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Vertex Cerebra - hands on


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Hello ARC,

I was willing to be a guinea pig for the new Vertex Cerebra controller that is coming out to market in beta form. It is android-based and packs a nice touch screen LCD.

While I won't get into the technical details as you can look them up online, I will try to document my interaction with it for setup and programming.

I unboxed it this late afternoon and started to set it up.

Boxed

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Unboxed

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Screen and main head unit

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Connections on back of head unit (notice the wifi dongle included)

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Front of multibar (powerstrip with most of the connections for probes and sensors)

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Back of multibar where all the goodies get plugged into to.

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Regular powerstrip

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Temp probe with LED indicator lights

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My favorite interactions so far with the controller is the ease of adding probes and calibrating them, the ability to use a wireless USB mouse and keyboard with the system, and the fancy touchscreen. Alright, using the built-in browser was pretty cool too. I know some have installed angry birds just to say that they played it on their controller but I see no point. Though having the option to is cool though. grin.png

My least favorite interactions so far is that the firmware was super outdated out of the box and needed to be updated ASAP. Unfortunately, the wi-fi is still giving me issues and causes my controller to lock up within a few minutes of being on. Once I turn it off, it is smooth sailing but it took a couple hours of tech support and trying to download firmware updates before it freezes before I could figure out what was wrong. At one point, the whole system crashed but fortunately the firmware update took care of the issue besides the lingering wi-fi issue. For now, I am connected via ethernet.

I wanted to try the VNC connection out but sadly, I can only view it and not control the controller via my laptop. Basically, the VNC connection allows me to mirror the controller on my laptop or other device and control it remotely. While I can see my controller on my laptop, for some reason I can't control it like others can. I'm sure its user error on this one for me, unlike the wi-fi issue which I believe is a software issue.

Anyways, I'm going to call it a night and if I have time sometime this weekend, start plugging in devices for it to control and program it. I was just happy to be able to get all my sensors (pH, ORP, and temp) hooked up and running on the system. Oh, I don't think I even mentioned but I'm running it on my frag tank for a long test period before it ever even sees my display tank. I like to experiment but I'm not crazy!

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I like the clear windows so you can see it's guts. It will be fun to see if many people use it and starts some good competition in the controller market.

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I like the clear windows so you can see it's guts. It will be fun to see if many people use it and starts some good competition in the controller market.

While I don't think it'll dethrone the king at its current beta stage, I do like the added competition like you said. We'll just all win out when the companies all try to win our favor.

I definitely see potential with this thing. Updates are as simple as one touch of a button, open programming structure for those app nerds (imagine an app for water changes) and for the wannabe nerds life myself that only excel in stealing code, and a development team that is constantly on the Cerebra forum literally taking our "want lists" back to developers and programming the code into the next firmware revision after thorough testing. The collaborative effort between beta tester and developer is inspiring and I'm glad I have the opportunity to be in the frontline of it. Perfect example is someone wanting to hook up a Kessil. Since Vertex is just about to release the developer package to 3rd party peripheral companies, the hope is a lot of this will be taken care of via manufacturer. Some companies might just sit back and wait for the manufacturer to sort it out but the techs were on the forum asking about the Kessil, what type of hook up he was currently using, researched the connection, and provided a wiring solution to the poster. Then proceeded to say that he will push this to development and asked to give a 1-month timeframe to get the proprietary connector cable made for it. Wow! Instead of just waiting for Kessil to jump aboard the Cerebra train, they troubleshot it, developed their own cable, and is promising to have it ready and shipped in a month's time!

I don't mean this statement to bash Apex as I still love my two units I'm running but I can't remember a time when I even had direct customer tech support from Neptune over the last 6 years other than here is your RMA and send the unit in. Both times, it cost me $150 for a full board replacement and a vague description on why they needed to replace the whole board. Neptune tech support consisted of jumping on the Neptune forum, not calling someone. I picked up the phone and called Vertex and one ring later, the same US tech support guy I see all over the Cerebra forum picked up the phone and walked me through the process. That easy. It was refreshing.

I got mine yesterday too, but have no clue what I'm doing. Might have to bribe you w/ a couple of 6 packs to come help me set it up, Ty! whistle.gif

Man, word must have got out that I'm a sucker for beer. [emoji4]

I bet we can make that happen though I'm in the early hooking up stages of the controller myself. If you're available during the weekdays in the daytime, I can almost guarantee I can help. Otherwise, I may have to help remotely. [emoji6]

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Im so jealous of you guys. Im still waiting for my Cerebra to be delivered.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Don't worry, we'll work all the kinks out so you can be sailing smooth within minutes out of the box. [emoji6]
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I just thought of one major concern with this product. Since it's running Android, what happens if your vertex becomes remotely exploited..... this is potentially very bad because someone doing this could basically ruin the device or ruin your tank.... or both.

I'd be pretty cautious about installing any apps on this product as Android is in the tech news pretty regularly for getting hit with remote root exploits. Just a passing thought I figured I should share. Other than that, it looks like a cool product that's designed well.

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I just thought of one major concern with this product. Since it's running Android, what happens if your vertex becomes remotely exploited..... this is potentially very bad because someone doing this could basically ruin the device or ruin your tank.... or both.

