SCREENLOGIC HELP

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D

Dodo

Member
Sep 1, 2020
9
Arizona
We have all new Pentair equipment for new build pool. went with the handheld remote for running pool and now trying to add Screenlogic to run from phone/ipad. Here is the problem. I have been told my internet speed is too fast and I need a switch to slow down. We have all in one unit that is internet and wifi, a google mesh directly attached to that and a 8 port netgear switch directly to the google mesh. I was told that when you plug the screenlogic into the netgear port it automatically chooses the speed to whicch to communicate. The system sporadic works. Does ssome commands and others just get lost they are taking too long to process.

Anyone have this issue before? Suggestions on what to do / how to proceed? My IT guy thinks its a Pentair problem

Thanks
 
D,

Seems to me it will either work or not... I doubt any commands are taking too long to process...

Give us a couple of examples of what works and what does not work..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
That is just nonsense. There is no such thing as “too fast” internet. And a switch will not slow it down either. Ethernet communication is independent of speed.

Are you talking about the wireless interface that goes onto the network or are you plugging Ethernet directly into the pentair outside box?

Are you trying to connect locally or via remote option in the app?
 
Dodo said:
We have all new Pentair equipment for new build pool. went with the handheld remote for running pool and now trying to add Screenlogic to run from phone/ipad. Here is the problem. I have been told my internet speed is too fast and I need a switch to slow down. We have all in one unit that is internet and wifi, a google mesh directly attached to that and a 8 port netgear switch directly to the google mesh. I was told that when you plug the screenlogic into the netgear port it automatically chooses the speed to whicch to communicate. The system sporadic works. Does ssome commands and others just get lost they are taking too long to process.

Anyone have this issue before? Suggestions on what to do / how to proceed? My IT guy thinks its a Pentair problem
Click to expand...
Was that the same "IT guy" that advised you about your internet being too fast? Pprior is correct, that's not the issue. I'm not familiar with Google Mesh, or if it is required to be inbetween switch and router, but I wouldn't guess that to be so. The switch should be connected to the router, then everything else connected to the switch. And, yes, the switch will negotiate the correct speed for anything you plug in.

WiFi is not the issue because even if you are using the Pentair wireless connection components, they are not WiFi. And the Protocol Adapter does not use WiFi.

90% of all problems of this nature are usually the cabling. Troubleshooting 101: remove everything non-essential or suspected, then test, then start adding things back in until you get the failure, then you know where the problem is (that's not 100%, but works most of the time).

So, remove the Google and the switch, plug the ScreenLogic box directly into the router, ideally with a brand new cable, or one that you haven't been using so far. See if the problem remains. If so, then you'll have narrowed it down. If it works, then you'll know the problem is in one of the other things you removed. Add them back in, including the cables, one at a time, to find the culprit.
 
What is the Screen Logic protocol adapter connecting to outside? EasyTouch, IntelliCenter? Based in what you have said, the protocol adapter is hard wired to it, is that right? I'm running 1G+ and using Orbi Mesh with 3 satellites and have no issues with my protocol adapter.

I had issues using the wireless controller on my ET system and had to move the antenna closer to my patio to get better connections.
 
I may have my products mixed up, but I think the IntelliCenter doesn't use ScreenLogic. So I was assuming ET.
 
Pprior said:
That is just nonsense. There is no such thing as “too fast” internet. And a switch will not slow it down either. Ethernet communication is independent of speed.

Are you talking about the wireless interface that goes onto the network or are you plugging Ethernet directly into the pentair outside box?

Are you trying to connect locally or via remote option in the app?
Click to expand...
Agree with too fast internet 😂 got it working with wifi can’t get it to work remotely
 

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Dirk said:
Was that the same "IT guy" that advised you about your internet being too fast? Pprior is correct, that's not the issue. I'm not familiar with Google Mesh, or if it is required to be inbetween switch and router, but I wouldn't guess that to be so. The switch should be connected to the router, then everything else connected to the switch. And, yes, the switch will negotiate the correct speed for anything you plug in.

WiFi is not the issue because even if you are using the Pentair wireless connection components, they are not WiFi. And the Protocol Adapter does not use WiFi.

90% of all problems of this nature are usually the cabling. Troubleshooting 101: remove everything non-essential or suspected, then test, then start adding things back in until you get the failure, then you know where the problem is (that's not 100%, but works most of the time).

So, remove the Google and the switch, plug the ScreenLogic box directly into the router, ideally with a brand new cable, or one that you haven't been using so far. See if the problem remains. If so, then you'll have narrowed it down. If it works, then you'll know the problem is in one of the other things you removed. Add them back in, including the cables, one at a time, to find the culprit.
Click to expand...
My wifi guy did not say my internet was too fast - he laughed at it. The Pentair rep said it was too fast and that was why it was not working correctl. I don’t think the Pentair rep knows what he is talking about
 
panic_button said:
What is the Screen Logic protocol adapter connecting to outside? EasyTouch, IntelliCenter? Based in what you have said, the protocol adapter is hard wired to it, is that right? I'm running 1G+ and using Orbi Mesh with 3 satellites and have no issues with my protocol adapter.

