What Actisense does

Actisense (legal entity: Active Research Limited) is a UK-based marine electronics manufacturer founded in 1997 and headquartered in Poole, Dorset. The company specializes in hardware and software products that enable data interoperability across NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 marine networking protocols, serving vessel operators, technical installers, system integrators, and OEMs in leisure, commercial, and select adjacent marine segments. Its portfolio spans smart data gateways, multiplexers, buffers, protocol converters, PC interfaces, Wi-Fi gateways, cables and starter kits (NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 ranges), a professional PRO Range of type-approved commercial products, and supporting software including NMEA Reader, EBL Reader, Toolkit, and an SDK, alongside the ActisenseCloud remote monitoring platform.

The company's core technical differentiators include proprietary ISO-Drive output isolation technology, bi-directional Ethernet streaming of NMEA 0183 data, auto-switching between primary and secondary instruments, sentence-level filtering and routing, and a web-based configuration interface. Its PRO Range products carry RINA Type Approval for commercial marine deployment, with the PRO-NDC-1E2K recognized as the first NMEA 2000 certified, type-approved multiplexer. NMEA certification, ISO certification, and UK Cyber Essentials certification round out its compliance profile.

Actisense operates a hybrid revenue model combining one-time hardware sales (the dominant stream) with subscription-based software revenue (ActisenseCloud, NMEA Software Suite) and recurring maintenance/upgrades. Products are distributed globally through 100+ certified resellers in 50+ countries, complemented by direct e-commerce via actisense.com. The commercial marine segment is identified as primary, with named enterprise customers including Raymarine, Furuno, Gemeco, Sea-Kit, and Sonár Iceland. The company is founder-led by Phil Whitehurst (CEO & Founder) and Michele Whitehurst (Managing Director), is privately held with no external institutional investment, and has expanded its addressable market into agritech and uncrewed surface vessels.

Name

Actisense

Legal name

Active Research Limited

Website

https://actisense.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Actisense (Active Research Limited) is a UK-based marine electronics manufacturer founded in 1997 that designs NMEA 0183/2000 gateways, multiplexers, buffers, and cloud monitoring software, serving vessel operators, installers, system integrators, and marine OEMs globally through 100+ certified resellers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Poole

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Products: Actisense generates revenue primarily through the sale of proprietary marine electronics hardware including NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 gateways, multiplexers, buffers, converters, PC interfaces, Wi-Fi gateways, cables, connectors, and starter kits. Products are sold through distributors, resellers, and direct e-commerce.
2. Software Products: Revenue generated from software products including NMEA Reader, EBL Reader, Toolkit, and SDK for marine data integration and diagnostics.
3. ActisenseCloud: Cloud-based data management and monitoring platform for vessels, likely offered as a subscription service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Actisense designs, manufactures, and sells intelligent marine electronics that convert, digitise, and share data across NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 networks on vessels. Its product lines include NMEA gateways, multiplexers, buffers, PC interfaces, Wi-Fi gateways, protocol converters, opto-isolators, cables and connectors, supported by NMEA software tools and the ActisenseCloud monitoring platform. The products are sold to vessel operators, technical installers, system integrators, and OEMs worldwide for both leisure and commercial marine applications.

Product overview

Actisense designs and manufactures cutting-edge marine electronics that ensure seamless communication between devices on NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 networks. The product portfolio is organized into several ranges: The NMEA 2000 Range includes gateways (NGX-1), PC interfaces (NGT-1), Wi-Fi gateways (W2K-1), and starter kits; The NMEA 0183 Range includes multiplexers (NDC series), buffers (NBF series), protocol converters, and optoisolators; The PRO Range offers professional-grade intelligent multiplexers (PRO-MUX-1/2, PRO-NDC-1E/1E2K) and buffers (PRO-BUF-1/2) with advanced features for commercial marine applications including RINA Type Approval; Additionally, Actisense provides software tools including NMEA Reader, EBL Reader, Toolkit, SDK, and ActisenseCloud for data management. The products enable vessel operators, technical installers, system integrators, and OEMs to build dependable marine data infrastructures through protocol converters, smart data gateways, network diagnostic tools, and sensor interfaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ActisenseCloud: Cloud platform for marine data management and monitoring.
• NMEA Reader
• EBL Reader
• Convert Digitise Share™

