Apex/COR vs. Mobius/Vectra Remote Monitoring?

mstgkillr · Jun 23, 2020

I currently have an Apex and COR-20, which allows me to remotely monitor the status of the COR-20 while on vacation, etc. I can see the pump watts, rpm, and temp, which gives me a pretty decent idea if it's working or not.

I also have Radion G5s and Vortechs controlled through Mobius. I'm considering switching to Vectras for my return pump, but it appears that Mobius is Bluetooth only, which wouldn't allow me to monitor my tank remotely. Has there been any talk of EcoTech expanding Mobius to the cloud, so that I can monitor my tank when I am away from home? Does Mobius currently or is it expected to monitor the run status of Vectras?

Edit: I searched again, and it appears that Tim at EcoTech stated back in January, "cloud support for Mobius will exist, exactly how we're accomplishing that will be revealed in the near future, stay tuned! It'll be exciting."

@Tim at EcoTech any updates as to when the plan might be revealed and implemented? How is the power bar coming along? Need a beta tester?

TheHarold · Jun 23, 2020

Even if they enable wifi, does Vectra give any active feedback like the COR20 such as RPM, wattage, or temperature?

((FORDTECH)) · Jun 23, 2020

mstgkillr said:
I currently have an Apex and COR-20, which allows me to remotely monitor the status of the COR-20 while on vacation, etc. I can see the pump watts, rpm, and temp, which gives me a pretty decent idea if it's working or not.

I also have Radion G5s and Vortechs controlled through Mobius. I'm considering switching to Vectras for my return pump, but it appears that Mobius is Bluetooth only, which wouldn't allow me to monitor my tank remotely. Has there been any talk of EcoTech expanding Mobius to the cloud, so that I can monitor my tank when I am away from home? Does Mobius currently or is it expected to monitor the run status of Vectras?

Edit: I searched again, and it appears that Tim at EcoTech stated back in January, "cloud support for Mobius will exist, exactly how we're accomplishing that will be revealed in the near future, stay tuned! It'll be exciting."

@Tim at EcoTech any updates as to when the plan might be revealed and implemented? How is the power bar coming along? Need a beta tester?

And why would you switch to vectra from cor if they are working properly ?

((FORDTECH)) · Jun 23, 2020

I recently had to decide between running 2 cor-20 or 2 vectra m2 and decided to go with cor-20s. The only regret I have is that cor-20 does not have battery back up option like Vectra.

ca1ore · Jun 23, 2020

I’ve a Vectra M1 that I have been running since the first day it was available (yeah, I sometimes struggle with impulse control). That is now five years ago, give or take. Not sure which way I will go when it fails. Back in 2015 I had intended to get the CoR but the endless delays exhausted what limited patience I possess. I don’t have much desire to deal with another control platform, but the vectra has been an excellent pump.

User1 · Jun 23, 2020

mstgkillr said:
I currently have an Apex and COR-20, which allows me to remotely monitor the status of the COR-20 while on vacation, etc. I can see the pump watts, rpm, and temp, which gives me a pretty decent idea if it's working or not.

I also have Radion G5s and Vortechs controlled through Mobius. I'm considering switching to Vectras for my return pump, but it appears that Mobius is Bluetooth only, which wouldn't allow me to monitor my tank remotely. Has there been any talk of EcoTech expanding Mobius to the cloud, so that I can monitor my tank when I am away from home? Does Mobius currently or is it expected to monitor the run status of Vectras?

Edit: I searched again, and it appears that Tim at EcoTech stated back in January, "cloud support for Mobius will exist, exactly how we're accomplishing that will be revealed in the near future, stay tuned! It'll be exciting."

@Tim at EcoTech any updates as to when the plan might be revealed and implemented? How is the power bar coming along? Need a beta tester?

Note up front - I'm biased as I own 1 cor 20 and 2 cor 15's. With that out of the way I wanted to ask why the change? Assuming the Cor 20 is working correctly. Follow up is why do you feel it is necessary to monitor the actual depth of monitor possibilities on the pump? Are you looking at the RPM's to gauge maintenance, heat, or something else?

I'm only asking because of the money needed to switch. And by doing so what is is the gain for you. Lastly, does this mean you are considering a platform change. As alluded to above by another hobbyist I personally am not a fan of all these different controllers, dongles, and apps each vendor is pushing on us now. While I'm not a huge fan of single ecosystems in this space I have to look away and plan my tanks features around it.

Personally I don't pay much attention to the Cor pumps as far as alerts go. The fact it is a option should I choose to is great

But at the moment I don't. Cor 15's have been running since launch. The 20 about 4 months after. Darn good pumps (biased as I said).

Tim at EcoTech · Jun 24, 2020

When wifi is enabled for the Radion G5, sometime in the future, this will drag along any BLE products on Mobius with it. So, if you have a G5 and a Vectra, or VorTech, or Versa, etc, all will be remotely accessible. This is not available yet though.

mstgkillr · Jun 24, 2020

TheHarold said:
Even if they enable wifi, does Vectra give any active feedback like the COR20 such as RPM, wattage, or temperature?

