GHL Touch worth it?

Skip the Touch?

  • Yes

    Votes: 3 42.9%
  • No

    Votes: 4 57.1%

  • Total voters
    7

JoshH

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So I've been pondering a controller for some time now and with ample research I've settled on GHL. This is not a thread to try and talk me out of GHL as I'm 120% sold on them. But for those users who went with GHL, specifically the Profilux 4, was it worth it to grab the Ultimate with the Touch? Or is the Touch really not all it's cracked up to be? To those that got the mega, do you wish you had gotten the Touch off the bat?

I will add I do like the ability to have a quick screen to look at as the app has so many mixed reviews but for me is the ~$400 worth that convenience? Are there a ton of things the Touch can do that the app just can't?

@Ditto , thoughts?
 
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reefwiser

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Josh I use my touch as a pannelview with always on always connected buttons that turn things on and off. I press one button and my water change starts and when I am finished I press one button and I am back in business. No waking a tablet from sleep or unlocking. No running to the computer and using the cloud. My touch display is always on and ready to go. This is invaluable convenient device. I work in a high tech factory so I use this kind of a display daily. It is something once you have it setup and you press that one button you will be glad you did. [emoji3]
 
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JoshH

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Josh I use my touch as a pannelview with always on always connected buttons that turn things on and off. I press one button and my water change starts and when I am finished I press one button and I am back in business. No waking a tablet from sleep or unlocking. No running to the computer and using the cloud. My touch display is always on and ready to go. This is invaluable convenient device. I work in a high tech factory so I use this kind of a display daily. It is something once you have it setup and you press that one button you will be glad you did. [emoji3]

Thanks for the excellent feedback, if you don't mind me asking, is your AWC set up with the MAXI doser or the regular 2.0/1? I am going with the assumption you use dosers that is.
 

WWIII

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I have it and am glad I have it. Pulling out my phone or unplugging a cord every time I need to shut something off for a min isn't very handy. The touch fills that void. Plus I can see all my parameters at any moment in a glance. It's worth it to me to have a hardwired display!
 
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JoshH

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I have it and am glad I have it. Pulling out my phone or unplugging a cord every time I need to shut something off for a min isn't very handy. The touch fills that void. Plus I can see all my parameters at any moment in a glance. It's worth it to me to have a hardwired display!

Off hand do you know how long the cord is between the Touch and the controller? Can you extend It?
 

WWIII

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Off hand do you know how long the cord is between the Touch and the controller? Can you extend It?

Oh I'd say around 6 feet I think. I can check later if you'd like. The touch actually has a little box that it's run through. The little box has 2 pab connectors and then the cable that goes to the touch. So, you could use as long of a pab cabl, up to 100 feet I think, as you want, then just put the little box hidden somewhere within around 6 feet of the touch. Keep in mind, unless you put the touch on the end of the pab string, which is fine, you will need that length of pab cable to and from the touch box back to where you want to go. If that makes sense? Or you can just get one long pab cable and put the touch as the last pab device on that string.

Oh and you might get some people that vote yes on the poll thinking "yes the touch is worth it", as in the title of the thread, instead of reading the actual poll. :)
 
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JoshH

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Oh I'd say around 6 feet I think. I can check later if you'd like. The touch actually has a little box that it's run through. The little box has 2 pab connectors and then the cable that goes to the touch. So, you could use as long of a pab cabl, up to 100 feet I think, as you want, then just put the little box hidden somewhere within around 6 feet of the touch. Keep in mind, unless you put the touch on the end of the pab string, which is fine, you will need that length of pab cable to and from the touch box back to where you want to go. If that makes sense? Or you can just get one long pab cable and put the touch as the last pab device on that string.

