New Robot Vacuum - Dolphin Triton PS or Explorer E30 - Control with Wifi/Alexa Plug?

[MeowMeow724]

Thanks!
I think yours is different. It should still work on one like this. I guess if it's a little square thing it should.
Thanks for this tip! I think we will go with the explorer e30 to save some $ and try the gadget you mentioned for scheduling.

 

[Orion7319]

Thanks!
I think yours is different. It should still work on one like this. I guess if it's a little square thing it should.
Thanks for this tip! I think we will go with the explorer e30 to save some $ and try the gadget you mentioned for scheduling.

I think yours might actually be the type that can run when you apply power to it. I believe all you have to do is place it into automation mode by pressing a particular button for 10 seconds. Then if you unplug it and plug it back in and it starts, your golden. Just need a cheap outdoor smart plug, like the one I previously posted.

 

[MeowMeow724]

Meh, it depends. We have one of those outdoor boxes over the outlet so the smart plug plus the power supply plug may not work.

 

[Orion7319]

Meh, it depends. We have one of those outdoor boxes over the outlet so the smart plug plus the power supply plug may not work.

I have outdoor lights that I use those smart plugs with. Those particular ones are water proof. I am able to plug them into the outdoor outlet and still close the box. You will have to find someway to cover or keep the power supply to the pool robot out of the rain. I simply leave mine under an awning.

 

[MeowMeow724]

I have outdoor lights that I use those smart plugs with. Those particular ones are water proof. I am able to plug them into the outdoor outlet and still close the box. You will have to find someway to cover or keep the power supply to the pool robot out of the rain. I simply leave mine under an awning.

Thanks! We keep ours on the porch so it's always covered

I showed hubby the enbrighten outdoor plug. We actually have the same one for our gazebo lights.
He said he isn't sure how that turns on the power supply because you have to actually press the button.

 

[Jimrahbe]

He said he isn't sure how that turns on the power supply because you have to actually press the button

A lot of the new power supplies have two modes One, where you have to push the button and Two, a mode that basically keeps the button pushed in all the time and allows you to turn the robot on but just turning the outlet on and off.

Check out this link...

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=04aba6430d6dda33e1d188b942f01e08d3e09e8fc1eade1a54a85b64f56a3bbbJmltdHM9MTY0NzkxMDE0NSZpZ3VpZD02MzgyOTBlNC1jY2RhLTQwYjMtYWM1YS00ZjBhOGFmOGQ1NWEmaW5zaWQ9NTM5OA&ptn=3&fclid=df9425d4-a979-11ec-8c38-bb1fe939595b&u=a1L3ZpZGVvcy9zZWFyY2g_cT1Ib3crdG8rc2V0K3VwK2ErRG9scGhpbitwb3dlcitzdXBwbHkrZm9yK2F1dG9tYXRpYytzdGFydCZkb2NpZD02MDc5ODYzMjc5MTgzNzY0MTYmbWlkPTM2MEYyMEQ3NkVDNjkxQ0RGQUREMzYwRjIwRDc2RUM2OTFDREZBREQmdmlldz1kZXRhaWwmRk9STT1WSVJFJm1zY2xraWQ9ZGY5NDI1ZDRhOTc5MTFlYzhjMzhiYjFmZTkzOTU5NWI&ntb=1

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Mdragger88]

Meh, it depends. We have one of those outdoor boxes over the outlet so the smart plug plus the power supply plug may not work.

I was able to get a small round hubless wifi plug & it fits inside my clear in use deep cover - they’re only about $8

 

[Orion7319]

Thanks! We keep ours on the porch so it's always covered

I showed hubby the enbrighten outdoor plug. We actually have the same one for our gazebo lights.
He said he isn't sure how that turns on the power supply because you have to actually press the button.

As I understand it most of the newer power supplies has the “automation mode”. If the one you get has this feature you won’t need to push any buttons to make it run.

 

[Mdragger88]

Apparently they’ve increased a little

 

[Mdragger88]

As I understand it most of the newer power supplies has the “automation mode”. If the one you get has this feature you won’t need to push any buttons to make it run.

