Controller recommendations

[esquare]

I have been an Apex user for a long time and really liked the majority of their products. However, they seem to be having issues lately with support/service and availability.

 

[areefer01]

Yes - (no offense) to me those 1000 words explain how they put more effort into artsy-fartsy designs that are not modular or well thought or reliable than they did quality or usability.

All oddball shapes, wires going every direction, etc.
GHL is a well thought out product.

Isn't this similar to judging a book by its cover? Aesthetics don't really matter unless it is a personal preference to the hobbyist. It isn't going to make it work any better than the other. Onus is on the hobbyist regardless of what controller they are using to mount it properly had have cable management, labels, etc. Most are out of sight out of mind.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Isn't this similar to judging a book by its cover?

No, the form factor is not to my liking and that is part of the function in this context.

Aesthetics don't really matter unless it is a personal preference to the hobbyist.

Every aspect of the product from color to features to usability to reliability to support is a personal preference. Each person finds value differently.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Isn't this similar to judging a book by its cover? Aesthetics don't really matter unless it is a personal preference to the hobbyist. It isn't going to make it work any better than the other. Onus is on the hobbyist regardless of what controller they are using to mount it properly had have cable management, labels, etc. Most are out of sight out of mind.

For some folks the tank and animals are nothing more than life support for the the wow tech that is front and centre :-)

 

[BeanAnimal]

For some folks the tank and animals are nothing more than life support for the the wow tech that is front and centre :)

ohh absolutely.

 

[aSaltyKlown]

I posted this in another thread.

You really can't go wrong with either of them. Figure out what you want to control today as well as the future. Cost wise, it's better to get the more expensive package for either system upfront than adding on. I went with regular Apex since I do not care about testing salinity or ORP automatically. A lot of what I control is through the power bar. If that is all you need, then a few smart power strips work wonders.

As someone mentioned they both have bugs, issues. I've not had one so far and going on 15 months. I did get hit with the controller add-on bug and added a DOS, Trident and a breakout box for lights when I open the door to the sump, and a horizontal float switched for ATO and Kalk reservoirs.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I would be hesitant to buy anything that can’t operate without an internet connection and/or relies on cloud services to operate.

 

[areefer01]

No, the form factor is not to my liking and that is part of the function in this context.

Hmm....I get your point. In my context form factor has no bearing on functionality. On any of the platforms. But with all due respect I don't want to nit pick let alone argue (hopefully I am not coming across as that) the point. I think we are of similar page and I'm viewing it differently is all.

Every aspect of the product from color to features to usability to reliability to support is a personal preference. Each person finds value differently.

Agreed.

 

[areefer01]

I would be hesitant to buy anything that can’t operate without an internet connection and/or relies on cloud services to operate.

Which one limits operability when network is lost? With regards to cloud are not most all hosting in Azure, AWS, or Google? Or other.

Edit: this is just a generic question / conversation btw.

 

[niccumec]

I chose GHL for quality. If I cannot devote the time to program it correctly, then that is on me. Being an engineer, I prefer quality and the ability to control how I want it, so enduring a learning curve on the programming side seems worth it to me. The other options seem cheap and more confined in my opinion. That being said, I am only one step ahead of you and am currently in the process of setting up my GHL system. I did, however, go with the ReefBot automatic testing as I did not want to be confined to one brand of testing reagents. Hopefully I will respond later with positive results!!!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you guys have any recommendations on the controller? I am debating on either going with Apex or Hydros...

Hydros is very convenient but My loyalty is with a more expandable APEX

 

[ReefPig]

GHL is for engineers, Apex is for iPhone Users :)

I’d argue the opposite is true, having had both and being a very senior software engineer.

GHL is typical German engineering. The hardware is great, the design and thought process is excellent. The software is very mature, but it’s stuck in the past, and I don’t think it’s very flexible at all, it works exactly how they design it to. The configurability of it is a nightmare to work with, it’s absolutely not for engineers. They’re trying to make scripting simple, whilst making it terrible at the same time.
GHL is the iPhone (if iPhone was made by Germans who work with software always ten years behind).

Apex is by far more flexible, and by far more appropriate for engineers. It allows actual scripting, without silly rules and restrictions.
Apex is the Android.

 

[OU812Reefing]

Do you guys have any recommendations on the controller? I am debating on either going with Apex or Hydros...

Definitely would recommend Hydros great price and build quality and customer support and easy to use easy to expand not a single regret

 

[gbroadbridge]

I’d argue the opposite is true, having had both and being a very senior software engineer.

Mate, I said engineers not computer programmers :cool:

 

[areefer01]

Mate, I said engineers not computer programmers :cool:

And this is why we shouldn't give these sorts of recommendations. Engineers and programmers can't even get on the same page.

Controllers, they work. They all have their warts. Tech isn't always what it is cut out to be (probe) and they all run into support issues (human factor). We can discuss what is pretty vs ugly but there are some reasons behind their choice we may not know about.

What matters is what you choose and if it meets your needs and budget. Bottom line is they all work.

 

[ingchr1]

...

GHL-

CONS-

• Software is outdated

...

This complaint I never understood. It's all personal preference I guess. As they stand today, I see nothing wrong with the Android phone app, webserver or even GCC. When making changes, my preference is to actually use GCC.

I have no experience with other controllers, but one major consideration would be how many powerbar failures do you hear about with GHL compared to the others? From the forums you rarely hear of any, which speaks to the quality of the GHL hardware.

 

[BeanAnimal]

This complaint I never understood. It's all personal preference I guess. As they stand today, I see nothing wrong with the Android phone app, webserver or even GCC. When making changes, my preference is to actually use GCC.

The real issue with GCC is the endless child tab spawns. You can end up with 57 tabs open, with multiple duplicates. It is just BAD (i mean terrible) use of windows forms anti-pattern left over from visual basic in the late 80's early 90's.

The other issue is on unexpected "disconnect" the "profile" that you created is removed from GCC. One has to constantly create "new" connections.

The "light composer" functionality that they are trying to build into the web app is pretty bad too... It would be nice to see an actual cross platform application that worked like GCC with respect to light composer. The rest of the App (excluding the dashboard) is pretty good though.

From a pure system programming standpoint GCC is fine.

 

[MonoZXM]

I appreciate everyone for providing such informative responses to my question! :)

 

[ingchr1]

....The other issue is on unexpected "disconnect" the "profile" that you created is removed from GCC. One has to constantly create "new" connections...

I haven't had any issues of having to constantly create new connections to my devices. My connections are always there in the Navigation Pane. Maybe once or twice in the past five years I've had to re-add them following an update.

 

[n2585722]

Does anyone have experience in Hydros IV?

I use the Hydros iV and have the X10. I like both of them. Is there anything particular you want to know. My hydros collective has 14 controllers in it. They are split between the tank and the garage 35ft from the tank. I have my DI reservoir, fresh salt water reservoir and mix tank along with my RODI filter. These are all controlled by my Hydros. I also have my ATO and two AWC pumps in the garage.