Reef Angel Forum

Ive been reading up on the Reef Angel controller.

But before I get too far I have a noob question to ask.

Is the Portal the only way to access my controller via my cell, tablet, or computer?

Can I access it, to monitor or control, without internet access or if your portal server goes down?

You could connect to it directly via http (raw commands) iphone and android apps can access directly. Windows client as well (requires usb connection i believe) plus access from the lcd / joystick

Is there a web server in the wifi module?

Where is the controller log file stored?

There is mini webserver, but it only interprets commands, such as relay overrides, clear ATO, PWM override, internal memory change and a few others. It also responds with XML data for your front end application.
You can design your own portal front end if you want to.
Lnevo and a few others have done this already.
You can also extend the webserver to be more complex if you are willing to contribute.
We have a little bit of data that is stored in the controller and it draws a simple graph on the screen.
It only stores 24hrs of temperature and pH.
You can also extend to store much more data if you would like to do so. The controller definitely have space to store more, but I've never seen anyone actually need that, so it has never been implemented.

"You can also extend the webserver to be more complex if you are willing to contribute."

No thanks, I already have a job. I definitely do not need another one, especially one I'm not getting paid to do.

If I may, may I make a suggestion. Why not get raspberry Pi, put your Portal server software on it. Have a way to point the wifi module at that instead of your server. Put it in a little black box and sell it for $99 or something.

I certainly would do not want my functionality of a piece of equipment I buy dependent upon my subscription to a web forum. I have been banned by half of the forums I've subscribed to for expressing opinions that forum admins and owners don't want to read on their boards.

I don't want to have to make two forum accounts because I want to run two tanks at the same time, I don't want to have to have two controllers because I have two tanks. It makes no sense to me that my Galaxy Tab in my hands on my couch has to send packets to Fremont and then back to my living room to control my reef tank on the other side of the room.

the Reef angel was really on the buy list until I discovered these two major objections. Seems like a nice system otherwise.

You can do that.
There is a thread about a Pi being used as front end.
You don't need to use the portal if you don't want to.
All the other apps can run locally in your own wifi network.
This is what someone did with a Pi as front end:
http://www.bareefers.org/forum/index.ph ... ost-238393

Roberto,..

You may not see the difference between being ABLE to program features in a product and being FORCED to program in order to use a product in order for the product to work. You're a programmer, That's what you do.

I can program, mostly copy paste and edit programming honestly, I am certainly not a programmer; so for me I see and know the difference.

Roberto,..

You may not see the difference between being ABLE to program features in a product and being FORCED to program in order to use a product in order for the product to work. You're a programmer, That's what you do.

I can program, mostly copy paste and edit programming honestly, I am certainly not a programmer; so for me I see and know the difference.

If I were a programmer I would just cobble my own controller together out of Arduino or Pi stuff, then honestly I would get a bunch of Chinese slaves to make them for me at $4 a day wages, and the start selling them. And I would then be your competitor. But like I said, I already have a job and that doesn't interest me.

."You don't need to use the portal if you don't want to."

Ok then im misunderstanding this then.

Are you saying I can have complete control over the Reef Angel and all 5he modules from the Android app? Without going through The Portal?

Without or with Internet, wifi only?

And I can have 4 pH probes and I can turn off or on the relays on the relay board. And see what my ORP is on two probes? Change my led output and turn off or on my ATO from my Android locally and when im away from home?

Yes, you can do all this locally with the android app and with the new W8 app.
You can also do most of it with the Client Suite app, which is a windos based software.
No internet required. You access it using your local ip address.
But, the controller is limited to only 2 pH and 1 ORP.

You can also connect remotely using your wan ip address if you setup port forwarding in your router.
The Portal is just another option for users to use.

Some of the newer stuff is not currently available in the android app. I only have the 2 ph probes and 1 orp probe ability built in. I have been a little slow to getting the extra stuff added in but the extras will be added though.


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