KIP – Signal K Multi-Function Display (MFD) and Marine Instrument Panel

KIP is the most popular Signal K MFD and marine instrument panel: plug-and-play, touch-optimized, pre-installed, and ready-to-use across all devices.

Unlike many instrument panels, KIP offers full MFD functionality and is automatically included with Signal K distributions, so there’s nothing extra to install or configure. Simply start your Signal K server, open KIP in a browser, and it’s ready to go. A single instance works everywhere — no per‑device deployment is needed.

KIP is designed for sailors and boaters who want:

• A ready-to-use, classic marine app experience with minimal setup.
• A modern, polished interface optimized for marine displays.
• Touch-optimized design: touch-first, intuitive design for tablets, phones, and other touch-enabled devices.
• Cross-platform support: runs on phones, tablets, laptops, Raspberry Pi, Web Enabled TV or other fixed displays - anywhere you can run a web browser.
• Instant access to all Signal K data: displays gauges, charts, switches, and other widgets right out of the box.
• Flexible dashboards: customize layouts, drag-and-drop widgets, night/day mode, kiosk/fullscreen and remote control support.

With KIP, you get the familiar feel of professional Multi-Function Displays combined with the flexibility of Signal K. It’s simple, reliable, and highly usable — the ultimate ready-to-go, modern, touch-first, Multi-Function Display for Signal K vessels.

Table of Content

• Installations Showcase
• Design Goal
• User Experience
• Dashboards and Configuration, Widget Library & Historical Data
• Night Modes
• Chartplotter Mode
• Remote Control
• Kiosk Mode
• Progressive Web App (PWA)
• Multiple User Configurations
• How To Contribute & Creating Your Own Widgets
• Connect, Share, and Support & Features, Ideas, Bugs

Installations Showcase

In addition to the obvious navstation, wall mounted instrument panel and autopilot remote control usecases using PCs, tablets and phones, users have taken KIP into the elements using Raspberry Pi, Pi Zero, rugged tablets and all kinds of low cost AliExpress screens and industry leading, high quality, sunlight readable marine touch screens. KIP's native remote control feature opens up all kinds of possibilities.

Read the Help Introduction How-To

You just installed KIP and you're stuck; read the Introduction help file.

Design Goal

The goal is to replicate and enhance the functionality of modern marine instrumentation displays while providing unmatched customization and flexibility. The design principles include:

• Full-Screen Utilization: Ensure the display uses the entire screen without requiring scrolling, maximizing visibility, usability reducing onscreen control clutter.
• Optimized for Readability: Present data in a large, clear, and easily interpretable format to ensure quick comprehension. Utilize high-contrast color schemes to enhance visibility, especially in bright daylight conditions.
• Touchscreen Excellence: Deliver an intuitive and seamless experience for touchscreen users, with support for gestures like swiping and tapping.
• Cross-Device Compatibility: Guarantee a consistent and responsive experience across phones, tablets, computers, and other devices.
• Modern Browser Support: Include support for the latest versions of Chromium and other modern web browsers to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.

User Experience

Interactions

• Swipe up and down to navigate through your dashboards effortlessly.
• Swipe left and right to access notifications and other system features quickly.
• Use keyboard shortcuts for essential features, ensuring fast and efficient navigation across devices types.

Customize

• Effortlessly create and customize dashboards using an intuitive grid layout system.
• Add, resize, and align widgets to design tailored displays for your specific needs.
• Duplicate widgets or entire dashboards, including their configurations, with a single click.
• Simply drag dashboards to reorganize them. Double-click any dashboard to open the icon gallery and give each page a unique visual identity.
• Easily switch between multiple user and device configurations profiles for different roles, formfactors or use cases.

Sidenav for quick access to all important features.

Chartplotter Mode with dashboards

Dashboards and Configuration

Customizable and Easy

Meant to build purposeful dashboards with however many widgets you want, wherever you want them.

Add, resize, and position the widgets of your choosing. Need more? Add as many additional dashboards as you wish to keep your display purposeful. Simply swipe up and down to quickly cycle through dashboards or effortlessly jump between dashboards with a single tap in the action sidenav, always knowing exactly where you are thanks to clear highlighting of your current dashboard.

Widget lists are sorted by category.

Intuitive widget configuration.

See what Signal K has to offer that you can leverage with widgets. Select it and tweak the display options to suit your purpose.

Many units are supported. Choose your preferred app defaults, then tweak them widget-by-widget as necessary. KIP will automatically convert the units for you.

Organize your dashboards and access tools.

Widget Library

All KIP widgets are visual presentation controls that are very versatile, with multiple advanced configuration options available to suit your needs:

• Numeric: Create gauges to display any numerical data sent by your system: SOG, depth, wind speed, VMG, refrigerator temperature, weather data, etc.
• Text: Create gauges to display any textual data sent by your system: MPPT state, vessel details, next waypoint, Fusion radio song information, noon and sun phases, any system component configuration detail or status available, etc.
• Date & Time: A timezone-aware control with flexible presentation formatting support.
• Position: Position coordinates in textual format.
• Simple Linear gauge: A visual display for electrical numerical data: chargers, MPPT, shunt, etc.
• Linear gauge: Visually display any numerical data on a vertical or horizontal scale: tank and reservoir levels, battery remaining capacity, etc.
• Radial gauge: Visually display any numerical data on a radial scale: boat speed, wind speed, engine RPM, etc.
• Compass gauge: A card or marine compass to display directional data such as heading, bearing to next waypoint, wind angle, etc.
• Radial and linear Steel gauge: Old-school look & feel gauges.
• Level gauge: Dual-scale heel angle indicator combining a high‑precision ±5° fine level with a wide ±40° coarse arc for fast trim tuning and broader heel / sea‑state monitoring.
• Pitch & Roll gauge: Horizon-style attitude indicator showing live pitch and roll for monitoring trim, heel, and sea-state response.
• Battery Monitor: Stay on top of batteries or whole banks state with a compact view displaying State of Charge, remaining capacity, remaining time, voltage, current, power flow, and temperature.
• Solar Charger: Track solar generation and charging performance at a glance with live panel output, battery-side metrics, and clear charger and relay status indicators.
• Windsteer: Combines wind, wind sectors, heading, COG, and waypoint info for sailboat wind steering.
• Racesteer: Sailboat race steering display fusing polar performance data with live conditions for optimal tactics.
• Countdown Timer: A simple start sequences timer.
• Racer Start Timer: Advanced race countdown timer with OCS (On Course Side) detection and automatic dashboard switching.
• Start Line Insight: Analyze and visualize the start line for tactical racing advantage, including favored end and distance-to-line.
• Boolean Control Panel: A digital switchboard to configure and operate remote devices: lights, bilge pumps, solenoids, or any Signal K compatible device that supports On/Off operations.
• Slider: A versatile control that allows users to adjust values within a defined range by sliding. Commonly used for settings like light intensity, volume control, or any parameter requiring fine-tuned adjustments.
• Multi State Switch: Lists all available device modes/states (e.g., On, Off, Charge Only, Invert Only), highlights the current state, and lets you select a new state to send to the device and see the result.
• Zones State Panel: Monitor the health/state of