Pool

[bigdaddyo811]

I am getting a pool put in and want to integrate the controller with C4. I found a few posts regarding using Pentair. Anyone know the specifics of what system to get, how to integrate it etc...

There are 4 posts with no answers

thanks

bdo

[RyanE]

I think the Jandy integration is a little more solid, but I didn't write the drivers, so that's just my (possibly unfounded) opinion.

RyanE

[ILoveC4]

The Jandy driver is laughable, literally. All it does reliably is toggle the lights. It can't even send discrete on/off codes, or check the status. It is lame.

[wappinghigh]

Get something you can control with an iphone/itouch app see...

http://www.staritepool.com/whatsnew/iphone.htm

And keep separate from C4 iphone app.

then switch between 2 apps on an itounch/iphone

...this is the work around I use for Sonos....

[gsgallant]

The Jandy driver is laughable, literally. All it does reliably is toggle the lights. It can't even send discrete on/off codes, or check the status. It is lame.

It's laughable but I'm not laughing after deciding on using Jandy because it was supposedly C4 compatible. The expense was significant and the results are ridiculously poor.

Control4 needs to address the problem with the Jandy Driver. If anyone with any clout is reading this comment please pass it on to Control4.

They shouldn't have drivers (which imply compatibility) that don't function well. It misleads both dealers and consumers and causes upset and unhappy end users.

[Kevin L]

uhh what problems are you having with jandy driver? i have multiple clients with the jandy driver and it works 100% of the time and controls their entire pool and spa just fine.

[gsgallant]

uhh what problems are you having with jandy driver? i have multiple clients with the jandy driver and it works 100% of the time and controls their entire pool and spa just fine.

On the GUI:

Lights - works fine

Pump - works fine

Heater - works fine

Aux1 - works fine (I use it for a Polaris Cleaner)

Programming with variables:

Lights: State is not followed therefore you can't program effectively, can only toggle but not discrete on/off

Pump - State not followed therefore you can't program effectively and the on/off is not functional.

Heater -State not followed and the on/off is not functional.

Aux1 - State not followed ......on/off not functional.

Because programming is not possible (due to the variables not working ) you have to use the GUI. So that precludes true automation. Human intervention is necessary. I can't turn on/off the lights with programming, turn on/off the pump, turn on/off the heater, turn on/off the aux1, etc. unless I use the GUI.

Without the variables, no true automation is possible. I already had a Jandy interface so adding the C4 GUI didn't give me much advantage (except that the GUI is available in multiple rooms).

Besides programming, this makes adding the pool to a light scene impossible. Light scenes could be used in 4sight to "trick" C4 into running scripts such as turning on the heater, cleaner, pump, etc. but only if the variables are following the state of those devices. So, the true advantage of home automation is not possible with the Jandy Driver. You can't use 4sight and that means you can't manipulate the pool equipment when you're away from home.

We even tried (for a few hours) to create work around scripts to try and follow the state and SET the variables but this did not pan out.

[C4Newbie]

uhh what problems are you having with jandy driver? i have multiple clients with the jandy driver and it works 100% of the time and controls their entire pool and spa just fine.

Are you able to control the pool through 4sight? That's been my problem and quite frankly the only reason I spent as much money as I did connecting the Jandy to C4. Unforunately it does not work at all. Even after trying to create dummy light switches to control the heater.

[gsgallant]

You cannot control Jandy through 4sight at all. We wanted to create "light scenes" that triggered scripts that manipulated the pool equipment but you cannot do that because the variables in the Jandy driver don't work at all.

I too spent all this money to install Jandy equipment because my C4 dealer told me it's going to be controllable with my c4 system. I was his first Jandy driver installation. He's frustrated, I'm out a lot of money and not too happy.

Control4 must know about this problem for a long time. It's been posted on this forum for many months in numerous threads. Bad for business.

You shouldn't provide poor drivers because the fact that the driver is provided implies that it will work correctly. People spend money on equipment with that assumption only to be disappointed when the reality of a poor driver is discovered.

Not a happy customer here and I can't blame my dealer. He's tried and tried several approaches. I blame Control4.

