EcoTech Vectra and Vortech firmware change to Mobius on June 1st

[Potatohead]

It does matter to me and many that doesn’t own reeflink as I don’t want to purchase reeflink just to install firmware

Ok yeah I understand that, I assumed you had an RL

 

[Robinson]

It does matter to me and many that doesn’t own reeflink as I don’t want to purchase reeflink just to install firmware

I think there is a way to update the existing pumps to a new firmware without reeflink. Now, we dont have all the details on how the Mobius upgrade will happen. But I can see that if the pump have the capable Bluetooth chip installed, maybe there is a change that the firmware update will happen with the help of Mobius. Again, just an opinion. From everything that I have read before, it never mentioned that reeflink will be necessary to perform the update. Hope this will be the case.

 

[canadianeh]

I think there is a way to update the existing pumps to a new firmware without reeflink. Now, we dont have all the details on how the Mobius upgrade will happen. But I can see that if the pump have the capable Bluetooth chip installed, maybe there is a change that the firmware update will happen with the help of Mobius. Again, just an opinion. From everything that I have read before, it never mentioned that reeflink will be necessary to perform the update. Hope this will be the case.

Hopefully. Otherwise, it will look silly on Ecotech to “force” people to buy reeflink to upgrade firmware.

 

[JoshH]

Another question, so if my M2 that I purchased in December last year already comes with the chip, how do I download the new June firmware to be able to use it with Mobius? I don’t think I can connect it to wifi without reeflink.

I believe I read somewhere in the manual that when you reset your controller it connects to any available wifi connection and attempts to download any new firmware available... I might be wrong though.

 

[Letterkenny]

What does this mean for Apex integration? Will the WXM module become obsolete for the MP40s? I’m doing a new build and was really hoping to be able to have a one app shop for feeding versus messing MF with multiple apps/controllers.

 

[Robinson]

What does this mean for Apex integration? Will the WXM module become obsolete for the MP40s? I’m doing a new build and was really hoping to be able to have a one app shop for feeding versus messing MF with multiple apps/controllers.

I believe they mentioned in the article that the new pump can be downgraded to a firmware that is compatible with RL in case you want to keep controlling the pump with RL and not with Mobius. Maybe that firmware could also work with WXM as there are rumors that the new firmware for Mobius will not be compatible with any other controller equipment or software. Only with Mobius.

 

[mike550]

Direct copy from the article;

“And just before you ditch all your existing non-Mobius running EcoTech equipment, existing ESL firmware pumps will be upgradeable to Mobius in the near future, which is great to hear and will no doubt calm the anxiety of existing EcoTech owners who want all their gear to be as up to date and as feature-rich as possible”

They are referring here to the pumps that are compatible, those are going to be firmware upgradable to Mobius in a near future.

Not to be too cynical here, but it will be interesting what Ecotech means by “upgradeable” — as in how much will it cost me to upgrade my MP40 and M2 which are already the wireless versions. ”In the near future” is another qualifier. Do they mean July or early 2021

To be fair, it took them a while to get the mechanical issues worked out for the Versa, and they did the right thing. So I’m happy to give them time to work things out.

 

[Robinson]

Not to be too cynical here, but it will be interesting what Ecotech means by “upgradeable” — as in how much will it cost me to upgrade my MP40 and M2 which are already the wireless versions. ”In the near future” is another qualifier. Do they mean July or early 2021

To be fair, it took them a while to get the mechanical issues worked out for the Versa, and they did the right thing. So I’m happy to give them time to work things out.

In order for the order equipments ( Radion, Vectras and Vortech) to work with Mobius they need an upgrade bluetooth chip (black color). They already were shipping older equipment with this new chip, I have three radions from 2018 and two mp40 also from 2018 and all of them are already compatible and ready for Mobius. There are two ways to know if your existing pumps and or lights have the required update chip: 1-If you have RL controlling your lights and pumps, you can go to devices and tap on the info icon fro each equipment and they are going to say something like Mobius ready. 2- you can open the controller of the pump and look for the wireless chip, if the chip is black color, your pump is compatible. Another way is the if your pump manufacturing date is from 2018 up, there is a good chance is already compatible. All of these equipments are going to be upgradable to Mobius once Ecotech release the firmware update.
If you have the old green wireless chip, or if under RL they said Mobius upgradable. Then you will need to buy the new wireless chip. Which by the way was only $20.00 a few weeks ago, dont know if they are still available.

 

[AZMSGT]

Everything works on Reeflink just fine. No need to change it and screw up things.

 

[Robinson]

Everything works on Reeflink just fine. No need to change it and screw up things.

Agree with you here 100%. Once you setup your equipment one time, you dont need to keep messing with it over and over again. Also at this point, Mobius only work via bluetooth, so no remote access like you have right now with RL.

