Apex Display OR Tablet for New Apex, Which do you use?

[CCK_8814]

So I recently made the switch over to the 2016/WiFi Apex from my old Classic. I kept my display and am now curious what everyone is using. Are you using the actual Apex display or have you switched over to a tablet? If you're using a tablet, which one are you using? Seems like I see a lot of people running one of the Amazon Fire tablets. I feel like using a tablet with the Fusion App loaded on it or even just logged in via the Apex Fusion website would make it very easy should you ever need to make changes on the fly as well as give you real time graph data. Pros and cons would be appreciated as well. Thanks in advance!

 

[rkpetersen]

It's a great idea if it works for your situation. The Fire tablets are definitely popular.
I still use the display at tank side, with the app on my phone, and browser tabs always open on my desktop computer.
I set up an older iPad that my wife wasn't using as a display for a while, but it responded too slowly to inputs (processor too slow.)
Didn't see a good reason to spring for a new tablet in my particular setup.

 

[homer1475]

I use the old display as I only show the PH and Temp on it. But I do use the buttons for feed modes and such.

If I want to view fusion, I use my phone, or laptop.

 

[Caravanshaka]

I've got an iPad up on the wall next to the tank...all graphs and statuses are a quick glance away, and any changes that need to be made are on one screen. I have an apex display as well, but haven't used it once since fusion has been up.

 

[Entz]

I use an old ipad that lives next to the tank. That being said, having physical buttons would be nice (wet hands etc)

 

[SuncrestReef]

I mounted a NuVision Windows 10 tablet inside the door of my cabinet. It works great and looks good.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I bought a fire tablet to use as a display but couldn’t figure out how to get it set up... been sitting on a shelf since, waste of money. Would gladly pay for a elegant solution that didn’t involve hacking my equipment, downloading third party software, and bypassing security to get it to work.

 

[Brett S]

I don’t use a dedicated display at all. I have the apex fusion app on my iPhone and my iPad and I use my phone 90% of the time for quick checks and changes. I’ll grab my iPad if I need to spend a little more time programming it. I also have the apex integrated with Alexa and I’ll speak to alexa to turn some things on or off and to record test results.

I switched from an apex classic to the new apex a few years ago and I thought I would miss the display, so for a while I used an old google nexus tablet that I mounted inside the electronics area of my tank cabinet. But I discovered that I really didn’t use it much. It took about as much time to pull my phone out of my pocket and check something or make a quick change as it did to open the cabinet and do it on the dedicated tablet. And it was often more convenient to do it on my phone since I could use that anywhere and not just next standing to the tank.

My dedicated tablet died maybe 8 or 10 months ago and to be honest I’m not even sure when it died. I just noticed one day that it wasn’t working and I couldn’t even remember the last time I had checked it. For all I know it could have been dead for a few weeks or even longer. I took the dead tablet out of the cabinet and never replaced it and I really don’t miss it.

 

[RobW]

This is an interesting topic. I'm in the middle of a 280 gallon build. I will be using an Apex for control. I also am an electrical contractor that specializes in high end home automation. I use a system called Crestron and have it installed in my home as well. With Crestron I can basically take control or be able to incorporate just about any type of electronic device. I was actually planning on using one of my 10" in wall touchpanels to view all of the tank status. Just have to see how I can interface with it.

 

[CCK_8814]

Lots of different opinions on this which is what I was expecting. I have a feeling until you’ve basically tried both it’s hard to say which you’d prefer. Having the tank status and graphs near the tank at only a glance away is nice, but then there’s the fact you’re going to lose another outlet for the charger needed for said tablet.

 

[Waters]

I use both....the pros to the module is everything is seen quickly at a glance and I like the feed buttons. The downside is that every time the power goes out, I lose the module and have to have Neptune remote in (their response is to buy a battery backup to prevent it from happening). I also use a Fire Tablet which would be fine on its own, but I can't get it to remain on the Fusion website......it routinely closes by itself (I have tried several different browsers).

 

[Biglurr54]

I have done both the module and the Fire tablet. I put the Fire tablet at my tank and the module at the sump in the basement. My tablet was an old Fire 7 that my kids had and shattered the screen. They have new ones so instead of throwing it away I purposed it. It was nice when it worked but most of the time, i would look at the side of my tank and see ads from amazon on the screen. (Not visually appealing!) When I upgraded from my classic to the 2016, i sold the display module with the classic so they could set it up. I moved the tablet down to the sump because thats where I do most of the work on the tank and need the information there. Since the switch, one thing that i miss is that the display updated instantly. The Tablet does not. While instant information isnt needed, it is nice to have.

I also have had issues with the fire tablet. It seems to kick me off of fusion and revert back to the home screen after a few hours. It also gives me error messages when logging into fusion. Lastly, its very very slow and a lot of times not responsive. I purchased a new Fire 7 today. I plan on wiping the old one and investing some time into getting them both working correctly with kiosk apps to lock the screen.

 

[CCK_8814]

I can definitely see how if a tablet was super slow or kept crashing it would make the original display that much more appealing. I do have an extra Microsoft Surface laying around which is basically a laptop in tablet form. Maybe I’ll try using it and see how it does.

 

[G8rBait92]

I used my phone and make sure to hardwire Apex. Do not rely on wifi.

 

[CCK_8814]

I used my phone and make sure to hardwire Apex. Do not rely on wifi.

Yes mines hard wired as well as connected to WiFi as a backup. I like having a display so I can walk up to tank and know where everything is at. This is especially nice if I’m doing things inside the tank, hands covered in saltwater so I really don’t want to grab or handle my phone.

 

[smartwater101]

I mounted a NuVision Windows 10 tablet inside the door of my cabinet. It works great and looks good.

Oh wow those are a decent price, too.

 

[Adalius]

Mounted fire tablet on my stand. I use that for quick stuff when I'm there. Everything else I use my phone.

 

[link81]

both.
the apex display is mounted in the cabinet that houses the sump. open the door, and the display swings right out with it. it responds faster and works better for me when i'm in the sump doing something.
however for general use and programming, i use me phone or computer.

 

[CCK_8814]

I just remembered I also have a LG tablet that came free when we got new phones a few years ago. The screen is cracked from my toddler, but I think it’ll be perfect for what I need it for. I also have the Microsoft Surface I can use. I’ll post pics tonight of whichever one I choose.

 

[ca1ore]

I actually use both. I like the Neptune display because it sounds alarms (although there are ways to do this without it); I like the tablet because it can display the apex in fusion. Initially I tried fire tablets, but they're crap IMO and both failed relatively quickly. I now use a relatively recent, spare iPad with the smart cover so I can close it down at night.