[mercedes]

I guess I am lucky that my dealer did some investigation before I bought my pool equipment. I went with a Hayward/Goldline pool controller with two options. One is controlled by the internet and the other is a serial interface they have for AMX which I have been writing code on my PC to control it. I hope that one day I can work with my dealer and build a driver for it once I have the PC program for it done, but in the mean time I can just Remote Desktop my PC and do it all. I agree with the fact that all of us, as consumers, see a driver listed for a product have a certain expectation that the product will integrate to a level that Control4 bases its system on. I know Control4 doesn't write all of these drivers, but maybe there should be something that tells us of its functionality before we spend lots of money with high expectations on third party products.

[bebster]

I went with a Hayward/Goldline pool controller

Are you using the AQ-CO-SERIAL interface with the AquaLogic controller?

I have the same controller and am thinking along the same lines.

[mercedes]

Yes I am. The documentation is very thin at best, but I have found a guy at Hayward that worked on the original programming of the board and he has been helping me out with questions. I thought all of that RS232 experience back when I wrote code on Unix systems was never going to pay off again, but who figured? I would be more than happy to share the little PC prgram I have been playing with and what ever C4 integration that we come up with.

[wappinghigh]

Seriously guys.

I've been waiting for 2 years now for a Sonos driver...and STONE SILENCE. (and Sonos has 100,000's of users world wide) What makes you think they are going to come up with a driver and dedicated support for something complicated like a pool controller?

If C4 can't deliver....vote with your feet (or would that be flippers )...use an iphone/itouch and put all the control onto that.

It's incredibly simple (and mobile!!) just don't dive into the pool with it...

[ILoveC4]

Come on man....quit bitching about Sonos. If you want the driver that bad pay someone to make it.

I completely understand why they haven't made the driver, they provide they're own audio solution. Because Sonos has a less expensive audio product you are using it, but bitching that it doesn't work with C4. Go cry to Sonos to make the damned driver.

If Control4 made a pool controller, they probably wouldn't invest a bunch of time in making a driver to control this one either. Since they don't make a pool controller, it makes sense (at least to me) that they would develop this driver to offer another solution to people.

Edit to fix a typo...

[bebster]

As far as functionality if a driver existed, and since the pool controller is in the basement, I'm interested in the following functionality that can be set from a convenient location (eg a C4 keypad):

1. being able to temporarily turn on/off the pool heater. Even though the controller has a setpoint, it's sometimes nice to have the heater on (a cold day) or off (a hot day) depending on personal preference. And to set it for an hour

2. change the heat setpoint up or down, or to a lower pre-set in "away" mode.

I'd be curious what others are trying to accomplish.

[ILoveC4]

The biggest issue is the fact that it doesn't know the status of anything, you can only toggle. There are no "discrete" codes.

[wappinghigh]

Come on man....quit bitching about Sonos. If you want the driver that bad pay someone to make it.

I completely understand why they haven't made the driver, they provide they're own audio solution. Because Sonos has a less expensive audio product you are using it, but bitching that it doesn't work with C4. Go cry to Sonos to make the damned driver.

...

Yeh. Point taken. Appologies for bitching. But I'm not the only one with this Sonos gripe as you are prob aware. Unfortunately just because C4 has an audio solution, isn't enough for me to go out and buy it. If the C4 Audio solution was better: even as good: I'd switch...but it's not IMHO...On the other hand with a Sonos driver, I'd prob go out out and invest in other different C4 gear: like touchscreens etc. and make C4 the major platform. This is why I can't understand their philosophy on this. Just interested in getting more out of my C4 stuff that's all. Don't mean to offend...sorry

[RyanE]

Control4 has written drivers for other 'competing' products, it's just a matter of priority.

We have dealers who had been clamoring for other Lighting control / Security system integration, and many other things that are much higher on their (and Control4's) list than integrating a different audio system.

Besides that, Control4 would get a much better bang for their buck (IMHO) in using the engineering resources that it would take to fully integrate something like Sonos in bettering Control4's own audio offering, since nearly all Control4 installations use Control4's audio solution.

At least with lighting, there's the argument that there is a lot of retrofit in the Home Automation space where there's already a Lutron or Vantage system in place, and the homeowner is replacing a different automation system with Control4.