I'd be pretty cautious about installing any apps on this product as Android is in the tech news pretty regularly for getting hit with remote root exploits. Just a passing thought I figured I should share. Other than that, it looks like a cool product that's designed well.

To me, I think there are better exploits to be had by hacking a phone or tablet with android than a reef tank controller. And since I haven't had an android phone hacked in the 4-5 years since I've had one, I like my odds up to this point.

But it definitely is a risk... I just consider it a very small one but worth the effort to at least bring up for discussion for sure.

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Firmware basically DOA? That's a bit scary but I realize it's in beta.

Traced it back to issues with the wifi and my carrier at the house. Causes the whole system to freeze up. There have been a couple other reports with Cerebra owners and Time Warner Cable internet.
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any device that has a web interface is susceptible to a DOS attack... android or otherwise. point is... dont put it on the internet unprotected (ie dont configure it as the dmz host on your wifi router).

still looks klunky to me :( hope down the road it gets streamlined! im a diy-er by nature... i could probably change that bootup animation easily since its android :)

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any device that has a web interface is susceptible to a DOS attack... android or otherwise. point is... dont put it on the internet unprotected (ie dont configure it as the dmz host on your wifi router).

still looks klunky to me :( hope down the road it gets streamlined! im a diy-er by nature... i could probably change that bootup animation easily since its android :)

Please do! I'm tired of looking at that thing already. [emoji6]
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What does it do that the apex doesnt? So far the feedback is that it looks like a microwave and freezes :) SIGN ME UP.

But a microwave that auto updates the firmware for itself. [emoji106]
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Ahhh... the humbling moment you try to calibrate a pH probe for 30 mins and then realize it hasn't been zeroing in on the solution because you grabbed the ORP probe instead... doh.gif That's what a sleepless night will do for you.

So, just to keep everyone updated on the controller. I got to try to mess with it a little Friday evening and completely crashed it due to the wireless issue noted above. The engineers are working on it now but for some reason, the units don't like the Time Warner Cable brand of routers/modem branded Technicolor. Mine decided to have the most severe reaction and stopped loading any apps at all. So, after having some time today to chat with tech support (I'd like to note its a Sunday afternoon and he picked up... which sounded like from his home since I could hear the TV on in the background and a dog... what awesome tech support), he ran me through how to open up the Vertex, remove the flash card, format the flash card, and reinstall entire OS for the Cerebra.

Some fun pics of the inside:

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Boom, it reset my system and everything is working perfectly again besides the wifi issue which they are addressing for the TWC box. Not a big deal since I have ethernet run to both my frag tank and my display tank. Just to mention, nobody else has had issues with the wifi that doesn't have the TWC box so there are plenty that are cruising right along with their wifi.

I'll maybe dabble a little with programming tonight but that might be delayed since I'm running on 3 hrs of sleep. Programming is probably not something you want to do while in a sleep-deprived state I'm guessing.yawn.gif

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So, just to keep everyone updated on the controller. I got to try to mess with it a little Friday evening and completely crashed it due to the wireless issue noted above. The engineers are working on it now but for some reason, the units don't like the Time Warner Cable brand of routers/modem branded Technicolor. Mine decided to have the most severe reaction and stopped loading any apps at all. So, after having some time today to chat with tech support (I'd like to note its a Sunday afternoon and he picked up... which sounded like from his home since I could hear the TV on in the background and a dog... what awesome tech support), he ran me through how to open up the Vertex, remove the flash card, format the flash card, and reinstall entire OS for the Cerebra.

So much for your previous comment "But a microwave that auto updates the firmware for itself".

3 Points to Victoly. :D

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So, just to keep everyone updated on the controller. I got to try to mess with it a little Friday evening and completely crashed it due to the wireless issue noted above. The engineers are working on it now but for some reason, the units don't like the Time Warner Cable brand of routers/modem branded Technicolor. Mine decided to have the most severe reaction and stopped loading any apps at all. So, after having some time today to chat with tech support (I'd like to note its a Sunday afternoon and he picked up... which sounded like from his home since I could hear the TV on in the background and a dog... what awesome tech support), he ran me through how to open up the Vertex, remove the flash card, format the flash card, and reinstall entire OS for the Cerebra.

So much for your previous comment "But a microwave that auto updates the firmware for itself".

3 Points to Victoly. biggrin.png

Dang that Victoly!!!

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If it's just the technicolor modems, return yours to twc and tell them you want an arris or ubee. But I would get the ubee. It's an ac. Arris is just an N.

Thanks for the advice Bige. I'm going to do exactly that this week and see if that resolves the issue!

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Your best bet to get what you want is to say you had a tech come out cause your vpn wasn't working. Your tech support said you need a ubee to be compatible. If you don't word it right they will not give you what you want.

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Your best bet to get what you want is to say you had a tech come out cause your vpn wasn't working. Your tech support said you need a ubee to be compatible. If you don't word it right they will not give you what you want.

Even better! Thanks for the heads up! I never sound like I know what I'm talking about when it comes to computer networking anyways so I think they'll believe it easily. Appreciate it sir!

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