I'm not sure as I currently do not own a Vectra, but it would be nice to know. However, for me, I would be happy just knowing if the pump is running.

saf1 said:
Note up front - I'm biased as I own 1 cor 20 and 2 cor 15's. With that out of the way I wanted to ask why the change? Assuming the Cor 20 is working correctly. Follow up is why do you feel it is necessary to monitor the actual depth of monitor possibilities on the pump? Are you looking at the RPM's to gauge maintenance, heat, or something else?

I'm only asking because of the money needed to switch. And by doing so what is is the gain for you. Lastly, does this mean you are considering a platform change. As alluded to above by another hobbyist I personally am not a fan of all these different controllers, dongles, and apps each vendor is pushing on us now. While I'm not a huge fan of single ecosystems in this space I have to look away and plan my tanks features around it.

Personally I don't pay much attention to the Cor pumps as far as alerts go. The fact it is a option should I choose to is great But at the moment I don't. Cor 15's have been running since launch. The 20 about 4 months after. Darn good pumps (biased as I said).

Yes, my COR-20 is running just fine, but I am already deeply committed to Mobius (4 G5s, 4 MP40s, 2 MP60s) and I just prefer EcoTech's platform for overall control. I like the fact that each piece of equipment can stand alone or can be integrated together (without wires), and does not rely on a single "head unit" or "power bar" for a single point of failure. Currently, I seem to be stuck between Neptune and EcoTech, but I believe EcoTech is moving in the right direction. Hopefully, they will release power bar and Trident alternative as well.

Tim at EcoTech said:
When wifi is enabled for the Radion G5, sometime in the future, this will drag along any BLE products on Mobius with it. So, if you have a G5 and a Vectra, or VorTech, or Versa, etc, all will be remotely accessible. This is not available yet though.

Excellent! I know it's a public forum, any ballpark estimates... 1-3 months, 6 months, a year, or more?

bam123 · Jun 24, 2020

I plugged my vectra into my apex. Set wattage parameters on the main pump through apex. You will now get alerts and be able to send commands to turn on and off. This is what I did. I have mobius running my vectras, mp10s x3 and my vectrs s2. I like mobius, but it is a little quirky. They are constantly improving it though. My suggestions for mobius users is to set it up and leave it alone

) Ecotech said WIFI will come eventually, but no timeline yet.

raultsu · Jul 28, 2020

Tim at EcoTech said:
When wifi is enabled for the Radion G5, sometime in the future, this will drag along any BLE products on Mobius with it. So, if you have a G5 and a Vectra, or VorTech, or Versa, etc, all will be remotely accessible. This is not available yet though.

So wifi will only your if you have a G5?

AcanthurusRex · Jul 28, 2020

raultsu said:
So wifi will only your if you have a G5?

Does not say that.

Sisterlimonpot · Jul 28, 2020

raultsu said:
So wifi will only your if you have a G5?

At the moment yes, there are other products slated to be rolled out with wifi. However, I'm quite certian that wifi will be enabled on mobius long before we see other wifi capable equipment from ETM.

raultsu · Jul 28, 2020

AcanthurusRex said:
Does not say that.

Read what Tim wrote. He says G5

AcanthurusRex · Jul 28, 2020

Maybe it does say that. He does write "G5 and".

bam123 · Jul 28, 2020

mstgkillr said:
I currently have an Apex and COR-20, which allows me to remotely monitor the status of the COR-20 while on vacation, etc. I can see the pump watts, rpm, and temp, which gives me a pretty decent idea if it's working or not.

I also have Radion G5s and Vortechs controlled through Mobius. I'm considering switching to Vectras for my return pump, but it appears that Mobius is Bluetooth only, which wouldn't allow me to monitor my tank remotely. Has there been any talk of EcoTech expanding Mobius to the cloud, so that I can monitor my tank when I am away from home? Does Mobius currently or is it expected to monitor the run status of Vectras?

Edit: I searched again, and it appears that Tim at EcoTech stated back in January, "cloud support for Mobius will exist, exactly how we're accomplishing that will be revealed in the near future, stay tuned! It'll be exciting."

@Tim at EcoTech any updates as to when the plan might be revealed and implemented? How is the power bar coming along? Need a beta tester?

If the vectra is hooked into an apex, it will send an alarm if the voltage is low.

mstgkillr · Sep 11, 2020

Tim at EcoTech said:
When wifi is enabled for the Radion G5, sometime in the future, this will drag along any BLE products on Mobius with it. So, if you have a G5 and a Vectra, or VorTech, or Versa, etc, all will be remotely accessible. This is not available yet though.

@Tim at EcoTech I have several G5s, MP60s, and MP40s. I'm still considering switching my COR-20s to Vectra. Any updates on wifi? I'd love to see an Ecotech power bar as well!