Ghl Wifi Mini Vs Kasa Smart Strip

[Juka087]

Hey Guys

So I was thinking about purchasing a ghl wifi mini, and or a apex for a new project. However it seems kind of pointless to me? with a ghl mini for instance you only get 4 power slots. With the kasa strip you get 8. I do not see what could be done better by buying the ghl. From what I can see. You cannot buy optical sensors for ato function. Also if the tank is outfitted with a ranco temp controller, and the kasa strip. You more or less have everything covered. The combo of Kasa power strip,ranco heater controller, and auto aqua smart ato would cost around 260$. It would give you far more function then the ghl. Now on the other hand the apex seems as if it would be more open. However the apex, and other ghl varieties are far more expensive then 260$. With these new smart power strips controllers just do not seem to me to be as relevant. It also seems better to have each piece of equipment be its own dedicated thing as opposed to one main unit. That way if one piece fails the whole thing will work as usual. as opposed to if the mainboard glitches everything is done. What do you guys think?

 

[tdhnry]

How will you monitor pH? Can you view and control outlets remotely? Lighting control? Will this system grow with you as your tanks needs change?

I also use a controllable light strip but only for those parts of the system that I want on and off at specific days/times. But for those items that are condition-specific, you can't beat a controller. I personally prefer to have everything under one dashboard. This way at a glance I can see all of my parameters under one dashboard. Not to mention alerts and the ability to manage the unit remotely. I understand the argument that if you have a problem with the system everything is down. But that hasn't been my experience. I've had issues on one part of the system (float switch doesn't trigger a pump) but the fact that I have such a system allows me to fix it remotely (turn on pump outlet to refill sump).

 

[Juka087]

How will you monitor pH? Can you view and control outlets remotely? Lighting control? Will this system grow with you as your tanks needs change?

I also use a controllable light strip but only for those parts of the system that I want on and off at specific days/times. But for those items that are condition-specific, you can't beat a controller. I personally prefer to have everything under one dashboard. This way at a glance I can see all of my parameters under one dashboard. Not to mention alerts and the ability to manage the unit remotely. I understand the argument that if you have a problem with the system everything is down. But that hasn't been my experience. I've had issues on one part of the system (float switch doesn't trigger a pump) but the fact that I have such a system allows me to fix it remotely (turn on pump outlet to refill sump).

Yes with a kasa smart strip you can control everything remotely

 

[ingchr1]

...It also seems better to have each piece of equipment be its own dedicated thing as opposed to one main unit. That way if one piece fails the whole thing will work as usual. as opposed to if the mainboard glitches everything is done. What do you guys think?

If the Kasa power strip fails, do the outlets on them fail in the on or off state? If they fail in an off state then whatever you have plugged into it will not work.

The GHL (not the Mini) you can set the outlets to fail in the on state if they loose communication with the controller. I don't have Apex, but I'm fairly certain you can set it up that way also. The GHL Mini if the strip looses communication with the controller the outlets will fail in the off state however.

On my GHL P4 I have the outlets setup to fail on. All of my equipment (ATO, powerheads, light) all run off their own control. The controller does control the heat, but my heaters have internal thermostats. I use a 125W and 50W heater, the outlet for the 50W fails on and the 125W fails off. This way the tank still has heat and controls off it's internal thermostat, the lower wattage minimizes the chance of overheating. Then I can respond to the issue. My return pumps are AC, no control.

I use my controller for heat control, monitoring (alarm notification) and convenience. The convenience is having the controller turn off multiple outlets for things like water changes. The controller also controls the schedule for my ATS light (this outlet fails off).

I do agree that there are other ways outside of full blown controllers that can be just as or more reliable at a lower cost. The relevancy also does seam to be going down with all the new products coming out.

Another option to look at is the Coralvue Hydros. But I think overall cost remains to be seen as it's not quit out yet.

Another note on the GHL Mini, it has an audible alarm but does not have alarm notification (e.g. email, text). Not sure if that is something they will add in the future.