I have been a RKE owner and DA product owner for quite some time. Is anyone else out there about to give up on these products and make the switch to Neptune Apex?
I'm trying to way the cost benefit of doing this and obvisously it would cost more to switch, but I'm just not a patient person.
I also have owned and used DA products for a number of years. I still have an RK2 which I really like, but I switched all of my main tanks (all four of them) from an RKE to an Apex for control.
I too tired of waiting for bugs to be fixed, software to come out, firmware updates, and delays on module releases.
I really don't even want to get started on myReef 2.0,
but the facts alone pretty much cover it:
Late 2008 - announced for release "sometime in 2009"
Late November 2009 - delay announced until "first part" April 2010
May 2010- Beta released - no initial RKL support, NET module problems, some features turned off, various other bugs.
July 2010 - last update to the beta myReef 2.0 software, programmer takes time off.
October 2010 - last Beta build of myReef still from 1 July 2010 (almost 4 months ago).
The dated facts above do not bode well for a completed "non-beta" product to be available soon. I define "non-beta" as a software version that completely works with all the proposed and promised features activated. The current build (build 67 - 1 July 2010) still has a few bugs, some features turned off, and doesn't recognize the NET module.
A few personal notes on the dates above and my experience....
I took the "sometime in 2009" projected release date to mean sometime during the year, probably around the middle or in the fall, not Dec. 31st 2009, but to each his own interpretation for that statement. Then in Late November, DA announced they would not have the product out in 2009, which really ticked me off a bit, because to me it seemed they waited until the last minute to tell everyone during the holiday season that they wouldn't have it done in time, that it would be delayed almost 4 months.
Then in April, we get a web page telling us it is coming with a feature list, but it takes until the first part of May to start getting SIDs updated/returned and a Beta build posted. Many were incredibly dissatisfied with the initial beta. It lacked RKL support (finally added 6/22/10), had some NET problems, several features were turned off or not implemented yet, and there were a lot of bugs and problems for many users. I admit I set the bar really low for what to expect, but I felt like the software was still incredibly under-developed. Several other users noted this also, and some theorized that it had only been under development for a few months. For me, the trade off risk of running beta software, with few added features, just really wasn't worth the risk, and I became tired of being even the smallest bit hopeful in this never-ending saga. I tossed in the towel and switched....
I still have and use my RKE on one of my smaller tanks. I would say I am satisfied with it for what it is, but do not like it near as much as my Apex. Having to update each RKE module individually is a real pain, along with not being able to backup my programming. Some of the bugs in each firmware revision get really annoying and I sometimes get erratic behavior out of the unit. For what it is worth, I do think the new web interface looks nice.
I am just ready for a final version of the beta firmware and software that has been going on for the better part of a year now, if not longer. It appears like it will be going on for some time to come also. I just couldn't wait any longer for my main system. I had to give up and switch over, for which I have no regrets. I will probably continue to use the RKE I already have on my small tank it is currently on just because it is more economical than buying a whole Apex unit.
After using the RK2, the RKE, RKL, and Apex I really have to say the Apex is a stronger product, with less bugs, more features, better customer support, and a better track record of getting things to market in a timely fashion without considerable delays.
Landon
