Which controller did you get?

[n2585722]

Wow, I got a lot to learn! Technology left me in the 90’s....Lol

It took me a while to catch up when I got back into it. I got out in the 90's also. A lot has changed since then.

 

[joshwaggs]

I think they dont work as well with Mesh setup.
Also I was having issues where it was dropping my power bars all the time. I have wifi 6 and separate ch for 2.4 and 5ghz . I even turned off wifi 6 on the 2.4 and gave them static IP it would still drop.
I finally pulled out an old cheap router and plugged it in and setup a network on it and ONLY my hydros is connected to it and it has never dropped since then.

The Hydros has issues with mesh networks also. Most people with them add a access point with a different name just for the controller and aquarium devices.

Great.
You would think these would have better wifi chips. Im going to return it and the COR. The COR is worthless without the EB832.

Thanks for the help.

 

[n2585722]

Great.
You would think these would have better wifi chips. Im going to return it and the COR. The COR is worthless without the EB832.

Thanks for the help.

I don't think it has anything to do with the quality of the chips. The Hydros has to be on a 2.4ghz channel only and some mesh systems will automatically switch things to 5ghz from what I been told. That may be the same issue the Apex has on a mesh network. I don't have a mesh system and plan on staying away from them. Access points are not expensive and seem to solve the issue in most cases when set for 2.4ghz only with a different name than the mesh router that the access point is connected to.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

some mesh networks you can to go into the network controls and lock it to 2.4 so it wont float between the 2

 

[joshwaggs]

I don't think it has anything to do with the quality of the chips. The Hydros has to be on a 2.4ghz channel only and some mesh systems will automatically switch things to 5ghz from what I been told. That may be the same issue the Apex has on a mesh network. I don't have a mesh system and plan on staying away from them. Access points are not expensive and seem to solve the issue in most cases when set for 2.4ghz only with a different name than the mesh router that the access point is connected to.

some mesh networks you can to go into the network controls and lock it to 2.4 so it wont float between the 2

Mesh has come a long way. You should try it. It is smooth and covers every area you want, without creating new networks or going room to room when you need to restart the router.

I use Nest, which doesnt allow you to control band or channel. I have never had a problem with anything that requires 2.4 or any of the older 802.11agbn, though.

The Apex is the only thing on my network that cant stay connected. Even the cheap led bulbs that need their own bridge, work better. At some point, you have to say "if the network is good with the 40 other things connected to it, then it is probably not the network".

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

i agree i dont use any master controller. i use the ones built into the devices and common sense / redundancy when i set up my system so nothing needs controlling. im on this thread hoping to see a reason to buy one of these controllers but have not really been convinced yet. I like the idea of more monitoring

 

[Viva'sReef]

So I got the icecap gyre flow pump 2K a couple of days ago. It came with a controller run on the Hydros app. I only use it now for the gyre pump. What all can I do with this light edition? Where can I find info on how to use Hydro lite controller and App? Do I need to get another Hydro’s controller to do everything you guys have mentioned in this thread? I’ve don’t a little bit of internet search on this but didn’t learn much.

This is pretty awesome that they paired this pump with the WaveEngine. Easy to add a second 2K pump and just plug it in to the open spot on the waveengine and away you go. I started with the WaveEngine and when I was ready for a full blown controller I waited about 4 months for the Control4 release.

You do need at least a Control2 to unlock all the potential but I would say its well worth it now that you have a WaveEngine

 

[ColoredRock]

I like the idea of more monitoring

.. and fail safe

temp in the tank to hi ...shut off the plug to the heaters.
pH goes out of range.. shut off the dosser/kalk.
ATO water level goes to hi shut it off..

Minimize points of failure.

Of course all emailing and setting off an alarm.

 

[reefiniteasy]

I have been running a Hydros X4/XS/WE collective for about a year. It’s incredible. I’m able to monitor and control everything I need.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

.. and fail safe

temp in the tank to hi ...shut off the plug to the heaters.
pH goes out of range.. shut off the dosser/kalk.
ATO water level goes to hi shut it off..

Minimize points of failure.