I had issues using the wireless controller on my ET system and had to move the antenna closer to my patio to get better connections.
Click to expand...
I have no clue the pool guy and Pentair rep installed it
 
Somewhere along the chain gang, someone misquoted. I think what they were trying to convey was that the Adaptor is likely 10Mbps Ethernet, or 100Mbps, and if the router was 1G only then without anything to negotiate between the two they wouldn’t connect. When someone said “too fast internet” and “using the switch to slow down the internet” they meant “1G Ethernet” and “using a switch to negotiate between 10/100M and 1G.” It’s still hooey, though, because most all current Ethernet routers and switches can handle 10/100/1000 speeds. But even if that was not so, there would be no intermittent connection. As Jim thought, it would either work or it wouldn’t. So it’s not the internet or the Ethernet. It’s likely corrupt software, a bad cable or a faulty component. Or it could be the Adaptor’s firmware, if not up to date, struggling to communicate with a newer ET’s, that could conceivably be spotty and intermittent. Allowing some commands but not others. But it’s been so long since they updated that firmware that the adaptor would have to be pretty old, or recently purchased from a source that had it on a shelf for quite a while. Pentair’s website provides the updater for the Adapter’s firmware, so that might be something to try. Standard troubleshooting techniques still apply... isolate each element until you find the fault.
 
I’m not crystal clear on how the ScreenLogic (SL) app and Adapter (PA) find each other. For remote, I believe the app calls home to Pentair’s Server which has received the PA’s location (IP address) from the PA. The server has some sort of lookup table that tracks which PA belongs to which IP address, based on the PA’s ID code. Once the app gets the IP address, it can connect to your router directly, and then the PA. I'm not sure if that happens every time, of just once, and then your IP address gets stored in the app. I can't imagine that all the communication goes through Pentair servers, because that would be a lot of traffic, and every time the server went down it would strand every SL users connection.


If your router or it’s firewall are blocking that incoming traffic, then that might explain why you can’t connect remotely. Maybe the app and PA find each other with some other method when both are on the same LAN (your home network), so that part is working. Something like that. If while connected via WiFi you’re experiencing no glitches, then that part is solved. To connect remotely, you might have to tell your router to allow that incoming traffic from your phones app. You’ll likely need to keep calling Pentair tech support until you connect with someone that knows this stuff. If they don’t, hang up, call back, and see if the next tech does.
 
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Dirk said:
Somewhere along the chain gang, someone misquoted. I think what they were trying to convey was that the Adaptor is likely 10Mbps Ethernet, or 100Mbps, and if the router was 1G only then without anything to negotiate between the two they wouldn’t connect. When someone said “too fast internet” and “using the switch to slow down the internet” they meant “1G Ethernet” and “using a switch to negotiate between 10/100M and 1G.” It’s still hooey, though, because most all current Ethernet routers and switches can handle 10/100/1000 speeds. But even if that was not so, there would be no intermittent connection. As Jim thought, it would either work or it wouldn’t. So it’s not the internet or the Ethernet. It’s likely corrupt software, a bad cable or a faulty component. Or it could be the Adaptor’s firmware, if not up to date, struggling to communicate with a newer ET’s, that could conceivably be spotty and intermittent. Allowing some commands but not others. But it’s been so long since they updated that firmware that the adaptor would have to be pretty old, or recently purchased from a source that had it on a shelf for quite a while. Pentair’s website provides the updater for the Adapter’s firmware, so that might be something to try. Standard troubleshooting techniques still apply... isolate each element until you find the fault.
Click to expand...
thank you
 
Dirk said:
I’m not crystal clear on how the ScreenLogic (SL) app and Adapter (PA) find each other. For remote, I believe the app calls home to Pentair’s Server which has received the PA’s location (IP address) from the PA. The server has some sort of lookup table that tracks which PA belongs to which IP address, based on the PA’s ID code. Once the app gets the IP address, it can connect to your router directly, and then the PA. I'm not sure if that happens every time, of just once, and then your IP address gets stored in the app. I can't imagine that all the communication goes through Pentair servers, because that would be a lot of traffic, and every time the server went down it would strand every SL users connection.


If your router or it’s firewall are blocking that incoming traffic, then that might explain why you can’t connect remotely. Maybe the app and PA find each other with some other method when both are on the same LAN (your home network), so that part is working. Something like that. If while connected via WiFi you’re experiencing no glitches, then that part is solved. To connect remotely, you might have to tell your router to allow that incoming traffic from your phones app. You’ll likely need to keep calling Pentair tech support until you connect with someone that knows this stuff. If they don’t, hang up, call back, and see if the next tech does.
Click to expand...
thank you i will do that
 
I would love to learn more about this as well. I've got a pretty robust firewall on my home network and I've never had any remote access issues so I have assumed the communication is going through pentair and its connection to the unit at my house. I never had to open any ports or change any router settings.

Same for my MyQ garage door opener.
 
And that's where I get lost. There is a "feature" of routers that allows this two-way communication between our devices and/or whatever server they need to talk to, that gets configured for us so that we don't have to do it (otherwise, the manufacturers would have to maintain a massive staff of tech support to deal with the phone calls!). Yet routers also have a "feature" (the firewall) that is supposed to defeat this type of unauthorized communication without our explicit consent (configuring). Which none of us want to bother with. So I'm not sure how they both can exist and actually protect our "sensitive" data.

As I said, I think the Adapter communicates my IP address to Pentair. Because, since I have a dynamic address with my internet provider, it can change often, and yet I've never had to enter an IP address into my phone so that I can control my pool while away. I've only had to input the Adapter's code (which is unique to mine). The app knows Pentair's server's address. As does the Adapter. So they each "phone home" and declare the Adater code, and Pentair servers give the IP address of the Adapter to the app. This is just my conjecture, based on my own deductions. It may very well be something else altogether. But I know their servers our involved, because when they go down, or we lose internet, the connection isn't made, even when I'm home.
 
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