Dual AP700s making me crazy...

[Chuck Lawson]

I recently added a pair of AP700s to my Reefer 450, and I'm going crazy trying to get them to do what I want them to do. Basically, I'd like to have a 12 hour or so lighting period, with 50% intensity Ocean Blue 3 for six hours, and a 3 hour ramp from (and back to) a 0% Deep Ocean Blue at either end.

Seems pretty straightforward, and I'm sure I'm doing something obviously wrong and silly, but I cannot for the life of me get both lights doing the same thing at the same time. I'll set up my profile, and assign it to both units, and one unit will be much bluer than the other, or will be like an hour or two off of the start and stop times, or (particularly frustrating) appear to have the same color as the other unit (yay! we got it!) but then it becomes obvious that it's just set static and doesn't change or go off on schedule with the other unit (despite both units showing as having the same profile and being set to the same group in the app)

Does anyone have a clue what I'm doing wrong? I've double checked that both units are running the latest firmware, and I appear to be running the latest version (3.4?) of the IOS app on an iPad.

 

[Mal11224]

Are you grouping the lights via the wifi or are you connecting them with the RCA cord? I only have one AP700 and use my phone to control it. It allows you to add green and red color to your blues. I would think that the RCA cord would link them to act as one unit similar to the Kessil A160's and 360's.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Are you grouping the lights via the wifi or are you connecting them with the RCA cord? I only have one AP700 and use my phone to control it. It allows you to add green and red color to your blues. I would think that the RCA cord would link them to act as one unit similar to the Kessil A160's and 360's.

The only method of controlling the AP700 fixtures is wifi. There are no external means of synchronizing or controlling them. I think you are thinking of the other Kessil units that use 1/8" stereo cords.

Now, back to the OP's issue. You should set them up using one of the AP700 units as the master deveice, E.g. not through a router. I have found the AP700 connectivity to go from bad to passable just by using the "direct" connection (not through a router) method. Then you can put the 2 units into the same group and program the group.

Dennis

 

[Mal11224]

The only method of controlling the AP700 fixtures is wifi. There are no external means of synchronizing or controlling them. I think you are thinking of the other Kessil units that use 1/8" stereo cords.

Now, back to the OP's issue. You should set them up using one of the AP700 units as the master deveice, E.g. not through a router. I have found the AP700 connectivity to go from bad to passable just by using the "direct" connection (not through a router) method. Then you can put the 2 units into the same group and program the group.

Dennis

You are absolutely correct. I just took a look at mine and did not notice a jack. Must've had my old A160s on the brain.

@Chuck Lawson you may have this already but in case you don't, it explains how to do it.
http://kessil.com/aquarium/downloadfiles/20151007_AP700APP_user manual.pdf

 

[Radman73]

As suggested, connect to one directly and add it to the app. It should give you the option of continuing to add another. Follow the prompts and add this second AP700. When both have been added create a group and add both. At that point, they should be in sync.

I ran mine off the router for a few months without issue but then started having weird errors like a light going out for 1-2 seconds and the lights becoming slightly off program from each other. I reset the lights, the app, and connected directly and all has cleared up.

 

[Chuck Lawson]

Thanks guys!

Yeah, sadly no sync cable; at this point I kind of wish I'd have just went with 4 A360s that I could have used sync cables and 0-10v control with... Oh well...

Okay, I gave it another try directly connecting to each one. It all looks good at the moment; we'll see if they stay in sync and go on and off at the proper times. If this works, great, but hopefully they fix the "through router" functionality in a future update -- it's a pain having to change access points, plus it annoys me to have additional SSIDs cluttering up the neighborhood.

 

[Josh Kraft]

What do you guys mean by directly connecting? I just RMA'd one that went off for 1-2 seconds sometimes, once it was 5 minutes. I reset the lights and app, and that didn't work. I haven't had the issue since I got my new one last week, but it would be awesome if there was a way to control it from your PC (either wired or wirelessly) instead of just your phone.

edit: I get it now, directly connected means connect to the lights broadcasted wifi.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Thanks guys!

Yeah, sadly no sync cable; at this point I kind of wish I'd have just went with 4 A360s that I could have used sync cables and 0-10v control with... Oh well...

Okay, I gave it another try directly connecting to each one. It all looks good at the moment; we'll see if they stay in sync and go on and off at the proper times. If this works, great, but hopefully they fix the "through router" functionality in a future update -- it's a pain having to change access points, plus it annoys me to have additional SSIDs cluttering up the neighborhood.

If you do it correct, you should only have 1 extra SSID visible. The unit that you setup as master. All the other units will pair with that one and take direction from the master, or at least that is the way it is supposed to work.

What do you guys mean by directly connecting? I just RMA'd one that went off for 1-2 seconds sometimes, once it was 5 minutes. I reset the lights and app, and that didn't work. I haven't had the issue since I got my new one last week, but it would be awesome if there was a way to control it from your PC (either wired or wirelessly) instead of just your phone.

edit: I get it now, directly connected means connect to the lights broadcasted wifi.

