Weft and Garmin EmpirBus,compared.
Garmin EmpirBus is digital switching for motorhomes and boats: modules replace breakers and switches, and the builder designs the screens that run them on Garmin displays and in the Garmin RV Controls app. Weft doesn't replace switching hardware. It connects to EmpirBus NXT over NMEA 2000 and brings its circuits into one app with the rest of the vehicle.
Weft is the part you live with.
EmpirBus switches every circuit in the vehicle. Weft makes the whole vehicle feel like one product, with every system from every brand in one app, in plain words.
- Answers in plain words
How long the battery will last, when the water runs out, and the weather ahead.
- One app for everything
Every system from every brand, connected directly, with nothing extra to buy for each one.
- It knows your vehicle
Alerts that name the circuit draining the battery overnight, and an assistant that knows your build.
- Lived with every day
Made by a family that lives in a vehicle with Weft. Every release runs there first.
| Weft | Garmin EmpirBus | |
|---|---|---|
| What it covers | The whole vehicle: energy, heating and climate, switching, water, internet, cameras and sensors from many brands, plus levelling from Weft Core's own tilt sensor. | Digital power distribution that replaces mechanical breakers and switches, for lighting and dimming, slide-outs, levelling, climate, tanks and temperatures, with automations and alarms. Each module handles 16 to 31 channels. |
| Who sets it up | The builder or installer fits Weft Core and adds wired systems with Workshop in the Weft app. Owners add wireless extras in the same app. | Vehicle and boat manufacturers, who program it with Garmin's free EmpirBus LogiX and GraphiX tools. Garmin describes it as ideally suited to new builds. |
| Owner app | The Weft app on iPhone, iPad and Android, in the builder's brand: answers in plain words, alerts that know the vehicle, and an assistant. | Garmin RV Controls, free on iOS and Android, on the vehicle's Wi‑Fi, alongside Garmin displays, keypads and a browser interface served by the WDU v2. |
| Remote access | Built in: Weft Core has built-in mobile service. Weft Connect is included for three years, then $159 a year. Builders help remotely in Workshop. | An optional 4G module in the WDU v2. Garmin doesn't publish the cost of remote access. |
| Cost | Weft Core $1,990 or Weft Security $2,790, list price per vehicle, with three years of Weft Connect and every integration included. | Sold to manufacturers. Garmin doesn't publish prices. |
| Works with other brands | Directly, with no extra modules or add-ons: 23 integrations across brands, over CAN-FD, RS-485, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee and Ethernet. | NMEA 2000, with CAN and RV-C, LIN and RS-485 depending on the module. |
| Availability | Not on sale yet. Pilot program December 2026 · EU launch Q1 2027 · US Q2 2027. | Made since 2003, with more than 50,000 installations according to Garmin, and fitted by manufacturers such as Robeta, LMC and Dembell. |
Facts about Garmin EmpirBus come from Garmin's own pages and named retailers, checked on 19 October 2026. Sources are listed below.
Choose Garmin EmpirBus if…
- Your builder already fits EmpirBus with a Garmin display.
- You want marine-grade switching across a large motorhome, with many outputs on NMEA 2000 and RV-C.
- You want one Garmin dashboard for navigation, audio and switching.
Choose Weft if…
- You want one app for the whole vehicle, with every brand connected directly.
- You want answers in plain words, and alerts that know your vehicle.
- You're a builder who wants the app in your brand, and remote support for every vehicle you deliver.
Using both
Use EmpirBus for switching and Weft for the vehicle as a whole. Weft connects to EmpirBus NXT through its API component over NMEA 2000 on Weft Core's CAN port, so lights, dimmers, circuits and the readings the installer exposes appear in the Weft app.
Sources, checked 19 October 2026
- Garmin, acquisition of Trigentic (EmpirBus), 2018
- Garmin, RV OEM catalogue
- Garmin, EMEA RV EmpirBus catalogue (Q3 2023)
- Garmin RV Controls on the App Store
- Garmin RV Controls on Google Play
Weft's details are from this site. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it.
See if Weft fits your next vehicle.
Check the systems you install or the ones already in the vehicle, and evaluate a Core.