 

[GoVols]

To be fair, it took them a while to get the mechanical issues worked out for the Versa, and they did the right thing.

Really?

I've got an interesting one. I have 5 Versa pumps, a four pack and 1 single. 3 out of the 4 are having an issue where the peristaltic tubing moves forward off the rollers. It can't move forward enough to completely come off the rollers but it does come forward enough to allow water to bypass the pump mechanism. I would imagine this could be disastrous if you have the pump in the basement set for automated water changes. In my case I noticed it on a pump I used to dose NitraPhos Minus (AquaForest version of NoPox). I attempted to calibrate the pump and got nothing out. I primed the pump and tried calibration and would get various random amounts less than what was supposed to be dosing. I put the tubing down to check if the intake tube had gotten pulled out of the solution but it was okay. Then I noticed a growing puddle of solution and a constant drip from the tube. I notified EchoTech and they are working on a solution. I believe this should be worthy of a mass notification from the company due to potential disastrous consequences of similar incident dumping entire contents of NitraPhos, Alk, Ca, Mg, etc. The video shows the liquid dripping without the pump in operation. The pic shows the peristaltic tubing not centered on the roller allowing fluid bypass.

 

[AZMSGT]

Agree with you here 100%. Once you setup your equipment one time, you dont need to keep messing with it over and over again. Also at this point, Mobius only work via bluetooth, so no remote access like you have right now with RL.

I hear ya, but just wondering. Have you ever remotely used reeflink To do anything?

 

[Robinson]

I hear ya, but just wondering. Have you ever remotely used reeflink To do anything?

Maybe one or two times, is not necessary for lights and or flow equipment. But for dosing pumps, I wish I have remote control for my Versa pumps as I have an alkatronic and I have been in a Situation that I was out for a week and was in need to make adjustments to my dosing schedule and was not able to do it. Before I got the Versas I did have the apex DOS. So yes, there will be posible escenarios that you may need remote access to fix and or change something, and believe me if you travel a lot for work purposes you will appreciate remote access.

 

[Snedabyte]

I’m looking for a return pump for my water station... Anyone know of a online vendor that has this in stock?

 

[subielover]

Sooooo, it’s June 1. I have Mobius installed on my phone, but my Vortech (2020 mfr date) doesn’t show up. Wonder when this all goes down????

 

[Letterkenny]

Sooooo, it’s June 1. I have Mobius installed on my phone, but my Vortech (2020 mfr date) doesn’t show up. Wonder when this all goes down????

I believe the post said that it is for the new pumps and that they would probably roll the update over time. I also suspect you need reeflink to update the old pumps.

 

[canadianeh]

I believe the post said that it is for the new pumps and that they would probably roll the update over time. I also suspect you need reeflink to update the old pumps.

I hope that is not the case as it would be silly to require customers to buy reeflink just to update the old pumps. Not unless Ecotech send reeflink for free to update old pumps.

 

[Letterkenny]

I hope that is not the case as it would be silly to require customers to buy reeflink just to update the old pumps. Not unless Ecotech send reeflink for free to update old pumps.

The way I see it, I don’t know how this could work another way. You needed this previously to interact with the pump and the point of the software update is to enable the pump to interact with the new app. Without some sort of trigger, how do you update it? If the only way of connecting older pumps was through reeflink, then I would imagine that is the requirement.

I just ordered two MP40s for my new build from my LFS since I did NOT want Mobius as I want Apex control.

 

[canadianeh]

The way I see it, I don’t know how this could work another way. You needed this previously to interact with the pump and the point of the software update is to enable the pump to interact with the new app. Without some sort of trigger, how do you update it? If the only way of connecting older pumps was through reeflink, then I would imagine that is the requirement.

I just ordered two MP40s for my new build from my LFS since I did NOT want Mobius as I want Apex control.

Ecotech products made in 2020 already have the chip and wireless capability. It does not make sense to connect wireless capable product to another wireless product to make connect to Mobius app. It is common to have products to connect to an app without having a wireless hub. My Costco smart plugs connect to its app without a wireless hub and they cost less than $10 each. For Ecotech this is an easy firmware update, otherwise the joke will be on them.

 

[Letterkenny]

Ecotech products made in 2020 already have the chip and wireless capability. It does not make sense to connect wireless capable product to another wireless product to make connect to Mobius app. It is common to have products to connect to an app without having a wireless hub. My Costco smart plugs connect to its app without a wireless hub and they cost less than $10 each. For Ecotech this is an easy firmware update, otherwise the joke will be on them.

Don’t a lot of the older products also have the chip (e.g. any of the “w” labeled pumps)? Your example with your smart plugs isn’t an apples to apples comparison. That was the way that the smart plugs were programmed. While the chips might be there to enable it, it needs to communicate with some sort of device to enable it and have the software to play this.