Correct- you only press the controller buttons for the initial set up - then after that you use the app or whatever u control your smart plug with - you could even use a mechanical timer (although that’s not as fun )
In automation mode when power is applied the robot runs its normal cycle until power is removed or the cycle ends - whichever comes 1st . My controller is mounted in a deck box & since I set up automation mode I haven’t touched it .
If you press the power button on the controller it disables automation mode & you will have to go through the set up process again.

 

[MeowMeow724]

Thanks all!
I just realized I don't think we want to keep it "on" or in automation mode all the time. We do not intend to keep the cleaner in the pool full time unless we are away and need it to continue without us here to mess with it.
We decided to keep the new one out of the pool because we wonder if us keeping it in the pool (salt pool) could have been why it met its premature demise.
I emailed Marina to let them know we will do the Explorer E30. And we will just get a smart plug or that cute little button pusher and hub for when we are out of town

 

[Mdragger88]

I pull mine out when the kids are playing & stuff & set him in the shade since it’s a pretty expensive pool toy i just make sure to get him back in the water before the schedule is set to run otherwise he would do the self check & turn off & my pool wouldn’t get cleaned.

 

[Jimrahbe]

M,

I have been using robots for many years. I have two rent houses where the robots live in the pools, and the one at my house only get used ever few days. All three pools are saltwater. I have not noticed any difference in lifespan, between the ones constantly in the water vs. the ones that live on the deck.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[jmastron]

Correct- you only press the controller buttons for the initial set up - then after that you use the app or whatever u control your smart plug with - you could even use a mechanical timer (although that’s not as fun )
In automation mode when power is applied the robot runs its normal cycle until power is removed or the cycle ends - whichever comes 1st . My controller is mounted in a deck box & since I set up automation mode I haven’t touched it .
If you press the power button on the controller it disables automation mode & you will have to go through the set up process again.

The setup process is simply holding the "schedule" button (the one with the "1 2 3" over it) for 10 seconds until all 3 lights flash.

Thanks all!
I just realized I don't think we want to keep it "on" or in automation mode all the time. We do not intend to keep the cleaner in the pool full time unless we are away and need it to continue without us here to mess with it.
We decided to keep the new one out of the pool because we wonder if us keeping it in the pool (salt pool) could have been why it met its premature demise.
I emailed Marina to let them know we will do the Explorer E30. And we will just get a smart plug or that cute little button pusher and hub for when we are out of town

The button pusher is indeed a clever gadget when there's no native mode, but personally I'd rather minimize the mechanical things that can slip/fail and just go with a WiFi outdoor plug like https://www.amazon.com/Kasa-Smart-Resistance-SmartThings-KP401/dp/B099KLNM24 -- there's also a 2-outlet version for a few dollars more with fully independent control and scheduling. I have my landscape lights (or fountain or SWCG, I can't remember which now) sharing one of those.

Re: leaving it in the pool -- many of us do. I am not a materials expert, but I can't imagine what seals/components would handle multiple hours submerged while moving and scrubbing but couldn't handle being submerged idle for the rest of the time. If anything, letting things dry out then get wet again would seem to be a bigger risk of causing failures. But of course it's good to take it out while using the pool so nobody gets tangled or damages the robot. Forgetting to put it back in will just make it realize it's not in the water and shut down -- unlike a pressure side cleaner, which makes a BIG wet mess when you forget to put it back in, DAMHIKT!

 

[Orion7319]

“The button pusher is indeed a clever gadget when there's no native mode, but personally I'd rather minimize the mechanical things that can slip/fail and just go with a WiFi outdoor plug”

I will say that mechanically speaking the SwitchBot works every time. Sometimes though my particular bot needs the button pushed twice when I leave it plugged in all the time for some reason but it doesn’t do this often. I could negate that entirely by adding a smart plug and having it cut off and on before the button pushes if I wanted. Your point is valid though, the ones that just work when power is applied are a better simpler option. If you already have a robot like mine though that doesn’t have the option, it’s not worth the upgrade just to gain that feature when the robot works fairly well, as the SwitchBot works well enough. Honestly when it’s time for me to buy a new one, all I will care about is the size of the basket, does it get the waterline and does it have at least 50ft cord and is it durable.

