Philips Coralcare Gen 2 Controller Not Connecting

[Scottiemac]

I have three Coralcare Gen 2 lights with the controller. When first received back in March everything worked fine.

I connected the controller to my laptop via USB, set up the and ensured connectivity, and then set up my schedule. Plugged the controller into the power supply and was able to connect to it via wifi when needed until recently.

For the last couple of weeks I have been unable to connect to the lights via WiFi or when connected to my laptop via USB. When plugged in to the laptop, the app shows that there is an available device, but when I click to connect it says the connection to the controller could not be made. The controller does not show up as an option for Wifi under any circumstances.

The controller still runs my schedule with no problem - I just can't make any changes.

I called Signify, who supports these lights in the USA, and they really had no experience with them. They suggested I go to the manufacturer for a warranty replacement.

When contacting Coralvue, where I bought the lights, they did no troubleshooting and said to send the unit in so they could test it themselves.

The problem is that without the controller I can't run my schedule. I'll have to manually plug them in every morning and unplug them at night. They'll be at full intensity with the spectrum used to light up a restroom rather than a coral tank.

Does anyone have experience with the Coralcare Gen 2 Controller?

 

[DED65]

I have had no issues connecting to the controller for over 3 years. Have you tried using the app on your phone?

 

[Scottiemac]

I have had no issues connecting to the controller for over 3 years. Have you tried using the app on your phone?

The app on my phone just spins constantly. That used to work, too.

 

[oreo54]

The app on my phone just spins constantly. That used to work, too.

The controller is only worth about $150 max.
See if the place you bought it from will cross ship a replacement.
They send yo a new one but put hold on a cred card for the cost. Meanwhile you box up the old and ship it to them.
That way your "downtime" is minimized.


Sure sounds like its dead..and should be replaced under warranty.

Or buy a replacement..work something out with the company that sold you the controller..

 

[Scottiemac]

The controller is only worth about $150 max.
See if the place you bought it from will cross ship a replacement.
They send yo a new one but put hold on a cred card for the cost. Meanwhile you box up the old and ship it to them.
That way your "downtime" is minimized.


Sure sounds like its dead..and should be replaced under warranty.

Or buy a replacement..work something out with the company that sold you the controller..

Yeah that's what I was thinking. Buy a new one and ask them to refund it when they get the old one back.

I was hoping someone here might come up with something that I'm missing and it will suddenly work.

 

[oreo54]

Yeah that's what I was thinking. Buy a new one and ask them to refund it when they get the old one back.

I was hoping someone here might come up with something that I'm missing and it will suddenly work.

One shot in the dark...
Check to see if by some chance you are in "0-10v mode"

 

[Scottiemac]

One shot in the dark...
Check to see if by some chance you are in "0-10v mode"

I thought of that. Tried it in both modes with no luck.

 

[mfinn]

Once in a while I can't connect using wifi, so I pull out my phone and connect using bluetooth. Once that's done the wifi seems to come back.

I did have to replace my controller, but I think it was under warranty at the time.

 

[Scottiemac]

Once in a while I can't connect using wifi, so I pull out my phone and connect using bluetooth. Once that's done the wifi seems to come back.

I did have to replace my controller, but I think it was under warranty at the time.

How do you connect with Bluetooth? I don't see an option for that, yet you're the second person to suggest it, so maybe I'm missing something.

 

[mfinn]

How do you connect with Bluetooth? I don't see an option for that, yet you're the second person to suggest it, so maybe I'm missing something.

The CoralCare app

 

[oreo54]

How do you connect with Bluetooth? I don't see an option for that, yet you're the second person to suggest it, so maybe I'm missing something.

Think you just use your phone to pair..
Like settings...connected devices...pair ( android) or some such.
May need to try a few times shutting controller on off ect..
I've never been impressed with Bluetooth..

Or I guess the app...

 

[mfinn]

It also just dawned on me to unplug the controller and plug it back in.

 

[mfinn]

Think you just use your phone to pair..
Like settings...connected devices...pair ( android) or some such.
May need to try a few times shutting controller on off ect..
I've never been impressed with Bluetooth..

Or I guess the app...

I remember the first time I tried to setup the program and it was suggested to me by Luke at CoralCare to pair with the phone first and then wifi would work after that.
I never cared for bluetooth either, but that was what I had to do

 

[mfinn]

How do you connect with Bluetooth? I don't see an option for that, yet you're the second person to suggest it, so maybe I'm missing something.

 

[oreo54]

The CoralCare app

Maybe a Facebook group will help

I did find help on 2 different Facebook pages.
one is the Philips CoralCare LED International group and the other was the Philips CoralCare group.

Philips CoralCare gen2

Who has the new fixture? Thoughts? Issues?

forums.reefcentral.com

 

[Scottiemac]

The CoralCare app

I have the app for Android and all it does is spin. There are no options available to me in the app to search for anything specific. Just a refresh button that spins for hours without finding anything.

In my bluetooth devices there appears to be an LEDnetWFsomething when the controller is plugged in, and it goes away when not plugged in, so presumably that is it. Yet if I click on the device in the bluetooth list it says it requires an app, which brings me back to the first paragraph.

 

[mfinn]

I have the app for Android and all it does is spin. There are no options available to me in the app to search for anything specific. Just a refresh button that spins for hours without finding anything.

In my bluetooth devices there appears to be an LEDnetWFsomething when the controller is plugged in, and it goes away when not plugged in, so presumably that is it. Yet if I click on the device in the bluetooth list it says it requires an app, which brings me back to the first paragraph.

Unplug the controller/plug back in and then restart the app and have it search for your controller.

 

[Scottiemac]

Maybe a Facebook group will help

Philips CoralCare gen2

Who has the new fixture? Thoughts? Issues?

forums.reefcentral.com

You guys keep trying to help and I feel bad countering all of the help. I tried to join the facebook group the other day but it's a private group and apparently nobody is monitoring it for new member requests.

 

[Scottiemac]

Unplug the controller/plug back in and then restart the app and have it search for your controller.

No luck with that. Might just be that the controller is bad, but it really seems like it's something I'm missing.

 

[oreo54]

No luck with that. Might just be that the controller is bad, but it really seems like it's something I'm missing.

Since I ran into a few similar failures of hardware I'm assuming its busted.
Yea 2 isn't earth shattering but for some reason it doesn't sit well with me.
Over 10 years I've never had various controllers from cheap chinese units to bluefishminis, and even custom built ones fail like this.