltage, and shore power — with freeze and mould warnings and a per-device °C/°F override.

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 only if you opt in, at your tier’s retention.

Can I export my data?

On-device history is always yours, on every tier. Hosted history adds CSV export 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, so we can track it down, 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 — new sensor integrations are shaped by what people actually run on their boats.