Name: Zephyra AP lite
Author: Zephyra

Zephyra AP Lite — Autopilot Remote for Garmin

Take control of your autopilot without leaving the helm. Zephyra AP Lite turns your Garmin watch into a wrist-mounted remote for your autopilot system, giving you real-time status and instant course corrections at a glance.

What it does

Zephyra AP Lite connects over Wi-Fi to a companion server running on your vessel and displays live autopilot data directly on your watch. You can engage or disengage the autopilot and adjust your target heading — all without touching the chart plotter or autopilot control head.

Two-page interface

Control page
Your primary working view. Shows current heading, target heading, and autopilot engagement status in a clean, glanceable layout. Color-coded status badge makes it immediately obvious whether the autopilot is ENGAGED or on STANDBY. Heading adjustment buttons and an engage/disengage action are all one button press away.

Info page
A read-only data panel showing current heading, target heading, speed over ground (SOG in knots), and cardinal direction. Great for a quick situational check without accidentally triggering a command.

Key features

Engage / disengage autopilot directly from your watch
Adjust target heading in ±10° increments using the watch buttons
Live data: current heading, target heading, SOG, and cardinal direction
Clear status display: green ENGAGED badge or gray STANDBY badge, updated every 2 seconds
Automatic reconnection: if the connection drops, the app retries automatically and shows a clear error state
Accidental exit protection: the Back button is blocked while connected, and prompts for confirmation when disconnected, so you won't close the app mid-passage
Button layout

UP / DOWN — Adjust target heading ±10°
ENTER — Toggle autopilot engaged / standby
MENU — Switch between Control and Info pages
Requirements

Zephyra AP Lite is designed to work with a self-hosted companion server (Raspberry Pi or similar) running the Zephyra autopilot backend. The app communicates with the server over your vessel's local Wi-Fi network. Server setup instructions and source code are available separately.

Your watch must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the autopilot server to use the app.

Supported devices

Garmin Venu 2
Legacy Hero First Avenger
Zephyra AP Lite is built for sailors and boaters who want quick, glanceable autopilot control from their wrist. It is a lite, focused tool — no subscription, no cloud, no tracking. Just your watch talking directly to your boat.

Zephyra AP Lite requires a compatible self-hosted autopilot server. It is not compatible with commercial autopilot systems or Garmin's built-in navigation features.