Support. A real person answers.
Big Cove is a small crew, so support isn't a ticket queue — email us and you'll hear back from someone who worked on the thing you're asking about. Below: how to reach us, help for the Discovery app, and answers to the questions we get most.
How to reach us.
- Email support info@bigcove.io
- Response time 1–2 business days
- Support hours Mon–Fri · Pacific Time
Email info@bigcove.io and we'll get back to you within one to two business days. There's no account to create and no support portal to sign into — just write to us.
To get an answer on the first reply, include what you can:
- The app or product you're using, and its version.
- Your device and OS version — for example, iPhone 15 on iOS 18.4.
- What you expected to happen, and what happened instead.
- A screenshot, if there's something on screen worth seeing.
Finding your devices on the network.
Discovery is a free utility app that finds Big Cove Technology compatible devices — vessel trackers, gateways, controllers, and video kiosks — on the Wi-Fi network you're joined to, and opens each device's own configuration screen inside the app.
It uses Bonjour (mDNS) to look for devices, so nothing has to be typed in: power the device up, join the same network, and it appears in the list. There is no account, no sign-in, and no cloud service in between — the app talks to your equipment directly, on your own network.
Getting started
- Power on your device and connect it to your Wi-Fi network.
- Join your iPhone or iPad to that same network.
- Open Discovery. The first time, tap OK when iOS asks to allow local network access — the app can't find anything without it.
- Wait a few seconds. Discovered devices appear in the list automatically.
- Tap a device to open its control and configuration screen.
Devices that stop responding grey out and are marked Offline rather than disappearing. The app keeps checking them, so they come back on their own once they're reachable again.
| Detail | Discovery |
|---|---|
| Platform | iPhone and iPad |
| Minimum OS | iOS / iPadOS 16.6 or later |
| Price | Free — no in-app purchases, no subscription |
| Account | None required |
| Permissions | Local Network (to discover devices via Bonjour) |
| Connectivity | Local Wi-Fi only — the app does not need internet access |
| Data collected | None |
Discovery also ships to some customers under their own name and icon. The app works the same way in every version, and this page supports all of them.
Common questions, answered.
The app doesn't find my device. What should I check?
Almost every case comes down to the network. Work down this list:
- Same network. Your iPhone or iPad and the device must be on the same Wi-Fi network — not one on a guest network and one on the main network.
- Local Network permission. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network and make sure Discovery is switched on. Without it, iOS silently blocks discovery.
- Guest and public Wi-Fi. Many guest networks, marina Wi-Fi, and hotel networks use client isolation, which blocks the device-to-device traffic discovery relies on.
- VPN. Turn off any VPN on your phone or tablet — some route all traffic away from the local network.
- Power and link. Confirm the device is powered up and has actually joined the network.
- Give it a moment. Discovery can take a few seconds. Close and reopen the app if a device still hasn't shown up.
Still nothing? Email info@bigcove.io and tell us the device model and the kind of network you're on.
A device shows as "Offline" or greyed out.
That means the device announced itself on the network but isn't currently answering. The app keeps checking in the background, so it will come back by itself once the device is reachable — you don't need to restart the app. If it stays offline, check that the device still has power and a network link, and that nothing on the network changed (a new router, a different Wi-Fi band, or a network the device isn't allowed on).
The device appears in the list, but its screen won't load.
The list comes from what the device advertises on the network; the screen loads over HTTP from the device itself. If one works and the other doesn't, the device is usually reachable by name but serving on an unexpected address or port. Email us the device model and what you see and we'll sort it out — this is one we can usually fix on the device side.
Do I need an account or a subscription?
No. Discovery is free, has no in-app purchases, and there is nothing to sign up for. It talks only to equipment on your own network.
What data does the app collect?
None. Discovery has no accounts, no analytics, and no third-party tracking. It looks for devices on your local network and displays the screens those devices serve. Nothing is sent to Big Cove or anyone else. See our Privacy Policy for the full statement.
Which devices does Discovery find?
Big Cove Technology compatible devices that advertise themselves over Bonjour on the local network — including vessel trackers, gateways and connected controllers, and video kiosks. It is a utility for equipment we build, not a general-purpose network scanner.
Why does the app ask for local network access?
Because that's the entire job. Discovery uses Bonjour to find devices on the Wi-Fi network you're joined to. iOS requires your explicit permission for that. The permission is used only to locate and connect to your own equipment — never to scan or report on anything else.
How do I report a bug or request a feature?
Email info@bigcove.io. Include your device, iOS version, app version, and what you were doing. We're a small team and we read every one of these — feature requests from the field are how the app has grown.
How do I remove my data or delete the app?
The app stores no personal data, so there's nothing to request or erase. Deleting the app from your device removes it and its local settings completely.
I'm a client with a project or a device in the field — is this the right place?
Yes. Same address: info@bigcove.io reaches us for hardware in the field, deployed firmware, and cloud platforms we built and maintain. If it's urgent and you have a direct line from your project, use that first.
What we do with your data.
Short version: the Discovery app collects nothing. No accounts, no analytics, no tracking, no advertising identifiers. It communicates only with devices on the local network you're joined to.
If you email us for support, we keep that correspondence for as long as it takes to help you and to keep a record of the issue. We don't sell it or pass it on. The full policy is here: Big Cove Technology Privacy Policy.
Still stuck?
Write to us.
Tell us what's happening and what you've already tried. We answer within one to two business days, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Pacific Time.
Email support info@bigcove.io