Yup, the AP700 is a great light, but the connectivity leaves a lot to be desired. I would have taken a digital input over the App as well. Then we would not be limited to the level of control that Kessil provides or is capable of making work.

Dennis

 

[Josh Kraft]

If you do it correct, you should only have 1 extra SSID visible. The unit that you setup as master. All the other units will pair with that one and take direction from the master, or at least that is the way it is supposed to work.



Yup, the AP700 is a great light, but the connectivity leaves a lot to be desired. I would have taken a digital input over the App as well. Then we would not be limited to the level of control that Kessil provides or is capable of making work.

Dennis

I thought I remember trying to access my Kessil through my PC using its IP, I swear it prompted me for a username / password. I wonder whats hiding behind there.

 

[Chuck Lawson]

I thought I remember trying to access my Kessil through my PC using its IP, I swear it prompted me for a username / password. I wonder whats hiding behind there.

If you have it connected to your network (instead of its own direct wifi), it definitely comes up and prompts for username and password on port 80. Hopefully maybe someday they'll enable a web browser interface for it.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I thought I remember trying to access my Kessil through my PC using its IP, I swear it prompted me for a username / password. I wonder whats hiding behind there.

They use a SBC (single board computer) from China. I can't recall the brand right now. When I first got an AP700, I made a point of tracking down the embedded hardware and downloading the developer docs. I was planning to decode the protocol and had my AP700 communicating through an access point that allowed me to capture the traffic between it and the App. It was using a binary stream, so it would have taken some work to figure out the specifics, and Kessil released an updated version of the App that scratched all my immediate itches, so I lost interest in figuring out the communication protocol.

If you have it connected to your network (instead of its own direct wifi), it definitely comes up and prompts for username and password on port 80. Hopefully maybe someday they'll enable a web browser interface for it.

Careful. The SBC is using the default config, with the default admin credentials still in place, or at least was the last time I investigated. I expect the App has certain expectations about the configuration of the SBC and making changes to the SBC will most likely brick the AP700.

Dennis

 

[Chuck Lawson]

Careful. The SBC is using the default config, with the default admin credentials still in place, or at least was the last time I investigated. I expect the App has certain expectations about the configuration of the SBC and making changes to the SBC will most likely brick the AP700.

I'll leave the thing well enough alone as long as it cooperates

It's a shame tho that there's so much of this gear that's getting network aware, but so little interoperability. If the manufacturers would just expose an API, we'd start to see devices talking to each other more, without having to have a lot of special effort made.

 

[azreeftank]

Sorry Not to highjack the thread but how the $&& do I get my AP700 to ramp up in the AM??! I have the light set to turn in at 1% at 8 am and then Ramps up to 10% by 10am and keeps going up from there. The light goes from being off over night and then BAM turns on at a VERY bright 1% at 8am. yet at night when it ramps down to zero it has a very subtle blue so why is it NOT subtle in the morning??? Love the light and the program but hate the glitches I’m seeing with this and I have the latest firmware. I tried the Lunar and it works great I just don’t want the light on 24/7 so don’t use that feature. Thanks

 

[Josh Kraft]

Sorry Not to highjack the thread but how the $&& do I get my AP700 to ramp up in the AM??! I have the light set to turn in at 1% at 8 am and then Ramps up to 10% by 10am and keeps going up from there. The light goes from being off over night and then BAM turns on at a VERY bright 1% at 8am. yet at night when it ramps down to zero it has a very subtle blue so why is it NOT subtle in the morning??? Love the light and the program but hate the glitches I’m seeing with this and I have the latest firmware. I tried the Lunar and it works great I just don’t want the light on 24/7 so don’t use that feature. Thanks

Post a screenshot of your program

 

[azreeftank]

Post a screenshot of your program

 

[Josh Kraft]

When you hit the play button does it start bright or look like it should? There may be a min percent causing that issue

 

[azreeftank]

So at 10:00 pm it starts to ramp down and gets very dim like 1%. In the morning it does not ramp up it’s off one minute and then on the program says it’s 1% but it’s considerably brighter than the lowest setting when ramping down. Why can’t the up be Same brightness as ramp down??

 

[Makers Marc]

Reviving.

Currently my dual ap700 are synced together under the same program.

Now suppose I want to go manual for reasons like taking a picture. Currently i have to login to 2 different kessil wifi addresses to manually adjust settings on both units, one at a time.

Is there a way to manually adjust both units together and add more red for example, without having to login to both units directly through wifi?

 

[Josh Kraft]

Reviving.

Currently my dual ap700 are synced together under the same program.

Now suppose I want to go manual for reasons like taking a picture. Currently i have to login to 2 different kessil wifi addresses to manually adjust settings on both units, one at a time.

Is there a way to manually adjust both units together and add more red for example, without having to login to both units directly through wifi?

You can have two lamps in app, they can be controlled separately or together if you group them.

https://www.kessil.com/aquarium/downloadfiles/20151007_AP700APP_user manual.pdf

 

[Makers Marc]

Yeah. I know you can have two units grouped together. But any time I want to switch from program to manual mode, I still have to goto my open wifi connections on my phone and switch between both Kessil wifi connections.