New Pool Automation System No One Talks About
Unfortunately, in the pool industry, especially in Florida, not many companies stay up to date with changes in the pool industry. They just do cookie-cutter work most of the time and do whatever they see the other companies doing. They don’t stay up to date with new products and pretty much sell what has the most marketing behind it. For those that don’t know, automation basically brings together all the components of your pool equipment so you can control them through your phone or a remote control. And you don’t have to go outside to turn any piece of equipment on or be at your house either to turn any piece of equipment on.
The Most Popular Automation Systems
Jandy has their own automation system called the Jandy Aqualink. Pentair has their system, which is the Pentair Intellicenter. This is their main one; they make other automation systems, but they are smaller and essentially run like the Intellicenter but are smaller. Hayward has their system called the Omni.
Then there’s another player coming into the picture as of late, since 2023. We present to you, The Attendant by Pool Side Tech. The Attendant isn’t like Jandy, Pentair, or Hayward. They don’t make any pumps, filters, etc. They just make this automation system called The Attendant.
The Attendant
In case you haven’t heard of them, let’s get into why it is good they are on the scene. So, from a pool service companies perspective, not being biased. The Jandy Aqualink and the Pentair Intellicenter are a little cumbersome and require research to find out if they are a fit for your pool. They both don’t just pair with any pumps. They only pair with their salt systems, not other brand salt systems. Which is a big deal.
The reason it’s a big deal is that, for example, right now Pentair is having a lot of trouble with their salt systems. They stopped manufacturing them recently. To try and figure out what the issue is with them, and they may be coming out with a different model, but that will take time. So, if you have an Intellicenter now and your salt system went bad, you might be stuck buying an older used Pentair salt system until they can resolve the issue they are having with their new systems. Believe us as a pool service Miami company www.vibrantpoolservices.com/pool-service-miami/ being limited to just a Pentair salt cell is not good. They are causing all sorts of problems.
They also only pair with their brand pumps. The Aqualink does give you the option to pair with a Pentair pump, but other than that. That’s it; it’s only their pumps and only one model Pentair pump it pairs with. Also, Jandy and Pentair, till now, only do updates through hardware. They come out with different newer models of their automation, but you have to buy the new model to get those updates.
Like, for example, if they make a new model that pairs with a few different salt cells, you have to buy new hardware to update your system. Meaning you need a new computer for your system to get those features. Which a new computer is in the $1,000’s.
With the Attendant, if a new pump came out and you wanted your system to pair to that pump. All you have to do is request an update from Poolside Tech, the owner of the Attendant. And they will send an update via WIFI to your system at no cost, and now you can pair to that new pump in no time. The updates are all done wirelessly with the click of a button, and you’re good to go.
Warranty
The Pentair Intellicenter has a 1-year warranty. The Jandy Aqualink has a 1-year warranty. You could extend the warranty on the Aqualink, but it is an extra cost. The Attendant by Poolside Tech has a 3-year parts warranty and a 1-year labor and parts warranty.
Features
The Attendant has built-in water leveling and auto-fill support. Meaning you can have a water valve by the skimmer or under the deck that fills the pool when it’s low on water, and it is controlled by the Attendant. The attendant comes with sensors, and it senses when the water level is low and fills the pool automatically for you. It also notifies you when there is a significant drop in the water level of the pool to let you know there could be a leak. It senses how much water is lost and notifies you if there’s a leak. Also, when it refills the pool, it lets you know in the app how many gallons were used to refill the pool. That’s great because you could tell if there’s a leak.
The Intellicenter doesn’t come with water leveling and water fill support. The Aqualink offers it, but it is an add-on.
The Attendant also comes with a feature that tells you when the filter is dirty. The Aqualink and Intellicenter don’t have that feature. If, for example your at work and you want your jacuzzi to be at 104 degrees at 6 pm when you get home from work. The attendant knows exactly how long it takes your heater to heat the jacuzzi to 104 degrees and will have it at 104 degrees at exactly 6 pm. So you don’t have to worry about having the heater on all day; it could be at 104f degrees when you get back home.
The Attendant also tells you the electricity consumption of your pool equipment. It also integrates with Spotify. So you could have a light show with your pool lights. That goes to the beat of the music. You can also add landscape lights to the Attendant.
Also, as we stated earlier, it works with any pool pump, any salt system, and any heater. So you don’t have to do a research paper on what pool pump you could use or salt system you could use, like the other systems. These are all features Pentair’s automation, Jandy’s automation, and Hayward’s automation don’t have. And the Attendant has the same features the other companies have.
Conclusion
The Attendant is way overlooked a lot of times. We believe it is the best automation system out there. Don’t let the big companies fool you into thinking theirs is the best just because they have very good marketing.
