How reliable are these wifi power strips from amazon? I'm setting up a tank to run remotely, looking for input

[n2585722]

I would advocate you try and build the most robust system your budget will allow. For similar money you might be able to get a used Apex Classic, and that would give you something to build on. Or since the Hydros is modular you could start with a power strip and build from there. Success will keep you in the hobby, tank crashes will not.

I am away from my tank 5 days a week for work and have been running it this way for over 12 years. I rely pretty heavily on my Apex and over the years the setup has gotten more complex, but in the beginning it was mostly about remote monitoring. I know a week is not the same as a month so you have some bigger challenges in your case.

The only Hydros power strip that will work on it's own without a controller is the XP8. That is because it is a controller and not a power strip with only the 8 AC outputs and no inputs. If you want to control things with temp sensors and other inputs you can add a controller with the inputs you need with the XP8 and create a collective. The collective will act like a larger controller with all inputs and outputs of it's member controllers.