Would you buy IntelliCenter today?

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C

Candurin

Well-known member
Jun 30, 2017
365
South Jersey
Pool Size
13000
Surface
Fiberglass
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
As we are approaching our build (next month), I still need to decide between the easytouch w/ScreenLogic or going for the IntelliCenter.

I think at this juncture I’ve read all the threads and reviews on the newest automation platform and it seems as though there are folks unhappy with the web-based IntelliCenter(and scheduling issues).

I do see that we have some absolute geniuses (thank you, really!) that have created apps that connect directly to IC and not require Pentair’s website.

Given the pros and cons of each, would you still choose the IntelliCenter, today, over the EasyTouch and ScreenLogic?

I should add that ours is a simple pool. FG pool (14k gallons),IC40 SWG, Heater, quad DE filter, 4 microbrite leds and warrior SE robot. That’s really it from automation standpoint.
 
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C,

I have an EasyTouch with ScreenLogic and am quite happy with it.. I "could" upgrade to the IntelliCenter, but for me it is not worth the cost..

That said.. if I were to build a new pool today, it would have the new IntelliCenter..

I doubt you will be unhappy with the EasyTouch, but the IntelliCenter is a better and newer system.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
I'm sure you would be happy with both, but I really havent had any issues with my Intellicenter.

There were some minor annoyances due to its newness, but nothing major. You mentioned the schedule issue and that was an easy fix. Pentair's web services are up most of the time, but there are annoying times when they are not. With that said, if you are at home on your wifi, you can easily connect to a local pool and do whatever you need to do to your pool.

The cost to upgrade to the IntelliCenter was almost nothing for me, so I'm glad that I did. I expect Pentair will get the minor annoyances fixed over time, and I also expect that in the lifetime of my pool Pentair will stop supporting Screen Logic. That was probably the biggest selling point to me is to not end up with an automation system that was not supported down the road.
 
I believe that Pentair has already stopped supporting ScreenLogic. It's version number has been the same for years, I think. It won't run on my latest MacOS. When it did run, it was an awful kludge port of the Windows version. Someone here asked Pentair about a new Mac version, the response was that it was not a priority. Pentair's business model is proprietary software and hardware. They don't strive to incorporate standards or off-brand hardware or home automation, that I know of. I think their newer offerings are now at least web-based, which is some progress. But that will not filter back to ET hardware or ScreenLogic. They want you to buy only their stuff, and only their latest stuff, just like most other tech companies.

Point being, ET and SL work fine. But if you buy them, that's what you're going to have, as is, now and until you replace it. Don't expect it to improve or be developed... IMHO.
 
The comment about the Mac OS helps! I’m currently on latest OS and Big Sur is right around the corner. The cost difference is negligible, so I’ll jump on the IntelliCenter.

Thanks for the quick and painless responses.
 
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I installed Intellicenter about a year ago. Somewhat frustrated with slow repair of software glitches but I'd do Intellicenter even knowing this. As you are aware there are a couple of volunteer written applications that solve most of the problems... I'm just getting started with them and learning how to get them running. But worst case you have to do a couple things at the panel for schedule changes. But the features Wow! I can adjust lag temp differentials for my solar turning on/off, calibrate temp sensors 12 degrees, start stop devices sunrise or sunset... the list goes on and on. Add to this the modular design, thumb drive configuration file saving, over WiFi firmware updates, nice color touch pad panel control with intelligent help files built in... It's a slam dunk!

Chris
 
The github apps definitely helped sway me as well. I’ll enjoy the ability to automate locally/remotely without going through the Pentair server/webpage!
 
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Candurin said:
The comment about the Mac OS helps! I’m currently on latest OS and Big Sur is right around the corner. The cost difference is negligible, so I’ll jump on the IntelliCenter.
Click to expand...
The software libraries that they used to get the Windows ScreenLogic app to run on a Mac is 32-bit, which is not compatible with macOS Catalina and later...
 

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JJ_Tex said:
Pentair's web services are up most of the time, but there are annoying times when they are not. With that said, if you are at home on your wifi, you can easily connect to a local pool and do whatever you need to do to your pool.
Click to expand...
My internet was down for a day just recently, and I couldn't get ScreenLogic to load. I believe ScreenLogic pings Pentair's servers to reconcile your IP address with the Protocol Adapter's id, something along those lines. So no internet, no ScreenLogic. At least that's what I experienced. Sounds like IntelliCenter might also need the internet? But if it gives you some functionality while at home, that would seem to be an improvement.
 
