Apex users: Public Service Announcement

[SuncrestReef]

Public service announcement for all Apex users:

If you use an Apex but do not currently have a backup file of your configuration, please create a backup!!! If anything goes wrong with your Apex, you will be glad you have a backup file to restore from.

Follow these steps to create a backup:

1. From a desktop or laptop computer, browse to http://apex.local
   NOTE: If you renamed your Apex during setup, or have changed the Hostname under the Network Setup screen, then use that hostname rather than "apex". Example: My Apex is named SuncrestApex, so I go to http://SuncrestApex.local. Alternatively, if you know your Apex IP address, you can browse directly to the IP address: http://192.168.0.20
   
   
2. Log in with the local Admin account. This username and password is different from your Fusion account. If you never set it, the default is:
   Username: Admin
   Password: 1234
   
   For the Apex (2016) or Apex EL:
3. Click the Apex menu, then click Misc
   
4. Click the Load/Save icon at the top. It looks like a hard disk:
   
5. Click the Save Configuration button
   
   
   For the Apex Classic:
   
   
   
   
   
   

This will download an Apexcfg.bin file to your computer's Downloads folder. You may move this file to a new folder if you like. I typically rename the file to include the date, and that way I can keep multiple copies whenever I make a significant change to my Apex. This allows me to go back to a particular configuration if needed rather than just the latest backup:

• Apexcfg 2019-06-29.bin
• Apexcfg 2019-06-03.bin
• Apexcfg 2019-04-17.bin

In addition to the backup file, I also like to save a text version of the system summary as a PDF file. This can be handy if you just want to see what settings or programming you had, without needing to restore the full backup to the Apex.

To get to the summary, click the Apex menu and then click Summary. From there you can scroll through the whole config, or click the Print icon at the upper right. On most computers you can choose to Save as PDF from the Print screen.



Trust me, you will thank me later if you ever find yourself in the position of needing to restore or repair your Apex config.

 

[BoSalman]

A backup is never a wrong idea..

Thanks for sharing those detailed steps

 

[rkpetersen]

Also a good idea to keep screenshots of the dashboard, network page, etc.

 

[road_runner]

Isnot it strange you do not have this function in the cloud? Why do not fusion save your setting to your account and offload all this coding and hassle especially when you switch or upgrade a controller...
My lights cloud tool does that..
So as my power pumps cloud tool.

That's one of the reason o depend on the cloid tool of the equipment if they have available and tey to reduce mu dependency on the controller..

 

[Clownfishy]

If you replace you Apex with a new base unit, connect everything up and then do a restore, will this put everything back to excatly as it was?

 

[powers2001]

@SuncrestReef what is Apex Local, how is it different from Fusion, and what can it do?

 

[Bob Escher]

@SuncrestReef what is Apex Local, how is it different from Fusion, and what can it do?

Local means it is in the the system itself. Fusion is the servers in the cloud you have to have access to the internet to have access to Fusion.
local is on your internal network
you can do everything with local that you can do with Fusion.
Even more off the top of my head ( I don’t remember exactly what)
when you are local you are working with the Apex Directly

 

[rkpetersen]

Apex Local also typically responds much more quickly to switch and output changes.
Therefore it's quite useful to use Local when testing new equipment or configurations.
The Season Tables, which allow for seasonal adjustment in set temperature and other parameters, is only in Local.
Also the ability to save a Configuration File backup for use in restoring a system is only found in Local.
You can't do everything you can with Fusion through Local though; alarm logs, power logs, test result entry, automated tasks, user authorization, and voice control are some things that are configurable through Fusion but not Local.

 

[SuncrestReef]

@SuncrestReef what is Apex Local, how is it different from Fusion, and what can it do?

Apex Local also typically responds much more quickly to switch and output changes.
Therefore it's quite useful to use Local when testing new equipment or configurations.
The Season Tables, which allow for seasonal adjustment in set temperature and other parameters, is only in Local.
Also the ability to save a Configuration File backup for use in restoring a system is only found in Local.
You can't do everything you can with Fusion through Local though; alarm logs, power logs, test result entry, automated tasks, user authorization, and voice control are some things that are configurable through Fusion but not Local.

