Skip to main content

Navionics offers you detailed nautical charts straight to your plotter and your phone. All Q plotters are compatible with Navionics charts.

Plotter Sync – Activating a Navionics card that is already in your Q plotter

If your plotter card is already in your plotter, or you buy a new boat that already has a Navionics card inserted in the plotter, you don’t have to take the card out to activate or update it. You can activate or update the card through Plotter Sync.

To sync your plotter and activate your Navionics plotter card you have to download the Navionics mobile app, and follow the Plotter Sync directions below.

1. Download the Navionics Boating Marine & Lakes Mobile app:

Download for Android.

Download for iOs.

2. Activate the Wi-Fi hotspot in your Q plotter

To do the Plotter Sync described in the PDF directions, you have to activate the Wi-Fi hotspot on your Q plotter. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Go to Settings in your Q plotter.
  2. Select Wi-Fi from the settings menu on the left.
  3. You must set a password for your hotspot before you can use it. Do this from the bottom of the settings, by clicking Hotspot password and typing a password of your own choosing.
  4. On the third option of the settings you can see the toggle bar for Hotspot.
  5. Drag the toggle bar so it turns green. Your hotspot is now on, and your Navionics app can connect to it.
3. Follow the Navionics Plotter Sync directions

Download the detailed PDF directions here to sync your Q plotter with Navionics. Available in Finnish, English, Swedish and Norwegian.

To activate your card:

If you only want to activate your Navionics card to access all the features you don’t have to buy a subscription to the app. You can still download and use the app to do the Plotter Sync for free. If activating the card is difficult, you can ask for help from your boat retailer.

To update your card:

If you want to update the charts on your plotter card, you have to also subscribe to the app.

4. Plotter Sync completed

You’ll know the Plotter Sync has succeeded when you see your Q plotter in the Paired Devices and the Wi-Fi hotspot connection works.

If you are having trouble doing the Plotter Sync, you can contact Navionics support, or our Q Support.

Activating a Navionics plotter card that’s not in your Q plotter

If you buy a Navionics plotter card separately from a boating store or the Navionics web shop, you can first activate the card on your computer, and then insert it into your plotter. If you buy your plotter card straight from Navionics web shop, the card is already activated. However, if you want to be sure you have the latest updates you can activate the card on your computer just in case.

Here are the directions on how to activate your plotter card if it’s not inserted in your plotter.

After inserting the card into your Q Display, you can update it later with the Navionics mobile app. To do this, follow the Plotter Sync directions in this article.

When to get the subscription to the Navionics app?

When you purchase a new plotter card from Navionics, a one-year subscription to daily updates and many advanced features is included. This means that you can download updates to your plotter card for a year.

If in the future you want to update the Navionics plotter card subscription through the app, and not by removing it from your plotter, you have to then get the subscription to the Navionics mobile app.

The subscription to the Navionics mobile app also offers many other advanced features.

With the Navionics mobile app subscription you can:

  • Download chart layers that remain on your device even after expiration
  • Download daily chart updates and utilize valuable advanced features
  • Dock-to-dock autorouting
  • Connections profile and live location sharing
  • Advanced map options
  • Weather and tides access
  • GPX import/export
  • AIS – Near by targets shown in real time
  • Transfer routes between app and plotter