What’s your controller experience with crappy internet?

[BaghdadBean]

Hello folks, a few more technical questions here, this time for those of you with tank controllers/Apex/GHL/All that fancy stuff.

Do any of my fellow rural reefers have experience with tank controllers or “smart” equipment on crappy internet? I live in an area where the upgrade from dial up to dsl was recent and colorful. I’m still a little skeptical of tank controllers but… it would be nice to get an alert when the power inevitably dies, or if a parameter swings crazy. It might even be nice to be able to set something up to shut down my lighting if temperatures climb and my chiller inexplicably fails, especially since it was manufactured by a company that doesn’t exist anymore. Yet how would I know that the power shut off if the controller isn’t getting juice anymore? Would there be any way to tell if it was a genuine power outage or just a internet drop? Do y’all put yours on battery back up? I’m guessing the modem would also have to be on battery backup. Do controllers HAVE to be on WiFi or can they be wired? How much will a crappy connection affect the usability of your controller?

Photo from a trip to our Oregon Coast Aquarium for no reason at all.

Thank you!

 

[blaxsun]

I think Fusion lets you know if the power to your Apex gets disconnected, but this summer had been relatively uneventful.

 

[BaghdadBean]

I think Fusion lets you know if the power to your Apex gets disconnected, but this summer had been relatively uneventful.

How easy is it to use the tools in Fusion? I never had an Apex in the past because it was too confusing and I was intimidated out of trying it. I always just used mechanical timers and thermostats that could be chucked out and easily replaced if they went bad. I’m rethinking that approach some with this build since I live in an area more prone to outage and I want to build a solid SPS focused system. With lagoon corals and mostly softies before, it didn’t seem so mission critical.

 

[blaxsun]

How easy is it to use the tools in Fusion? I never had an Apex in the past because it was too confusing and I was intimidated out of trying it. I always just used mechanical timers and thermostats that could be chucked out and easily replaced if they went bad. I’m rethinking that approach some with this build since I live in an area more prone to outage and I want to build a solid SPS focused system. With lagoon corals and mostly softies before, it didn’t seem so mission critical.

There’s an initial learning curve, but this is more familiarizing yourself with how Apex sets everything up and works. Once you understand that there is a wealth of advanced programming tutorials, examples, etc. - not to mention several very knowledgeable individuals on R2R.

 

[mehaffydr]

I had bad WiFi because of the distance from router to tank. My tank is in a separate building from house. I had to run a wire buried underground and hardware mine. Once I did that it worked great. Not sure if this helps your case but thought I’d share

 

[BaghdadBean]

I had bad WiFi because of the distance from router to tank. My tank is in a separate building from house. I had to run a wire buried underground and hardware mine. Once I did that it worked great. Not sure if this helps your case but thought I’d share

Thank you!

 

[jrill]

Check out the new controller released by Hydros today. if wifi and or internet go out it won't matter. It keeps on working and controlling without it. Even the original Hydros units don't need internet to keep work as long as the wifi is still up and running.

 

[Harold999]

A ten bucks battery driven thermometer with a hi-/low temp alarm with the sensor strategically placed (not in the same compartment as the heater) is a suprisingly good guard of your aquarium. It will warn you in case your return pump fails (the temp will drop, alarm goes off), it will warn you when the power goes out (temp will drop too), and it will warn you when the heater fails (temp will drop or in case it is stuck rise).
And this for just 10 bucks. But you will have to be at home to be able to hear the alarm.

 

[rockdiver]

Check out the new controller released by Hydros today. if wifi and or internet go out it won't matter. It keeps on working and controlling without it. Even the original Hydros units don't need internet to keep work as long as the wifi is still up and running.

What new hydros ?

 

[jrill]

What new hydros ?

Post in thread 'Hydros Control 2 , Control 4 and accessories question and answer thread.' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/h...uestion-and-answer-thread.763552/post-9535758

 

[Delloman]

Apex is all controlled locally it connects to the internet for fusion. It is easier to setup everything with fusion but you can conect to the controller on your network if your internet is down but your power is on. The apex's programing is all done in the box so you can run it completely off the internet I would definitely recommend getting all the firmware updates before that but it will work perfectly without internet. I had the original apex and the newest version fusion has taken it from a different to use product to one that is like an iPhone you can do most basic controles from a step by step menu. I highly recommend a controller and ato and automatic water changes you will wonder why you waited so long.