Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi Temperature Controller, Wi-Fi Aquarium Thermostat Heater Controller 120V~1200W Temperature Control with Two Probes only for Heater Aquarium Breeding Reptiles Hatching.

I have 5 of these now, the last one being added to my 15g brine shrimp culture after the heater killed a very dense population over night.I'm just not going to have an aquarium, or culture that uses a heater without a monitor on it.It is so easy to use, just look at my phone and know the temperature, alarms go off faithfully if there is a problem, I have yet to have one fail.I even have one on my saltwater drum so I know if the temperature is good for a water change.I love the wi-fi feature, but also the bold red digital readout is easy to read in most any lighting condition. In addition to alarms on my phone, it has an audible alarm anyway.

I’ve had issues with fish tank heaters failing - or worse - getting stuck on. Like many others, this has almost resulted in fish death. Luckily, I’ve caught it the few times it’s happened to me before fish were lost.After the last time this happened a few months ago, I decided to add an upstream heater control, and found this one quickly as it had fantastic reviews.I like the redundant heat probes with failsafe operation, the 0.1° incremental control, and the Wi-Fi control is really what sold me. It includes a detailed history log so you can go back and see what’s going on with your fish tank over days and weeks.The temperature logging seemed like a neat feature, however, it was really a big hit with me once I got it. It immediately proved its value. I recently installed a new air conditioner in my room, which has allowed me to keep the room at a constant cooler temperature year-round. Previously, I had issues with ick, which I traced back to wildly fluctuating FishTank temperatures due to wild fluctuations in room temperature. So I would keep the fish tank around 80° so it would maintain that temperature when my room would get hotter on hot days. Now, my room stays closer to 74° year round. I was able to balance this new comfortable room temperature with a very comfortable Fishtank temperature, with minimal use of the heaters. I was able to set the unit’s high and low triggerpoints very precisely using the log to avoid inefficient heater use. I settled on 74.5 on the low end and 75.0 on the high-end. The heaters only crank on if I decide to make my room really cold for a while. I know I could never get this type of precision with the old style heater control, and having the temperature log charts is what allowed it to be so easy. So, the Fish are happy, and I’m obviously using less power needlessly driving the heaters.I read a few reviews where people were trying to use this unit strictly as a failsafe for a runaway temperature condition (having the heater itself control the temperature, and hoping this unit would simply turn it off in a runaway condition). This unit and its parameters and alarms are not designed for that. I use it by cranking my heaters up to around 80° - a temperature my tank should never see. Then I let this temperature controller handle it at a more reasonable temperature of 74 to 75°. So even if this unit was to fail “on” somehow (basically impossible), the upstream heaters would still only have a potential to heat up the tank to 80° until their own thermostats would trip off. So it’s basically a triple failsafe at that point.I’m using this with the jinvoo smart app. I think there are a few other apps it will work with. But it paired up right away, and I have many other Jinvoo smart devices, including some of my Fishtank lights, on the same app (on a separate vlan of course!).Last point others have also hit on, make sure the two temperature probes are located close to each other. The point of them is to be redundant at the same point of reference. So if you spread them apart and have two different temperature readings it will assume a problem and halt operation.This little guy is pretty cool, and one of the most practical smart devices in my setup.

The first one I ordered seemed to have an issue measuring <65f when initially heating the tank up. I reached out to Inkbird support and they did some brief troubleshooting with me and when that didn't resolve the issue they quickly sent a new unit. Their support is top notch and they stand behind their product.

Works very well. Easy to pair with my Wi-Fi network.

Works well, though the hardcoded app and software options are quite limited, leaving one with weird tradeoffs. An interface with more control functionality would be better. But then again, for the price, this product has very good value.

Very simple to setup and use. For the price I can now see my tank temperature and trending wherever I am. I have recently had heater issues and this will now alert me if I have problems.Like I stated, simple setup, I highly recommend downloading and connecting the application - then setting it up through the app. Very easy.It has been running for about a week now, if I have any issues I will update my review, but so far I highly recommend this model.

So I have 8 of these units running on 8 different aquariums for the last 7 years so trust me, this is not a reactionary review based on a short time frame. Items of this type are a necessary evil if you have big money into livestock or take pet car seriously. So here is what you need to know in no particular order.My advice: Do not depend on this device to keep your tank safe, It will let you down at some point. If the device fails so do your heaters. Redundancy is key. Using the standard of 5w/G buy two heaters of half value. A 100 gallon tank will need 500w of heating so buy two 250w heaters. Plug one into the Inkbird and the other into a wall socket or power strip. Adjust the temp of the one plugged into the socket until it shuts off at the desired temp. This way if either the inkbird or heater fail in the on position you have time enough before you cook your fish. If one or the other fails off you have time before they become fish cubes.Customer Service: Email based artificial Intelligence. Guessing Google based as it not very good. My 1st attempt was an endless loop of the same questions I just answered in the previous email. After the 8th exchange the AI asked for a video of the problem, lol. Just realize up front they will likely be of little to know help if your problem goes beyond what's in the instruction.Quality: It has been on a steady decline over the last decade. The lifespan of the units keeps getting shorter with each unit i replace. As i mentioned above i am now seeing units that are DOA. Even the suction cups become hard and will not stick to the glass/plexiglass after 4 months. Calibration of the probes is HiGHLY recommended every 6 months. This means wipe the probes clean and and use an alternate source like a temp gun from Home Depot or a good murcury thermostat for comparison. The temp shown on the display will wonder on you. I have seen as much as 4 degrees even with maintenance.Reliability: If you are buying one go ahead and buy 2, you will need it. Do yourself a favor and check to make sure the back up unit works before tucking it away. I got lazy this time and my back up was DOA. They average 18 months before needing to be replaced.Programming the device: Directions are horrible but thankfully it's not complicated. if you're having trouble watch a youtube video. There are plenty out there,Phone App: Basic but effective for quick checks and alerts about problems. If the temp is climbing you can shut the heaters off with your phone. if the heaters have been running to long and turned off the heaters and the tank is starting to cool off you can turn them back on with the app.Wifi is descent, not great but better than most of the other wifi enabled equipment I use on my tanks. It doesn't use 5G so make sure you have 2.4 or a dual band router.Error Codes: E4 code means the difference between the two temp probes in the tank is so great the device shuts off the heaters until the difference is resolved. The only time I have gotten this code is when the suction cups holding the probe released and it is exposed to air. Code E5 means the heaters have been on longer than what the preset time is set for. This is adjustable in the programming portion of set up.Conclusion: The product is marginal at best but for the money is the only game in town. It is a tool that to work properly needs regular service. The only redeeming quality the device has over a stand alone wifi temp monitor is the ability to shut off or restart the device remotely, I would not recommend this product to anyone keeping corals or sensitive salt or freshwater fish if this is going to be your only safety check. Go to youtube and watch some Bulk Reef Supply Videos about heaters. Does a great job reviewing the basics