Looking for Wifi temp controller suggestions

[Patty]

Any good WiFi cooling/heating temperature controllers? Was looking at the the Inkbird ITC-308S but does not have WiFi. Any other suggestions? Not looking into apex tho.

[Couesfanatic]

Inkbird makes a wifi model. Be careful with those, they lose calibration at times and you can nuke your tank. I just went with the GHL Wifi Mini. It's more money but my tank is rock solid now. 

[Patty]

31 minutes ago, Couesfanatic said:

Inkbird makes a wifi model. Be careful with those, they lose calibration at times and you can nuke your tank. I just went with the GHL Wifi Mini. It's more money but my tank is rock solid now. 

But does it offer cooling and heating control as well as WiFi?  

[jservedio]

1 hour ago, Patty said:

Any good WiFi cooling/heating temperature controllers? Was looking at the the Inkbird ITC-308S but does not have WiFi. Any other suggestions? Not looking into apex tho.

If you aren't getting a full controller and want something better than the InkBird, why do you want WiFi on your temperature controller? Without WiFi you are way less limited in choices and if you just want to monitor the temperature while away, you can just get a WiFi probe for like $30.

[Patty]

24 minutes ago, jservedio said:

If you aren't getting a full controller and want something better than the InkBird, why do you want WiFi on your temperature controller? Without WiFi you are way less limited in choices and if you just want to monitor the temperature while away, you can just get a WiFi probe for like $30.

True! Will just get a wifi probe, any other good recommendations besides inkbird for cooling heating control? 

[Couesfanatic]

1 hour ago, Patty said:

But does it offer cooling and heating control as well as WiFi?  

It's a mini controller. It reads temp and ph and controls 4 plugs. I run a heater, fan, ATO and return pump on it. I keep my temp at 77.9 it never moves more than .39 in each direction from 77.9. 

 

Besides the ink bird it seems like a lot of people use the ranco temp controller. I'm happy with the GHL mini wifi

[jservedio]

7 hours ago, Patty said:

True! Will just get a wifi probe, any other good recommendations besides inkbird for cooling heating control? 

I personally use the InkBird and previously used a Ranco ETC-111000 before blowing it up with saltwater in spectacular fashion after having it 6 or 7 years (not the Ranco's fault). The InkBird has much tighter temperature control compared to the Ranco but I am not convinced yet on it's durability since I've only had it for 6 months or so. If it dies before making it 5 years, I'll be switching back to the Ranco since it's a proven workhorse in use in hundreds of industries. A Ranco, while not extremely tight on tolerances (only 1 degree, though it works out to sometimes a little more), is going to be infinitely more reliable than any consumer-grade piece of equipment or controller.

 

I have a backup temperature probe in the tank, and if the Ranco or InkBird got stuck on, the thermostat in my heater will prevent the tank from getting over 82 degrees. I'm just not too worried about freezing the tank out - if I'm not home I keep the temperature in the house at 70 or above and my pumps keep me 2-3 degrees above ambient. You just need to plan for a failure and make sure it won't nuke your tank.

[Patty]

Ok so went ahead and got the inkbird ITC-308S that has heater and cooling control capabilities and also the Inkbird IBS-TH1 Plus so even if one fails the other should alert me and if both fails then I have really bad luck 🤣 

[jservedio]

38 minutes ago, Patty said:

Ok so went ahead and got the inkbird ITC-308S that has heater and cooling control capabilities and also the Inkbird IBS-TH1 Plus so even if one fails the other should alert me and if both fails then I have really bad luck 🤣 

If you hook it up to a heater with an internal thermostat and you an set it 2-3 degrees above your set point for the controller you will never fry your tank, even if you miss the notification/alarm. I am away from my tank routinely for 1-2 weeks at a time, so a notification for me is useless when I'm on the other side of the country - it needs to be able to fail-safe on it's own.

[mcarroll]

@Patty:

 

By using an Inkbird you add a whole new set of failure possibilities to your tank's life support system – the Inkbird, and every possible way it can fail.  Like the known calibration issue the @Couesfanatic mentioned earlier.  (Google it if you're unaware of it.)

 

At least with a heater, it's only the heater's possible issues that you have to account for.  Simpler is better.

 

InkBIrds have proven to be cheap gear that can't be trusted in a mission critical application like keeping animals alive.  

 

Folks use them for sprouting seeds and stuff like that...low-risk applications like that make sense.  (Heat mats don't have thermostats built in, they're just ON.  So something like an Inkbird is an absolute requirement if you need to be able to set the temperature specifically.  They aren't using an Inkbird as a backup...neither should we IMO.)

