IntelliCenter 1.064 Firmware and New Mobile App IntelliCenter2

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Finally figured out that there was a new app to download after only being able to connect locally for a day. Odd that they had to switch the URL and app to migrate to AWS....their IT staff must be just a few people lol hoping these backend changes allow for some real improvement
 
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dustindclark said:
Don't upgrade if you're using my homebridge plugin to integrate IntellICenter with HomeKit/Siri. The new firmware seems to be a rewrite that breaks local connections, and attempts to downgrade firmware back to the previous firmware (via USB) do not work.
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This is fixed in 2.0.x of the plugin. Lots of breaking changes in the new firmware version..hence the new IntelliCenter app and domain.
 
matthewsunshineflorida said:
I ran Cat6 to the panel a few months back because their wifi unit is trash. Since then, local access has been consistently a second or two and remote has been 5 or so seconds. I DEFINITELY want to look into nodejs soon too though actually - I already ran a second cat6 for a raspberry pi.

I would really like to get a cheap android tablet, mount it on the wall on the pool deck, and keep some kind of app up just always running - but intellicenter with its current bugs would confuse my guests more than it's worth unless I could find a way for it to keep always on and connected. Any insight into getting yours setup last month that might help?
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I ran CAT6 for the IntelliCenter also. There was no way I was trusting a wi-fi connection. I haven't bothered doing any troubleshooting, assuming everyone was having the issue.

I would like a simple controller for guests, too. I don't see how the IntelliCenter app would ever work in that way. Maybe they've worked out the issues, but I was told the IntelliCenter wireless remote was "terrible" and not to get it when we installed the IntelliCenter. I was considering ordering one, but I moved all of our home automation to Home Assistant and have poolController working with it, so I'm thinking whatever tablet/device I do will be through Home Assistant.

Between the great guides MyAZPool put together and the documentation, there's not much I could add at this point. I have a ways to go with all the things I'd like to do at the equipment pad, but poolController itself was very easy to get up and running in my opinion. I'm still learning all the Home Assistant stuff, so that was a bit tricky.

For me, 1.064 validated the time I spent setting poolController up. If nothing else, it's a great fail-safe/backup for the app. For those who want to put in the time, the possibilities look to be endless. Maybe I'm missing something and speaking too soon, but I think Pentair's opinion on IntelliCenter at this point is "Good Enough!".
 
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The alexa skill was still useful, you just had to create "Routines" that are triggered by something you say in English tied to the "Custom Action" feature where you type in whatever you want Alexa to ACT as if you said i.e. Pentair's complicated gibberish.

For instance, when I want to vacuum my house, I have a routine set up that takes "Alexa, vacuum" and triggers a custom action that acts as if I had said "Alexa, ask robo rock to vacuum house home" or whatever.

If they'd just re-enable the skill, we could set up routines that work around much of the stupidity of the skill itself. Don't disable the skill for this long and replace it with NOTHING.
 
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If you're already using a Homebridge plugin for HomeKit integration, you can use the homebridge-alexa plugin to expose your IntelliCenter equipment to Alexa. This is better than the Pentair skill anyways because you don't have ask Alexa to tell the Pentair skill to do so and so, and you don't have to create the routine hack mentioned above.
 
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That wasn't a dig on your solution @matthewsunshineflorida, it was a dig on the Alexa platform. Any time a customer has to craft a routine to work around her inability to understand natural language, then it's clear the platform is lacking.

By the way, I'm not convinced that it's a great idea to expose your pool equipment via voice. A misunderstood Alexa intent half-emptied my pool over the weekend.
 
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dustindclark said:
That wasn't a dig on your solution @matthewsunshineflorida, it was a dig on the Alexa platform. Any time a customer has to craft a routine to work around her inability to understand natural language, then it's clear the platform is lacking.

By the way, I'm not convinced that it's a great idea to expose your pool equipment via voice. A misunderstood Alexa intent half-emptied my pool over the weekend.
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Oh I didn't think it was a dig at me! I was just reacting "sad" that all of these solutions require more work than they should for such a mature company as Pentair! I don't have homekit as I'm an all android guy, so it's frustrating to not just see better native support for things - I really expected Intellicenter to be a sleek modern natural experience instead of this clunky app that mostly works most of the time - after a whole LOT of initial setup (Circuit Groups, Alexa routines, Tasker app to automatically restart intellicenter each time it opens etc).

