|
I installed an Apex controller in my new setup 10 days ago. So far, I am happy with it. It does what I expected to do. There are few things I wish it would improve.
1- There are 3 interfaces to Apex: the controller, ApexFusion, and the local web pages. The controller is menu driven and pain in the a$$ to use for configuration. A touch screen and more advanced menu will be much better. The other two interfaces can't be used to do everything. Each interface provide subset of the functionalities. I've been using all 3 interfaces to accomplish what I want to do.
2- Internet connection dependent: If you want to receive alerts, Apex must be connected the internet at all times. With cellular technologies are available and cheap, it will be great improvement if Apex has cellular module like security systems.
3- No battery backup: Few days ago, I tried to connect to Fusion from work to check on my tank health. I couldn't connect for 15 minutes. I started to freak out, and I drove home to make sure everything is OK. It turned out that the house lost power for 15 min. When the power came back, my router didn't start gracefully and Apex didn't have internet connection to text and email me. If the unit has a small backup battery, the system would have been able to tell me that it lost power. This can be fixed by hooking everything to UPS, but all what the system need is a small internal battery to say hey power lost right now not after the power is restored. Imagine if I were out of town and the house lost power and had a leak at the same time...that would be a disaster that I wouldn't know about.
4- Cost: Almost every probe need it own module....seriously. You need ALD for leak probes, PM2 for conductivity probe, PM3 for oxygen probe, etc.
|