 

[MeowMeow724]

The setup process is simply holding the "schedule" button (the one with the "1 2 3" over it) for 10 seconds until all 3 lights flash.



The button pusher is indeed a clever gadget when there's no native mode, but personally I'd rather minimize the mechanical things that can slip/fail and just go with a WiFi outdoor plug like https://www.amazon.com/Kasa-Smart-Resistance-SmartThings-KP401/dp/B099KLNM24 -- there's also a 2-outlet version for a few dollars more with fully independent control and scheduling. I have my landscape lights (or fountain or SWCG, I can't remember which now) sharing one of those.

Re: leaving it in the pool -- many of us do. I am not a materials expert, but I can't imagine what seals/components would handle multiple hours submerged while moving and scrubbing but couldn't handle being submerged idle for the rest of the time. If anything, letting things dry out then get wet again would seem to be a bigger risk of causing failures. But of course it's good to take it out while using the pool so nobody gets tangled or damages the robot. Forgetting to put it back in will just make it realize it's not in the water and shut down -- unlike a pressure side cleaner, which makes a BIG wet mess when you forget to put it back in, DAMHIKT!

I like the type of plug you and another posted.
Getting our robot plugged in and out of the outlet we have it in is a pain. That type would eliminate that issue

 

[MeowMeow724]

Perhaps a dumb question or I missed it...
To put it in automation mode- what do you do?
I held the button for 10+ seconds and nothing flashes.
We just got the dolphin explorer e30 in and are testing a wifi plug we already had before we buy one, or the switch bot for it.

UPDATE: we got it working. My issue was having pushed the big button first to turn it on before pushing the program button for 10+ seconds. Turned it off then pushed the program button for 10+ seconds and it flashed all 3 lights for a few seconds.

We set it up as "Free Willy" since it's orca whale colored, so we can say "Alexa, Free Willy"

This saves me $300+ on getting one that had finicky wifi/apps to deal with Thanks all!

 

[Mdragger88]

Perhaps a dumb question or I missed it...
To put it in automation mode- what do you do?
I held the button for 10+ seconds and nothing flashes.
We just got the dolphin explorer e30 in and are testing a wifi plug we already had before we buy one, or the switch bot for it.

UPDATE: we got it working. My issue was having pushed the big button first to turn it on before pushing the program button for 10+ seconds. Turned it off then pushed the program button for 10+ seconds and it flashed all 3 lights for a few seconds.

We set it up as "Free Willy" since it's orca whale colored, so we can say "Alexa, Free Willy"

This saves me $300+ on getting one that had finicky wifi/apps to deal with Thanks all!

Remember- don’t press any buttons on the controller now that its in automation mode or it will no longer work & you will need to do it again. I just have mine set to run daily on a schedule in my app that controls my smart plug since I don’t use voice controls or “listening” devices. Opening the app & turning it on manually if I need it to run differently than scheduled works plenty well for me. I almost went the mechanical timer route (as i have lots of those) but I have really enjoyed the perk of not losing time when the power goes out since the cloud “Knows” what time it is Also the fact that they don’t tick like a mechanical timer is nice (& once u notice it - you can’t un-notice it).
Thinking of switching my saltron mini from mechanical timer to smart plug. This winter I have been using the one I got for my dolphin for my electric percolator ️ So coffee is ready when i wake up & so it shuts off after a few hours & it’s been fabulous! I’m going to have to get another one for the dolphin. They’re so handy.

 

[Hal3]

Meh, it depends. We have one of those outdoor boxes over the outlet so the smart plug plus the power supply plug may not work.

This thread introduced me to automation mode for my E20. I am so happy!

Here is my low budget system. Works great but my wife complains about the look. I will have to put it in a better box.

 

[Hal3]

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