inkbird alternatives due to false alerts

[Sleeping Giant]

Definitely good, but if you have a total fail on and you aren't home, hopefully you have a separate controller to shut it off or alert if they fail off.

I do it's an inkbird controller, works great

 

[Gill the 3rd]

As others mentioned, Ranco is another option that is more robust.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I guess that could be true to some degree but their point is for $50 it's good to change something often that can be the most likely catastrophic event for the tank. I agree it's more for the heaters but they do say for the inkbird too. In my case after a year it's malfunctioning so I have no choice.

they're point is buy yearly something that doesn't need to be purchased. they make loads of money off of people with so-called catastrophic events. money is money especially for a business.

 

[Dweezilz]

They are junk.............. if you already have the Helios controller that's all you need. If you want dual redundancy use a heater brand that has a controller as well.

Rancos are #1........mine are going on 23 and 10 years on two separate systems without failure or replacement.

There is no need for WIFI............a heater controller is set and forget. Reliability and performance is what's important.

I like to get notifications if the temp drops. Even with a Ranco controller, if I'm away and the heaters fail off, the Ranco controller isn't gonna help. I do not have a smart system controller and I would have no clue the temp would be dropping. Wifi inkbird solves that. While I totally agree that having a Ranco temp controller is the most solid, for me, I want temperature notification. If I had a Hydros or Neptune it's would be a great choice for me. Also it's a Helios that I just got, not a Hydros. Helios is a heater with a controller. If I had the Hydros I agree I'd be all set and wouldn't need an inkbird.

 

[Dweezilz]

I plug my Inkbird into my Hydros XP8. Or put another way, I'd recommend one layer of redundancy even with Hydros (heater with its own bimetallic thermostat or a controller like Inkbird or Helios).

I agree. Right now it's an inkbird and two finnex titaniums with controllers and soon it will be my new Helios with controller and either a Hydros or another Inkbird.

 

[RichReef]

Hygger. I can not express enough how reliable these have been to me. I use 2 on my system now that were used on my previous system also. Hands down these are going on 6 YEARS now. I have 2 back ups that have an inch of dust on the boxes. I have to clean the boxes off just so they don't look nasty. It's become routine tank maintenance.

On top of that if you notice you can plug any heater into the controller. Have not ever had to that but it's an option.

The only drawback is I had to break off the cages because of precipitation build up. But whatever.

Their customer service is the best I have ever seen in this hobby. They will actually respond to negative reviews.

 

[Gill the 3rd]

I like to get notifications if the temp drops. Even with a Ranco controller, if I'm away and the heaters fail off, the Ranco controller isn't gonna help. I do not have a smart system controller and I would have no clue the temp would be dropping. Wifi inkbird solves that. While I totally agree that having a Ranco temp controller is the most solid, for me, I want temperature notification. If I had a Hydros or Neptune it's would be a great choice for me. Also it's a Helios that I just got, not a Hydros. Helios is a heater with a controller. If I had the Hydros I agree I'd be all set and wouldn't need an inkbird.

The wifi notifications are why I like the inkbird. I run two titanium BRS heaters on the inkbird, which has 2 temp probes.

I used to run an apex, but got rid of it and now I dont use any controllers.

 

[Dweezilz]

The wifi notifications are why I like the inkbird. I run two titanium BRS heaters on the inkbird, which has 2 temp probes.

I used to run an apex, but got rid of it and now I dont use any controllers.

Yeah me too!! As fun as having a Hydros controller would be (and I really would love a water level indicator for my top-off tank!!), I just don't wanna spend the money right now, so I will probably just pair the new Helios heaters/controller with a new Inkbird. Hopefully the new one will be good for more than a year.

 

[Hooz]

BRS would say that, so you keep buying more for no reason.
I've had my inkbird heater controllers for 2+ years with no issue other than having to reload the app after a power outage.

they have great products

Actually, they say that because the InkBird is the controller, with contacts that open and close to turn the heating elements off and on. Those contacts (or the mechanism that opens and closes them) are what usually fail and cause catastrophic temperature swings.

If you use a heater with controller built-in, they recommend changing it every year. If you use heating elements with an external controller, they recommend changing the controller every year.

I think that's a bit excessive, but I understand why they recommend it. My own oldest InkBird is currently going on 3 years of continuous use. I'll be switching it to Helio soon, I've got a few now on other tanks and I'm liking them a lot (so far).

 

[Hooz]

One other thing that I think is important, yet often overlooked, is calibrating your controller. All the external heater controllers I've used allow you to "offset" the temperature of the controller one way or another. I do it every 6 months or so.