Oh and you might get some people that vote yes on the poll thinking "yes the touch is worth it", as in the title of the thread, instead of reading the actual poll. :)

Awesome that's kindof what I thought but wasn't sure. And I wish I could change the poll title, it won't let me which is odd :( but you can change your vote ;)
 

reefwiser

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I use to use a Stenner dual head pump. I have cut back on water changes as I have found that it was causing issues like Dino’s in my tank. Now I just change water when I do cleaning of the bare bottom of my tank. An I just use my old gravity system with water coming from my upstairs holding system using a solenoid valve to turn off the water flow. Eventually with my new tank I will stop doing water changes all together. As they are only needed for vacuuming the tank
 

reefwiser

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Off hand do you know how long the cord is between the Touch and the controller? Can you extend It?

The connection to the Profilux is thru a cat 5 cable so as far as you need. It does need a power connection.
 
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JoshH

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The connection to the Profilux is thru a cat 5 cable so as far as you need. It does need a power connection.

So it needs it's own power source on top of the Cat 5?
 

reefwiser

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Cat 5 connects it to the Profilux and the power supply runs the display. Cat5 does not supply power just communications. Just like in computers.:)
So you can run a Cat 5 from a powerbar to the Touch display control box then power the touch display where ever you want to mount it.
 

Ditto

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@JoshH - I love my Touch(Sorry for the delay), and I use it every day. I have noticed as I program more and more functions I use that over the app when I am at the tank.

The GCC is app is great, but it does rely on me having my phone on me when I need to do the task. (Now if the GCC app worked on a Iwatch then look out hehe)

1- I like the easy to use icons on it. One touch feed, one touch maintenance, I have one button now to turn on all my maintenance lights, what phase is my moon, is it stormy in the tank and I can now do water changes right from the display. I have friends that watch my tank, to tell them touch the icon on the screen that looks like a fish is so much easier then saying wait log into my app and press this.

2- It scrolls through all my tank information easily, with arrows showing are my parameters going up or down. Is my tank heating or cooling. It allows you in a easy glance see how your tank is going. (The charts on it are not bad also)

3- LOUD and I mean LOUD alarm within it. If you set it to alarm and an alarm happens on the tank you will hear it throughout the entire house.

4- Unlike the GCC app if you override a switch outlet and set it to on, the app times out it turns returns the outlet to the original setting because the app timeout the Display never forgets :)

A few pictures of mine.

IMG_0113.jpg
IMG_0112.jpg


IMG_0111.jpg


Could I do it without the Touch, to answer that question Yes.
Could I put a $60 tablet and use the App Yes :)
Would I buy another P4 today without one? Great question, and it not a necessary option, but does make things easier. I agree with @reefwiser @WWIII once you have it it does make things so much easier :)
 
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JoshH

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@JoshH - I love my Touch(Sorry for the delay), and I use it every day. I have noticed as I program more and more functions I use that over the app when I am at the tank.

The GCC is app is great, but it does rely on me having my phone on me when I need to do the task. (Now if the GCC app worked on a Iwatch then look out hehe)

1- I like the easy to use icons on it. One touch feed, one touch maintenance, I have one button now to turn on all my maintenance lights, what phase is my moon, is it stormy in the tank and I can now do water changes right from the display. I have friends that watch my tank, to tell them touch the icon on the screen that looks like a fish is so much easier then saying wait log into my app and press this.

2- It scrolls through all my tank information easily, with arrows showing are my parameters going up or down. Is my tank heating or cooling. It allows you in a easy glance see how your tank is going. (The charts on it are not bad also)

3- LOUD and I mean LOUD alarm within it. If you set it to alarm and an alarm happens on the tank you will hear it throughout the entire house.

4- Unlike the GCC app if you override a switch outlet and set it to on, the app times out it turns returns the outlet to the original setting because the app timeout the Display never forgets :)

A few pictures of mine.

IMG_0113.jpg
IMG_0112.jpg


IMG_0111.jpg


Could I do it without the Touch, to answer that question Yes.
Could I put a $60 tablet and use the App Yes :)
Would I buy another P4 today without one? Great question, and it not a necessary option, but does make things easier. I agree with @reefwiser @WWIII once you have it it does make things so much easier :)

Excellent write up @Ditto and exactly the answers I was Hoping from you. @reefwiser and @WWIII thanks for all the info, I think I'll splurge on the Ultimate set:)
 
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