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View Full Version : Everyone use their Apex Display?


slate55
03/07/2012, 08:26 AM
Im getting ready to take the plunge and get a complete Apex setup and i am wondering...

do all of you keep the Display and use it frequently?
I was thinking i could get the Apex base instead of the Apex lite and just sell off the display and use the laptop and iPhone when i need to mess with it.?
what do you think?
(trying to save everywhere i can to continue my DIY led build..)

drparker
03/07/2012, 08:33 AM
I will keep it. If you need to do a factory reset and can't connect you'll need the the display to access a reset.

elFloyd
03/07/2012, 04:36 PM
Never use it... But would never get ride of it... Needs change, new inovations come out and you may want to sell your Apex someday down the road.

slate55
03/07/2012, 05:01 PM
Yea both good points .. Not what I was hoping for ..lol
Looks like I'm spending more than I hoped ..

mc-cro
03/07/2012, 08:56 PM
I rarely use mine, but today I had to use it to do a manual reset when it decided stop communicating with my router.

salty55
03/07/2012, 10:05 PM
feed modes are programmed by using the display ONLY. They are not accessable by the web browser.

RussM
03/07/2012, 10:17 PM
feed modes are programmed by using the display ONLY. They are not accessable by the web browser.

They sure are on the web pages. Feed cycle activation is on the Status page and Feed Interval settings are on the Misc setup page.

doctorgori
03/08/2012, 07:39 AM
feed modes are programmed by using the display ONLY. They are not accessable by the web browser.

I find that I use doorbells for that anyway

...thing is the Apex Lite "package" (Base, Display, EB8) is priced such as its almost like the display is about 50% off

slate55
03/08/2012, 08:31 AM
I would think everything would be on the web pages because the jr doesn't even have a display ?

RussM
03/08/2012, 02:11 PM
I would think everything would be on the web pages because the jr doesn't even have a display ?

Almost everything is. There are a couple of fairly obscure / rarely used settings which are only in the display menus.

Landsailor
03/08/2012, 03:40 PM
I would think everything would be on the web pages because the jr doesn't even have a display ?

Oh, you can get a display with it...for an extra $100.

I have never missed "not having another piece of gear that can be ruined by saltwater" hanging around the tank. Nothing they could provide would be better than the display on my Nexus One, iPad, or any web browser. The widget display on the homescreen of my phone is much more convenient. I see it so often that I don't really need to have a local display.

The only thing you miss by not having a display is the beeper and it's slightly more inconvenient to calibrate probes over the webpage.

windyridge
03/08/2012, 07:30 PM
I use my phone or the web browser on my laptop or PC. I definitely don't need the display. Glad I didn't order one.

Metal Man 1221
03/09/2012, 12:38 AM
They're handy to have, it's nice to be able to just push a few buttons when you need to turn off pumps or set a feed cycle. Or just glance over to see tank parameters, of your choice, displayed as you walk by. Rather than having to log into the apex and deal with the wait time for the pages to load.

I suppose if you have an app for a phone that may be handy, but I would prefer ruin a 100 or so dollar apex display with salt water, rather than a 300 or so dollar phone.

Meslo
03/09/2012, 05:17 AM
You dont have to be close to the tank to look at your phone.

:)

slate55
03/09/2012, 05:42 AM
:lol:You dont have to be close to the tank to look at your phone.

:)

chunk78
03/09/2012, 07:06 AM
I would keep the display. I use it to activate the feed modes when I am...feeding or doing maintenance. It is nice not to hunt down the computer or phone

slate55
03/09/2012, 08:11 AM
But if your like most you don't have to look very far for your IPhone . Lol it's your lifeline

Landsailor
03/09/2012, 11:09 AM
Same here, slate55! I never get my phone anywhere near the water, but it or the iPad is always somewhere near me.

I answer or check it so much during the day that I always know the temp and the pH. Unlock the phone and the info is right there on the widget. (Android, obviously) When I get up in the morning, I will activate a Feed mode and by the time I wander into the living room, the water is settled and the fish are circling (or perched, in the case of the flame hawk) and waiting.

(BTW, in regards to slate's signature: I had a similar experience with my wife and her seeing a local maintenance guy's 180 and 110 tanks in his den. As he later texted "It only takes one trip to the fish room and wives are hooked!" Now, she won't let me buy anything smaller than a 150!)

slate55
03/09/2012, 11:39 AM
(BTW, in regards to slate's signature: I had a similar experience with my wife and her seeing a local maintenance guy's 180 and 110 tanks in his den. As he later texted "It only takes one trip to the fish room and wives are hooked!" Now, she won't let me buy anything smaller than a 150!)

Haha yep it's contagious after that comment I went from a 72g bowfront in a small fish room to a full blown 220 reef display in my living/dining room lol

L8ndeb
03/09/2012, 01:50 PM
I have my display mounted on the front of the stand, so when I walk be it is readily readable. I like that so I do not have to go the trouble of getting my phone, log on, and then check things out. And like Chunk said, it is handy to do feed modes etc., and like Parker said, if a reset is necessary, it can be done.

96p993
03/09/2012, 02:26 PM
Mine is mounted on my tank as well...Its great for me to give it a quick look or if Im messing around in my tank its there to turn stuff on and off. I really dont want my laptop near water...Could spell disaster!!