Products and services

• NGX-1 (NMEA 2000 Gateway) A gateway device that bridges NMEA 2000 networks with other marine electronics, enabling data conversion and sharing across different protocols.
• NDC-4 (NMEA Multiplexer) An NMEA 0183 multiplexer that combines multiple data streams into a single output, enabling devices with limited inputs to receive data from multiple marine instruments.
• NDC-5 (NMEA Multiplexer) An advanced NMEA 0183 multiplexer offering enhanced data combination capabilities for complex marine installations.
• DST-2 (Digital depth, speed & temperature transducer interface) Interface module that converts digital transducer data (depth, speed, temperature) to NMEA 0183 format for integration with marine displays.
• PRO-MUX-1 (Professional NMEA 0183 Intelligent Multiplexer) A professional-grade intelligent NMEA 0183 multiplexer with advanced filtering, routing, and diagnostic capabilities for commercial marine applications.
• A2K-KIT-3 (NMEA 2000 Starter Kit) A complete starter kit containing the necessary cables, connectors, and components to establish an initial NMEA 2000 network installation.
• NGW-1 (Bi-directional NMEA 2000 Conversion Gateway) A bi-directional gateway enabling conversion between NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 protocols for seamless communication between legacy and modern marine devices.
• W2K-1 (NMEA 2000 to Wi-Fi Gateway) A Wi-Fi gateway that bridges NMEA 2000 networks to wireless devices, allowing mobile apps and onboard wireless systems to access marine data.
• NGT-1 (NMEA 2000 to PC Interface) A PC interface device enabling computers to connect to and communicate with NMEA 2000 networks for diagnostics and data logging.
• NBF-3 (NMEA 0183 Buffer) A buffer device that amplifies and distributes a single NMEA 0183 data stream to multiple output devices while maintaining electrical isolation.
• PRO-BUF-1 (Professional NMEA 0183 Intelligent Buffer) A professional-grade intelligent NMEA 0183 buffer with advanced diagnostics and isolation features for demanding commercial marine environments.
• A2K-MPT-1 (Micro Power T-Piece) A compact power T-piece for connecting devices to NMEA 2000 networks while injecting power into the backbone.
• USG-1 (USB to NMEA 0183 converter) A USB to NMEA 0183 converter enabling computers to interface with NMEA 0183 devices.
• RS485-1 (RS485 to RS232 converter) A protocol converter enabling communication between RS485 and RS232 marine devices.
• OPTO Series (OPTO-3, OPTO-2, OPTO-1 NMEA to RS232 Opto-isolators) Opto-isolated interfaces (OPTO-1, OPTO-2, OPTO-3) that protect marine electronics from ground loops and voltage differences when connecting NMEA devices to RS232 systems.
• NSW-1 (NMEA Autoswitch) An automatic switch that selects between multiple NMEA 0183 data sources based on availability and priority settings.
• NDC-1 / NDC-2 / NDC-3 (NMEA Multiplexers) Series of NMEA multiplexers (NDC-1, NDC-2, NDC-3) that combine multiple data streams from various marine instruments into unified outputs.
• NBF-2 (NMEA 0183 Buffer) A multi-output buffer that distributes NMEA 0183 data to multiple devices while providing electrical isolation.
• USG-1-485 (USB to RS485 Gateway) An isolated USB to RS485 gateway enabling computers to connect to RS485 marine networks.
• DST-1 (DST Module) A depth, speed, and temperature module that interfaces with transducers to provide marine navigation data.
• PRO-MUX-2 (Professional NMEA Multiplexer) PRO Range intelligent multiplexer supporting bi-directional Ethernet streaming of NMEA 0183 data, auto-switching between primary and secondary instruments, sentence-level filtering and routing, and an on-board web-based configuration interface.
• PRO-BUF-2 (Professional NMEA Buffer) PRO Range intelligent buffer supporting bi-directional Ethernet streaming of NMEA 0183 data, auto-switching, sentence-level filtering and routing, and on-board web-based configuration and diagnostics.
• PRO-NDC-1E (Professional NMEA Multiplexer) PRO Range NMEA 0183 / NMEA 2000 multiplexer with bi-directional Ethernet streaming, on-board web server for configuration, and RINA Type Approval for commercial marine use.
• PRO-NDC-1E2K (NMEA 2000 Certified Type-Approved Multiplexer) The first NMEA 2000 certified, type-approved multiplexer, with built-in NMEA 2000 connectivity, high-speed Ethernet streaming, flexible configuration, auto-switching, and sentence-level filtering. RINA Type Approved and awarded the European Commercial Marine Award at the Innovation Showcase.
• PRO-NBF-1 (Professional NMEA Buffer) PRO Range NMEA buffer with RINA Type Approval for use on commercial marine vessels requiring classification-society compliance.
• ActisenseCloud A cloud platform for data management and remote monitoring of vessel systems connected to Actisense devices, offered as a subscription service.
• NMEA Reader A free software tool for reading and analyzing NMEA data streams from marine networks.
• EBL Reader A software application for viewing and analyzing Electronic Ballast Log (EBL) data from marine networks.
• Toolkit A suite of diagnostic and configuration tools for Actisense marine networking products.
• SDK (Software Development Kit) A software development kit enabling developers to build applications that interact with Actisense NMEA products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple commercial vessels and major marine electronics manufacturers (Raymarine) rely on Actisense for critical data networking solutions.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association)coreTechnology or IntegrationActisense is an NMEA member and its products carry NMEA certification. The company participates in the development and adoption of NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 standards for marine electronics.
• RaymarinecoreTechnology or IntegrationActisense collaborated with Raymarine on NMEA support for the Pathfinder radar system. Raymarine used the PRO-MUX-2 as the data collection unit for their new Pathfinder system, providing flexible interfacing for both retrofits and newbuild vessels.
• RINAcoreTechnology or IntegrationRINA, a leading classification body, has Type Approved five Actisense PRO Range products (PRO-NBF-1, PRO-BUF-2, PRO-MUX-2, PRO-NDC-1E, PRO-NDC-1E2K), enabling their use on commercial vessels requiring class certification.
• GemecocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGemeco is a sales manager and distributor for Actisense products, recommending them to customers and serving as a key channel partner in the US marine electronics market.
• Sea-KitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea-Kit, a developer of uncrewed surface vessels, partnered with Actisense to address data connectivity challenges faced by uncrewed vessels using Actisense NMEA solutions.
• EcologiminorOthersActisense offsets its carbon footprint via Ecologi, demonstrating commitment to environmental sustainability.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/actisense
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0CaZ_fCXNks_2P1AjtqxKw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ActisenseNews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/active-research-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/actisense_activeresearch

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Actisense