Of course all emailing and setting off an alarm.

if my heater stuck on it would not raise temp more than 4 degrees, , cuz its sized properly for the system.
Any more and the house is on fire and we have insurance for that.

PH doesnt just magically drift out of range on a reef tank if thats happening you have bigger problems. probes get dirty, controlling off probes is risky .

Ato, I'll trust the litermeter 3 thats been running 20 plus years over any float or probe based ato.
40 gallon top off container on 500 gallon system, sump can hold it if it were to fail "on" How much water is in your ato that you worry about such an event happening... been reefing long time never had this happen.

Just saying if the system is sized properly many of the so called emergencies the controllers are touted to prevent should not have been possible in the first place.

will any of these controllers send you live video feed to your phone so you can see the emergency that seems like something technology should be able to do easily. That might be helpful or if an alert goes off, it saves the last hour of footage etc.

 

[reefiniteasy]

if my heater stuck on it would not raise temp more than 4 degrees, , cuz its sized properly for the system.
Any more and the house is on fire and we have insurance for that.

Please excuse my lack of understanding. If your heater got stuck on, how would it only raise your tank 4 degrees and not cook it? I genuinely do not understand. If your inkbird for example, stops working and the heater thermostat stops working and the heater is left on, how could you say it would only raise the tank X amount of degrees. I’m confused.

 

[JNalley]

will any of these controllers send you live video feed to your phone so you can see the emergency that seems like something technology should be able to do easily. That might be helpful or if an alert goes off, it saves the last hour of footage etc.

Technically, that's just an alert, and if you have security cameras setup on your tank like I do, then yes, it can send you live video (or notification to watch your live video)

 

[ColoredRock]

PH doesnt just magically drift out of range on a reef tank if thats happening you have bigger problems. probes get dirty, controlling off probes is risky .

But a spike from 8.1 to 8.5 can show a doser stuck on.. shut it off and check it when you get home. That is what I am talking about monitoring. Etc...

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

Please excuse my lack of understanding. If your heater got stuck on, how would it only raise your tank 4 degrees and not cook it? I genuinely do not understand. If your inkbird for example, stops working and the heater thermostat stops working and the heater is left on, how could you say it would only raise the tank X amount of degrees. I’m confused.

i use 2 200 watt heaters, both have their own thermostats and are hooked to an inkbird if left wide open 200 watt heater wont cook my tank cuz its too small. even if both fail at the same time my tank is in the basement its 70 degrees pretty much year round so the

 

[n2585722]

Mesh has come a long way. You should try it. It is smooth and covers every area you want, without creating new networks or going room to room when you need to restart the router.

I use Nest, which doesnt allow you to control band or channel. I have never had a problem with anything that requires 2.4 or any of the older 802.11agbn, though.

The Apex is the only thing on my network that cant stay connected. Even the cheap led bulbs that need their own bridge, work better. At some point, you have to say "if the network is good with the 40 other things connected to it, then it is probably not the network".

Why would I need a mesh network. I have the 5ghz channel turned off on the one I have. I can get on it anywhere in my house. In fact I can get on it at the street in front of my house. I have about 31 devices on it and all are happy. The only issue I have is with the internet. It goes out several times a day. It was fine when it was Time Warner but when Specteum came along it has done this the last several years. They have been out several times and never been able to fix it.

 

[Viva'sReef]

if my heater stuck on it would not raise temp more than 4 degrees, , cuz its sized properly for the system.
Any more and the house is on fire and we have insurance for that.

PH doesnt just magically drift out of range on a reef tank if thats happening you have bigger problems. probes get dirty, controlling off probes is risky .

Ato, I'll trust the litermeter 3 thats been running 20 plus years over any float or probe based ato.
40 gallon top off container on 500 gallon system, sump can hold it if it were to fail "on" How much water is in your ato that you worry about such an event happening... been reefing long time never had this happen.

Just saying if the system is sized properly many of the so called emergencies the controllers are touted to prevent should not have been possible in the first place.

will any of these controllers send you live video feed to your phone so you can see the emergency that seems like something technology should be able to do easily. That might be helpful or if an alert goes off, it saves the last hour of footage etc.