 

Plus, I've seen more failed Ranco controllers than I've seen failed heaters. (@jservedio)  No exaggeration.  (So the Inkbird situation isn't surprising if you were to ask me.)

 

@Patty, I think you should be very clear about why you are wanting to use something like this on such a critical life-support system as heat.  

 

A controller isn't the best way to deal with a failed heater, no matter how you slice it.  So if heater failure is your concern, there are other things you should be thinking about.  In most cases a controller is likely to do nothing more than give a false sense of security IMO.  

 

There is no substitute for setting up your heat properly in the first place AND being there to look at a tank thermometer (and its backup thermometer) multiple times per day.

 

So what made you seek out a controller in the first place?

[Patty]

11 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

@Patty:

 

By using an Inkbird you add a whole new set of failure possibilities to your tank's life support system – the Inkbird, and every possible way it can fail.  Like the known calibration issue the @Couesfanatic mentioned earlier.  (Google it if you're unaware of it.)

 

At least with a heater, it's only the heater's possible issues that you have to account for.  Simpler is better.

 

InkBIrds have proven to be cheap gear that can't be trusted in a mission critical application like keeping animals alive.  

 

Folks use them for sprouting seeds and stuff like that...low-risk applications like that make sense.  (Heat mats don't have thermostats built in, they're just ON.  So something like an Inkbird is an absolute requirement if you need to be able to set the temperature specifically.  They aren't using an Inkbird as a backup...neither should we IMO.)

 

Plus, I've seen more failed Ranco controllers than I've seen failed heaters. (@jservedio)  No exaggeration.  (So the Inkbird situation isn't surprising if you were to ask me.)

 

@Patty, I think you should be very clear about why you are wanting to use something like this on such a critical life-support system as heat.  

 

A controller isn't the best way to deal with a failed heater, no matter how you slice it.  So if heater failure is your concern, there are other things you should be thinking about.  In most cases a controller is likely to do nothing more than give a false sense of security IMO.  

 

There is no substitute for setting up your heat properly in the first place AND being there to look at a tank thermometer (and its backup thermometer) multiple times per day.

 

So what made you seek out a controller in the first place?

I just want something that can alert me if the heater starts malfunctioning. Also a controller that can shut off my heater when tank is to hot and turn on the fan to cool of the tank and turn off the fan once the tank is at a desirable temperature. 
 

Thank you for your reply, makes a lot of sense.

 

I did purchase the inkbird temperature sensor and it arrived yesterday and is working great. I also did also purchase the inkbird that control heat and cooling system. But more than happy to Return them if I find a more effective way to achieve what I am after.

 

I do spend most of the day at home so I am always able to keep an eye on the tank, like you said, want a sense of security for sure. But want to make sure of course what I am investing on works. 

[jservedio]

56 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

 

Plus, I've seen more failed Ranco controllers than I've seen failed heaters. (@jservedio)  No exaggeration.

Woah, woah, woah there! That one was on me. It took two gallons of saltwater and a fire to take that beast out after running flawlessly for 7 years without so much as a moving a single degree.

 

I've had two separate heaters fail on me, hence the Ranco.

[mcarroll]

2 hours ago, jservedio said:

Woah, woah, woah there! That one was on me. It took two gallons of saltwater and a fire to take that beast out after running flawlessly for 7 years without so much as a moving a single degree.

 

I've had two separate heaters fail on me, hence the Ranco.

It's not really about blame....tho sucks that's how yours bowed out.  ☹️

 

Ranco's are not made well for our application...not waterproof, not even suitable for >95% humidity...they are easily compromised.  I suspect if you called Ranco and asked about using them on a saltwater aquarium (or any aquarium) they'd tell you something similar, or at least give you extensive advice on what NOT to do with them.

They are made for commercial heating and cooling applications in general....not for wet apps, and certainly not saltwater apps.

 

From the Ranco manual (http://www.rancoetc.com/ranco-etc-111000-000-digital-temperature-controller😞

Quote

ETC controls are not to be located in areas of significant moisture, dirt or dust as use of the control in such environment may cause personal injury or property damage and is likely to shorten the control life.

 

Plus, look how many reef threads come to the top of the results if you search "ranco temperature controller", mostly talking about failures.  These aren't even used extensively for reefing, yet all those failure threads...

 

Once upon a time there were no heater controllers other than the Ranco, and I think some of the major chiller manufacturers might even have historically spec'd Ranco's for saltwater applications in spite of the build quality.  (Again, there were no options.)