Dirk said:
My internet was down for a day just recently, and I couldn't get ScreenLogic to load. I believe ScreenLogic pings Pentair's servers to reconcile your IP address with the Protocol Adapter's id, something along those lines. So no internet, no ScreenLogic. At least that's what I experienced. Sounds like IntelliCenter might also need the internet? But if it gives you some functionality while at home, that would seem to be an improvement.
Click to expand...
It does not need the Internet as long as you are connecting using their IOS or Android app and are on the same network. You only need the Internet if you are not home, or if you wish to connect their web client.

As far as the OP original question, yes, I would without a doubt still get IntelliCenter. The geniuses here created a way to connect to a web client without connecting to Pentair’s servers. I find that the iPhone and Apple Watch apps are pretty good, so I can already connect without the Internet.
 
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Hmm, I'd be curious to know if the web app is on Pentair's remote servers, or if there's a web server in the IntelliCenter itself. I assumed the latter because I have many devices that have built in servers (some HA gear, routers, all my computers, all my cams, etc). If you have no internet service, can you not control the IntelliCenter using a web browser on a local computer? Only phones and pads and watches?
 
You can always connect locally with the app. No server needed. The Pentair desktop app uses their servers only. The Pentair app for phones can connect locally or through their server. So you can still use it locally if the Pentair servers are down.

The Intellicenter Control and Intellicenter Gateway software by @rmontgomery and @guinness work with a local LAN connection or an internet connection for both the phone app and the desktop version but neither use the Pentair server as far as I can tell. They've also repaired the schedule bug that prevents the Pentair apps from resetting schedules remotely. You have to do this from the Pentair box until they issue the update.

Chris
 
Dirk said:
Hmm, I'd be curious to know if the web app is on Pentair's remote servers, or if there's a web server in the IntelliCenter itself. I assumed the latter because I have many devices that have built in servers (some HA gear, routers, all my computers, all my cams, etc). If you have no internet service, can you not control the IntelliCenter using a web browser on a local computer? Only phones and pads and watches?
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No web server. Which is why the people who like the web interface were complaining about Pentair’s servers. I always use the apps, so I never noticed the server issues.
 
Pentair... sheesh. A local web server should be pretty simple, especially if the IC already supports other apps on the LAN. If the IC is firmware upgradable then maybe they'll add that. Hopefully they've improved their software development management. Their ScreenLogic offerings were all just OK on respective devices, but they couldn't seem to get the interface parity between all devices quite right.

Beyond that, where would you say they are in the "let's let the public sort out the bugs in v1.0" phase of software development that everybody seems to use these days?
 
Dirk said:
Pentair... sheesh. A local web server should be pretty simple, especially if the IC already supports other apps on the LAN. If the IC is firmware upgradable then maybe they'll add that. Hopefully they've improved their software development management. Their ScreenLogic offerings were all just OK on respective devices, but they couldn't seem to get the interface parity between all devices quite right.

Beyond that, where would you say they are in the "let's let the public sort out the bugs in v1.0" phase of software development that everybody seems to use these days?
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No idea. Been waiting over a year since their update last year broke the remote scheduling. That's why I finally bit the bullet, bought a Rasberry Pi and spent most of two days learning how to make it run and install the 3rd party control software some of our tech smart members have written. This was a huge project and they fixed the schedule issue pretty quickly. I still really like my Intellicenter and prefer Pentair brand for most equipment but their software support for Intellicenter is the pits.

Chris
 
setsailsoon said:
No idea. Been waiting over a year since their update last year broke the remote scheduling. That's why I finally bit the bullet, bought a Rasberry Pi and spent most of two days learning how to make it run and install the 3rd party control software some of our tech smart members have written. This was a huge project and they fixed the schedule issue pretty quickly. I still really like my Intellicenter and prefer Pentair brand for most equipment but their software support for Intellicenter is the pits.

Chris
Click to expand...
You change your schedules that much that it was worth it? The 3 times I’ve had to tweak my schedule, I just went to the panel.
 
Yep, it is to me. We travel a lot and use it more than most people. I get it though... most people wouldn't want it that bad. There's also the fact I want my stuff to do what I paid for. Just like many pool things pool personal preference drives different answers for different people.
 

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