You can definitely take the simple approach and run without controllers, undersize things and rely on test strips and kits, it's been done for decades of course and many of us come from that era of reefing. These days I like automation, at a glance live information, and control.

Lets please remember the thread title, this is about which controller did you get and not really a debate on if you think they are helpful or not.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

Loving the the screen shots im seeing of the monitoring capabilities on this thread , its helping to see why a controller might be going on my tank soon.

Here are my controllers. My new lights have tech built in g5 xr30 , litermeters are smart, return pump is smart , smart buddie on the ro/di, powerheads have controllers, . i feel like i already have bunch of mini conrtollers working and trying to figure out potential positives for adding one of the apex , ghl , or hydros systems (in my case more basic for monitoring ) as what i would call a master controller. Absolutely the automated testing is why im finally interested in the controllers, but im also seeing those can work as stand alone. Playing catch up on 10years worth of reef tech.
If im going to bite on a master controller would one ecosystem be better if my end goal is testing /monitoring vs full control and automation. Are all of the main 3 controllers equal on that thats a huge factor to which ecosystem i will end up investing into. I dont think im alone i think alot of people want/ consider controllers but they see where they kinda already have one in several parts already.

 

[JNalley]

If im going to bite on a master controller would one ecosystem be better if my end goal is testing /monitoring vs full control and automation. Are all of the main 3 controllers equal on that thats a huge factor to which ecosystem i will end up investing into. I dont think im alone i think alot of people want/ consider controllers but they see where they kinda already have one in several parts already.

You'll probably get a plethora of mixed results here. Personally, I don't have a controller (yet), it's a bit out of my price point at the moment. However, speaking specifically to the water testing front, Trident can only test the big 3 Calc, Alk, and Mag, and the reagents are expensive, and there have been recent reports (though possibly fixed with a self-maintenance protocol) of bad testing. Mastertronic does significantly more tests (just like a reefbot), but you need to buy the test kits from different brands, and you're left up to their accuracy on those tests (so look at the list and see if you can live with them), they also say that Mastertronic should be used in conjunction with Alkatronic, something about how many tests you can do over a specific period. GHL with its ION Director and KH Director is the cheapest as far as reagents go, and they're using probes instead of mechanical action to conduct chemical testing with photometric outputs. GHL Has said that they're looking at implementing more tests with the ION Director, but it's also a new product (still fulfilling pre-orders) so it might be a while, for now, it covers: Nitrate, Calc, Mag, Alk (Via the KH Director), Potassium, and Sodium, though they're looking at Phosphate as their next test I believe.

 

[n2585722]

Loving the the screen shots im seeing of the monitoring capabilities on this thread , its helping to see why a controller might be going on my tank soon.

Here are my controllers. My new lights have tech built in g5 xr30 , litermeters are smart, return pump is smart , smart buddie on the ro/di, powerheads have controllers, . i feel like i already have bunch of mini conrtollers working and trying to figure out potential positives for adding one of the apex , ghl , or hydros systems (in my case more basic for monitoring ) as what i would call a master controller. Absolutely the automated testing is why im finally interested in the controllers, but im also seeing those can work as stand alone. Playing catch up on 10years worth of reef tech.
If im going to bite on a master controller would one ecosystem be better if my end goal is testing /monitoring vs full control and automation. Are all of the main 3 controllers equal on that thats a huge factor to which ecosystem i will end up investing into. I dont think im alone i think alot of people want/ consider controllers but they see where they kinda already have one in several parts already.

Is this something like what you want ?https://www.coralvue.com/hydros-control-x3-monitor-pack
It does not come with any outputs but they can be added if you do choose to control something later. The wifi power strips are $40 and the XP8 is $280 if you do want to add control later. The difference is the XP8 is connected to the buss and has 8 outlets. The wifi power strips are 4 outlets and the communication with the controller is over wifi.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

This make me lean towards the GLH controller ecosystem and the KH director and using the basic monitoring features, 1 ph probe temp etc, just basics.

to those who know ghl does it matter if you get the mini, or the 4 when using the KH director with it?