I just recalibrated my InkBird (using a certified thermometer) again the other day. The controller was reading .7 degrees higher than the actual water temp, so I adjusted accordingly. Now I know that 78 on the controller is actually 78 in the water.

 

[Dweezilz]

One other thing that I think is important, yet often overlooked, is calibrating your controller. All the external heater controllers I've used allow you to "offset" the temperature of the controller one way or another. I do it every 6 months or so.

I just recalibrated my InkBird (using a certified thermometer) again the other day. The controller was reading .7 degrees higher than the actual water temp, so I adjusted accordingly. Now I know that 78 on the controller is actually 78 in the water.

Totally agree on the BRS thing and this is also great advice. Originally my inkbird was .5 off, but I haven't tested it in the year since. I'll definitely do that again today. Thanks!!

 

[jda]

Multiple heaters on Ranco is still the best. If you want some sort of notification, then get something just to notify you and not to control anything.

The chances of multiple heaters failing are near nil. I have never had an heating/cooling issue with this method, so I guess that my Ranco can alert but it never has had the need.

 

[Dweezilz]

Multiple heaters on Ranco is still the best. If you want some sort of notification, then get something just to notify you and not to control anything.

The chances of multiple heaters failing are near nil. I have never had an heating/cooling issue with this method, so I guess that my Ranco can alert but it never has had the need.

Any ideas about a saltwater thermometer that has smart notifications? I guess I'd consider a Ranco if there was. I also don't like messing with the wires and it seems like that is necessary too, although I probably could do the wiring if it didn't require anything too in depth.

 

[jda]

I don't know. Don't lots of folks have Apex or whatever? I don't trust any hobby grade probe enough to make a decision for me, so I don't do this. I wish that hobby grade controllers had probes like Ranco or Medusa (remember those?) had.

The great thing about wiring your own ranco is that you can buy a cord and cut it where you want to keep the mess to a minimum. I mount my ranco on the wall, so I can have a short input and long output to the heaters if I want. I also usually wire in a 3 way 12g cord so that I don't have to use a power strip or 3 way on the end. I have a 6 way wired into one Ranco since 3x 300w heaters was not enough for me.

 

[Dom]

BRS says replace the Inkbird every year anyway so I guess that's what I'll do.

That's ridiculous. Other than a solenoid, there are no moving parts. It should last longer than a year.

 

[jda]

Inkbird have been notoriously bad. Some last but most do not. Usually, they just drift and cannot hold a constant reading. You hear of new models and them getting better, but they just seem to stay the same... hobby grade, disposable products.

I have not heard of inkbirds sticking on like some of the early Apex outlets.

 

[Nelve]

I use a Ranco and an Inkbird. My inkbird is the main controller and it turns off at 78 degrees. My Ranco is set to turn off at 80 degrees in case the Inkbird fails with the heat staying on. No issues with this set up for 4 years now.

 

[Big E]

Inkbird have been notoriously bad. Some last but most do not. Usually, they just drift and cannot hold a constant reading. You hear of new models and them getting better, but they just seem to stay the same... hobby grade, disposable products.

I have not heard of inkbirds sticking on like some of the early Apex outlets.

I had to calibrate the inkbird I had so often it was a headache. After it was 10 degrees off I threw it in the garbage.

For those wondering about the wiring on the Ranco it's a 5 minute project. There are detailed videos on you tube. If you don't want to bother there are vendors that sell them wired, they just cost more.

 

[arcangelreef32]

I had nothing but problems with my InkBird wifi. The biggest thing was have 2 temp probes, they were always going out of sync and I don’t understand the logic the InkBird uses to determine true temp between the 2 probes. My temp would swing wildly. Why does it have 2 probes? I got sick of the alerts and the complete inconsistency of the thing and just removed it and I just use the heater plug on my apex with the apex temp probe. Works amazing.
I bought a ranco, just haven’t got around to wiring it up. It’s in the too do list.
They are pricey but are the commercial industry standard when it comes to maintaining temperatures. Spend the money and go that route.

 

[dowdalld]

Any ideas about a saltwater thermometer that has smart notifications? I guess I'd consider a Ranco if there was. I also don't like messing with the wires and it seems like that is necessary too, although I probably could do the wiring if it didn't require anything too in depth.

Google the Reef Factory Thermo View, works well and I couldn't find anything else that does the same. Its a simple wifi connected temperature monitor. I use an Inkbird controller but it doesn't send me notifications.