Apex

[seand]

So I have a 2016 apex which I love and hate at the same time. I have had to replace both the eb832 and controller twice in the just under 2 years I’ve owned it.

Every time I do anything with it like update a module something goes wrong. Luckily Neptune will be more than happy to send me another one if I let them charge my CC $300 and refund the difference a month later after they fix it for $50. Of course they never can tell me what they did except “fixed” it.

I hear so many people saying how everything is great blah blah blah. Now I agree the stuff is cool and can do a lot but.....at a price, at least for me.

So does anyone else have at least a quarterly “apex just s*** the bed moment” or is it just me?

 

[FutureInterest]

I had to replace my classic after it died a month ago. My new apex completely powered off a few times with the same plugs in place as the classic. So I had to use the eb8 from my last unit in conjunction with the eb832 to spread the load. Other than that its working very well. The only other issue I ran into is when the power cycled the apex didn't reconnect to the router even though its hard wired in and I had to manually unplug/plug the ethernet a few times to get connection... even thought it kept showing as green(connected). That was a minor issue. Meanwhile, my vertex cerebra has been going strong without a hiccup for a year now...

 

[lmm1967]

I had to replace my classic after it died a month ago. My new apex completely powered off a few times with the same plugs in place as the classic. So I had to use the eb8 from my last unit in conjunction with the eb832 to spread the load. Other than that its working very well. The only other issue I ran into is when the power cycled the apex didn't reconnect to the router even though its hard wired in and I had to manually unplug/plug the ethernet a few times to get connection... even thought it kept showing as green(connected). That was a minor issue. Meanwhile, my vertex cerebra has been going strong without a hiccup for a year now...

Setting a static IP on the Apex will resolve that issue. They boot faster than your router, don't get a response to the DHCP response and for some crazy stupid reason the Apex isn't smart enough to wait 30 seconds and send another request.

 

[FutureInterest]

Ahh makes sense, I'll do that.

 

[Adam]

I've had my issues with Neptune but in the end they've always taken care of me. I've had corruption with a Classic Apex, that was the biggest PITA. Had to wipe it clean reflash it and do all the programming over. I was able to pull everything from Fusion to a PDF so cut & pasting made the job easier. I'm on a 2016 model now and shortly after the switch I had to get 2 WAV pumps replaced, which they did beyond 2 years with me just paying the freight one way. I've also had to get a few modules, that I bought used, repaired when they went bad, they did them all for $30. The latest was a PM1 that had something go wrong. When it died it killed the whole bus till it was removed. Everything was in Fallback mode when I got home and I freaked. But once it was disconnect everything fired back up like normal. But it was a pucker moment for sure.

Here's my tips:

1. Connect all EB's and anything else plugged into an outlet, like 1-Links, FMM's or DoS pumps to a good surge suppressor. (All routers & switches are plugged into surge suppressors too.)

2. Whether Classic or 2016, always set a static IP for it. I even have my 2016 setup with a wired connection, even though it's connected to wifi too. The wifi is now a backup for the wired line. But the IP is static.

3. If you even remotely feel like corruption on the EPROM is an issue. Wipe it, reflash all firmware twice then reprogram everything. It's not that bad once you've done it a few times and can cut and paste. You also have control over when it will go down for reprogramming rather than something happening at an inopportune time. If you don't want to go that route right off the bat then open a ticket and have them take a look. Better safe than sorry.

4. Reboot the Base Unit once and a while. Like anything else a restart every so often is a good thing.

If you need help programming or flashing firmware let me know. In addition to my own system I help manage three other members Apex's and can do almost everything remotely.

In the end, yes, I feel it's a little pricey for what you get but the only other option I could see using is far above what I'm willing to pay. Vertex is out (If you want to know why I'll be happy to share my thoughts on that one), Digital Aquatics is out (Literally they dropped out), I don't have the time for Arduino or Raspberry pi (Although they both sound interesting). So that leaves GHL. Dave loves his but like I said it's more than I can afford and it's no guarantee either. Couple of quick searches and you'll find plenty of people having issues there too.