@rkpetersen - Great summary.

Here's a side-by-side screenshot of Apex.Local menus on the left, and Apex Fusion on the right:

 

[phatduckk]

awesome tip! I'm gonna setup a script to take a nightly snapshot when I get home tonight

 

[Kyl]

Isnot it strange you do not have this function in the cloud? Why do not fusion save your setting to your account and offload all this coding and hassle especially when you switch or upgrade a controller...
My lights cloud tool does that..
So as my power pumps cloud tool.

That's one of the reason o depend on the cloid tool of the equipment if they have available and tey to reduce mu dependency on the controller..

People have been asking for that since fusion went live. I doubt we'll see it till some of their competition goes that route.

 

[Sleepydoc]

This is an excellent suggestion!

One thing to keep in mind - Apex fusion is run by Neptune which is paying for the hosting service, storage space, etc. Nominally, we pay for this when we buy an Apex, but I’ve often wondered about the business model where there is no ongoing revenue stream to pay for this service. I suspect this may play a roll in Neptune’s decision whether to add new services or not.

Also, having the ability to restore from the cloud requires that the Apex have the ability to download a configuration from the cloud. The processors and memory capacity of the Apex is no where near that of your iPhone and I suspect it may not be technically possible even if they want to add it.

 

[YankeeTankee]

Public service announcement for all Apex users:

If you use an Apex but do not currently have a backup file of your configuration, please create a backup!!! If anything goes wrong with your Apex, you will be glad you have a backup file to restore from.

Follow these steps to create a backup:

1. From a desktop or laptop computer, browse to http://apex.local
2. Log in with the local Admin account. This username and password is different from your Fusion account. If you never set it, the default is:
   Username: Admin
   Password: 1234
3. Click the Apex menu, then click Misc
   
4. Click the Load/Save icon at the top. It looks like a hard disk:
   
5. Click the Save Configuration button
   

This will download an Apexcfg.bin file to your computer's Downloads folder. You may move this file to a new folder if you like. I typically rename the file to include the date, and that way I can keep multiple copies whenever I make a significant change to my Apex. This allows me to go back to a particular configuration if needed rather than just the latest backup:

• Apexcfg 2019-06-29.bin
• Apexcfg 2019-06-03.bin
• Apexcfg 2019-04-17.bin

In addition to the backup file, I also like to save a text version of the system summary as a PDF file. This can be handy if you just want to see what settings or programming you had, without needing to restore the full backup to the Apex.

To get to the summary, click the Apex menu and then click Summary. From there you can scroll through the whole config, or click the Print icon at the upper right. On most computers you can choose to Save as PDF from the Print screen.



Trust me, you will thank me later if you ever find yourself in the position of needing to restore or repair your Apex config.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[powers2001]

@SuncrestReef how do I bring up the login page of Apex Local on my computer or iPhone? I type apex.local in the browser URL and it gives me nothing.

 

[TheHarold]

@SuncrestReef how do I bring up the login page of Apex Local on my computer or iPhone? I type apex.local in the browser URL and it gives me nothing.

You need to be connected to the same WiFi network as the apex

 

[powers2001]

You need to be connected to the same WiFi network as the apex

I'm running my Apex with an Ethernet cable to my router. Will this make any difference?

 

[SuncrestReef]

@SuncrestReef how do I bring up the login page of Apex Local on my computer or iPhone? I type apex.local in the browser URL and it gives me nothing.

Check your Apex hostname in Fusion under the Network settings to see if it’s different than ”apex”. For example, mine is http://SuncrestApex.local

 

[powers2001]

Wi-Fi and DHCP are both disabled I noticed through Fusion.

 

[powers2001]

Under my Network Setup Summary my Hostname is IM10. Then i should type in: http://IM10.local But that doesn't work.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Under my Network Setup Summary my Hostname is IM10. Then i should type in: http://IM10.local But that doesn't work.

Is the port set to 80, or was that changed as well? If it’s different, then append it after the URL with a colon. For example:

http://IM10.local:8000

If all else fails, if you know the IP address you could try that in the URL:

http://192.168.1.100