How did your pool empty?? Do have an actuator on a drain/waste line or something? That's awful and could have been catastrophic in the wrong situation!
 
Well my intellicenter updated to the latest software on its own. I noticed I did not have remote access, and could only access via local connection from my phone.

Not sure I see any improvements, but I did feel like it was slower to load the app to make changes while we were hot tubbing.
 

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matthewsunshineflorida said:
Oh I didn't think it was a dig at me! I was just reacting "sad" that all of these solutions require more work than they should for such a mature company as Pentair! I don't have homekit as I'm an all android guy, so it's frustrating to not just see better native support for things - I really expected Intellicenter to be a sleek modern natural experience instead of this clunky app that mostly works most of the time - after a whole LOT of initial setup (Circuit Groups, Alexa routines, Tasker app to automatically restart intellicenter each time it opens etc).

How did your pool empty?? Do have an actuator on a drain/waste line or something? That's awful and could have been catastrophic in the wrong situation!
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Agree. The integration of these platforms is lacking at best, and I think the reason behind it is sh*tty firmware. It uses socket connections, the socket connections are super flakey. That's why all of the UI's on top of this firmware also seem flakey (IntelliCenter app, intellicenter.com, homekit plugins). Some UI's are just better at hiding this flakiness than others. I'm also guessing that this is the reason that the Alexa skill disappeared.

Emptying my pool was somewhat self-inflicted. I have a pool cover, and my spa spills over into my pool. There's a small gap for that spillover (between cover and wall) such that my pump can run at lower RPM when the cover is closed without dumping water on top of the cover. One of the kids told Alexa to turn on something, which she misunderstood as "turn on the pool", which kicked on the pump at high enough RPM to dump water onto the cover all night. Then, I have a pump on top of the cover, and it pumped that water out onto the ground (pics attached).

I say it's self inflicted because I could have done a couple of things to prevent this:
  1. I could have configured the higher-RPM circuit to only run when the cover is open. I didn't do this because I sometimes leave the cover opened slightly more to allow it to run at higher RPM.
  2. I could have put the hose from the pump on top of the cover back into the pool. This would have pumped the water back into the pool instead of out on the ground. I didn't do this just to keep rainwater out of the pool, which seems silly in hindsight.
This will cost me several hundred on my water bill, but something similar could happen on my gas bill if the heater was turned on without noticing. That's why I say I'm not sure that I want to leave my pool connected to Alexa.
 

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joeprunc said:
Well my intellicenter updated to the latest software on its own. I noticed I did not have remote access, and could only access via local connection from my phone.

Not sure I see any improvements, but I did feel like it was slower to load the app to make changes while we were hot tubbing.
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Make sure you're using the IntelliCenter 2 app and/or intellicenter2.com for remote access on the new firmware.
 
This is totally off-topic, but @dustindclark I love the basketball hoop for the pool. I see the brand name on the extension beam and I am going to have to go get me one. If it wasn't for your photo, I wouldn't have known that brand was out there. (y)
 
an1vrsy said:
This is totally off-topic, but @dustindclark I love the basketball hoop for the pool. I see the brand name on the extension beam and I am going to have to go get me one. If it wasn't for your photo, I wouldn't have known that brand was out there. (y)
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Hah...that was a 6pm on Christmas Eve purchase with minimal research, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Doesn't look as cluttered as one that sits on the coping, and opening up the aggressive slam dunk makes for more interesting games of HORSE.
 

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Anyone else seeing issues with home screen on web client not registering pump speeds but the pump speeds show up on pumps menu?
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This is what I get after upgrading the firmware

IC: 1.064, ICWEB:2021-10-19 1.007​

and the new app ver 7.0:
Screenshot_20220217-110731.png
The web page on intellicenter2.com shows the correct IC40 data.
Does it work fine on the app for anyone else with an Intellichlor SWG?
 
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Kajung2k said:
Mine works without an issue with my ic-40.
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Interesting. Could be OS related app bug then. Mine is very intermittent if I use the remote connect method from the app and never works when connected locally (same wifi) without login unless I delete and re-add the IC40 from the app settings.
I am on Android 12 and I am pretty sure the developer didn't test that. Never had this issue with the previous app with the previous firmware.
 
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