Market shifts: What controllers are poised to make the biggest gains this next year?

[Toky916]

The better question is who's going to be the first to roll-out a subscription based service for monitoring. We all know it's coming to a favorite app near you...

Yeah not going to happen period,I’ll go back to timers
Plus will be plenty others that will do the job.

 

[techhnyne]

While I’m excited to see what RF comes out with for testing machines, I do feel that as a whole automation system they fall short for me. I would consider their offering a solid monitoring system but not full automation. Currently they don’t have any US based outlet/plug controls. Plus their entire backbone between sensors is based on wireless. So automation between sensors and control is fully reliant on wireless, with no option of hard wiring your alkalinity monitor to your dosing pumps. All other major systems have hard wire options between critical devices. Yes hydros uses Wi-Fi strips but you still have the option to hardwire your controllers and xp8 power strips together. So if Wi-Fi goes down, everything physically connected still can operate.

you have to understand that they build it all as stand alone so that there is no 1 machine failure point. if anything happens to one device then that device is simple with the issue where as apex the whole system goes down and stops running, it happems alot and people get stuck not having an apex while they need to send it in of buy a whole new brain

 

[JeffB418]

you have to understand that they build it all as stand alone so that there is no 1 machine failure point. if anything happens to one device then that device is simple with the issue where as apex the whole system goes down and stops running, it happems alot and people get stuck not having an apex while they need to send it in of buy a whole new brain

Yes I completely agree with this concept, that's how hydros works, each unit is its own brain as well. But reef factory does not provide any method of hard wired communication interconnect between its devices. Hydros uses hard-wired can-bus (command bus) between units to provide the reliability of wire.

 

[austintw12]

I am holding off for the x10. The idea of having the dosing pumps and controller for probes and ato all as 1 unit is an awesome idea. Im currently setting up a waterbox 20 so space inside the stand is limited and the x10 would be perfect

 

[aleksanderalski]

In terms of what's coming in 2023, Reef Factory will become the only company that offers reef care products, ICP testing and full range of devices needed to run a tank. To be more specific, this is what will be released this year:
- Base Pumps (reverse pumps - 3000, 5000, 8000, 10 000 and 13 000)
- Skimmer
- Wave makers
- Smart tester (first in the world accurate to test NO3, PO4, Mg, Ca with accuracy up to 0,01! - one parameter per device with a possibility to switch between tested parameters)
- Componenets, minerals and bacterias

All of that will connected to Smart Reef app and available in one place - no switching between different apps. To add more, there will be automation between devices in the system, to make reefing even easier

 

[CuseReefer]

In terms of what's coming in 2023, Reef Factory will become the only company that offers reef care products, ICP testing and full range of devices needed to run a tank. To be more specific, this is what will be released this year:
- Base Pumps (reverse pumps - 3000, 5000, 8000, 10 000 and 13 000)
- Skimmer
- Wave makers
- Smart tester (first in the world accurate to test NO3, PO4, Mg, Ca with accuracy up to 0,01! - one parameter per device with a possibility to switch between tested parameters)
- Componenets, minerals and bacterias

All of that will connected to Smart Reef app and available in one place - no switching between different apps. To add more, there will be automation between devices in the system, to make reefing even easier

CA and Mg accuracy to 0,01 is impossible with hobby grade testers

 

[aleksanderalski]

CA and Mg accuracy to 0,01 is impossible with hobby grade testers

So far we are testing prototype of a PO4 and the average accuracy of tests made in the lab during the tests was 0,009, so thank you for the comment, because I should specify that. With Ca and Mg I can only assure you that the accuracy will be on another level and not comparable to what you can get on the market now. Reef Factory was working over this project for over a year to get the accuracy never seen before, and it's almost done now.

 

[DJ Mike Fury]

Yuck….Another walled garden with Reef Factory….what consumers DON’T want…to think a reefer is going to use every bit of kit by a single manufacturer is quite naiive as each aquarium has different needs/wants…you’ll never have true full automation with Reef Factory is what you’re ultimately stating….

 

[aleksanderalski]

Yuck….Another walled garden with Reef Factory….what consumers DON’T want…to think a reefer is going to use every bit of kit by a single manufacturer is quite naiive as each aquarium has different needs/wants…you’ll never have true full automation with Reef Factory is what you’re ultimately stating….

As much as I appreciate your opinion a the fact that you are honest, I do not agree with you. Having an open system available for products of other brands has benefits but is also dangerous. If you specialize and customize tools to be very precise with certain software and hardware it’s much more safe. There are no things good for everything in my opinion and it’s better to specialize. What is really good about Reef Factory, is that you can choose what you need from our offer (every device is a stand-alone unit) and combine with products from other brands in your tank. You won’t have to invest any dollar more than you want

 

[DJ Mike Fury]

As much as I appreciate your opinion a the fact that you are honest, I do not agree with you. Having an open system available for products of other brands has benefits but is also dangerous. If you specialize and customize tools to be very precise with certain software and hardware it’s much more safe. There are no things good for everything in my opinion and it’s better to specialize. What is really good about Reef Factory, is that you can choose what you need from our offer (every device is a stand-alone unit) and combine with products from other brands in your tank. You won’t have to invest any dollar more than you want

As much as I appreciate your opinion a the fact that you are honest, I do not agree with you. Having an open system available for products of other brands has benefits but is also dangerous. If you specialize and customize tools to be very precise with certain software and hardware it’s much more safe. There are no things good for everything in my opinion and it’s better to specialize. What is really good about Reef Factory, is that you can choose what you need from our offer (every device is a stand-alone unit) and combine with products from other brands in your tank. You won’t have to invest any dollar more than you want

That is a very old way of thinking and quite silly as there’s nothing dangerous about sharing the API data from an input perspective unless you don’t have confidence in the accuracy of Reef Factory’s testing results as that’s a different issue. Ultimately, it’s the very reason why companies are opening their APIs and teaming with controller companies to offer more integration for a better end user experience, PLUS it opens those companies to more market share potential due to flexibility. It’s common sense. To manage more stand alone apps is a fragmented approach which severely limits the capabilities for automation as it requires the end user to make manual changes based on results of another app. Not to mention, when you house all results from the specific units of your choice within a single app, the user can chart out the data to make easier decisions and automate accordingly. That’s the key missing in your approach as you’re assuming your app/ecosystem is better, but every tank is different and you’ll never truly find many tanks that will use all the same brand across the board. That’s why cross integration is vital and why controllers like Hydros is getting so much traction. It’s not rocket science. It’s 2023, there’s no reason why you can’t have your data readable. If you honestly want to make any true headway in US market (which is very different from EMEA), API integration is the way to go as many companies are pivoting away from fragmentation since companies are realizing certain companies do certain things better than them for the end user.