There's nothing that keeps a dealer from creating a driver for Sonos, but with all the things that are currently on the plate at Control4, I wouldn't expect any movement from Control4 anytime soon.

RyanE

[wappinghigh]

Control4 has written drivers for other 'competing' products, it's just a matter of priority.

We have dealers who had been clamoring for other Lighting control / Security system integration, and many other things that are much higher on their (and Control4's) list than integrating a different audio system.

Besides that, Control4 would get a much better bang for their buck (IMHO) in using the engineering resources that it would take to fully integrate something like Sonos in bettering Control4's own audio offering, since nearly all Control4 installations use Control4's audio solution.

At least with lighting, there's the argument that there is a lot of retrofit in the Home Automation space where there's already a Lutron or Vantage system in place, and the homeowner is replacing a different automation system with Control4.

There's nothing that keeps a dealer from creating a driver for Sonos, but with all the things that are currently on the plate at Control4, I wouldn't expect any movement from Control4 anytime soon.

RyanE

Thanks for that Ryan....OK...well lets see a better audio solution then...I'd be the first to buy it . I love C4's other setup. As a simple customer...I'm pashionate about C4! In the meantime I'll keep using my iphone as the main wireless controller....and my iMac as the main hardwired controller. If C4 want's it that way, that's OK by me. They don't want to write good drivers for other audio products/pool products/whatever...I'm Quite happy to use another companies product to control everything. If C4 want's to sit back and put there head in the sand on this sort of thing...and say it's somebody else's problem (or the dealers should be writing the drivers) etc, fine, but may I be so bold as to suggest in the long run they'll end up with the bigger problem ...not me....only time will tell though...don't forget who is the real elephant in the room here and just how many of their apps have been downloaded all in the space of a couple of months......

[RyanE]

I'm not saying that Control4 is putting their head in the sand and that Control4 is not interested in writing better drivers / improving existing drivers' functionality at all.

Control4 has given dealers and partners the *option* of making their own drivers, instead of waiting for Control4 to determine that their particular device is the one that Control4 would develop a driver for.

This has allowed many, many manufacturers to make / maintain their own drivers, fully supporting them with SDKs, documentation, and actual (phone / email) support, while Control4 has also created many additional 3rd-party drivers.

You're welcome to believe whatever you believe about Control4's strategies and engagements with 3rd parties, but personally, I believe Control4 is engaging partners in a better way than ever at the moment, and will continue to build momentum in the 3rd-party driver space.

RyanE

[wappinghigh]

That's really good to hear They are also to be congratulated on this very "public" forum. It's a credit to their philosophy that they maintain a low profile on the forum, and refrain from outright censorship.

Not every other manufacturer does the same I assure you! They are certainly a fantastic company, and it's great having such an open forum as this for customers to express their views

[wingzz]

That's really good to hear They are also to be congratulated on this very "public" forum. It's a credit to their philosophy that they maintain a low profile on the forum, and refrain from outright censorship.

Not every other manufacturer does the same I assure you! They are certainly a fantastic company, and it's great having such an open forum as this for customers to express their views

C4 doesn't run this forum, Cytex does

[thecodeman]

That's really good to hear They are also to be congratulated on this very "public" forum. It's a credit to their philosophy that they maintain a low profile on the forum' date=' and refrain from outright censorship.

Not every other manufacturer does the same I assure you! They are certainly a fantastic company, and it's great having such an open forum as this for customers to express their views [/quote']

C4 doesn't run this forum, Cytex does

Yes, and they do a pretty good job offering it at no cost and without advertising. Thanks Dan and crew!

[RyanE]

I agree, hear hear! for CytexOne for the way they keep hands-off on the c4forums.

RyanE

[bigdaddyo811]

Sorry to refocus this thread. We are installing a pool. I guess the Jandy driver is 'laughable'. Anyone know if the Pentair Intellisense will work? Anyone using or used this driver and have it working? I dont want to spend the extra $$ to upgrade the Pentair unit from the base if this is not going to work.

I like the iphone app, but that doesnt allow the ability to hit a single "Party" button on a 6 pad controller and have the lights in the house, music in the house and pool lights and spa turn on automatically each time.

Thanks

bdo