CoralVue HYDROS Controller
CoralVue
A modular controller family launched in spring 2020 — Control 2 and Control 4 units that network into a collective over a command bus, each device making its own control decisions with or without the cloud.
Why it mattered
By 2019 the controller market had one dominant ecosystem, and CoralVue aimed HYDROS at its two pressure points: price of entry and single-brain fragility. Shown at MACNA 2019 and available in spring 2020, the system starts with a small Control 2 and grows by adding devices.
The architecture is the statement. Every HYDROS device carries a dual-core processor and makes control decisions locally, so a collective keeps running its rules even if the cloud or one device drops out. The command bus carries both data and power between units.
HYDROS also treated rival gear as citizens: the WaveEngine drives third-party DC pumps directly, deleting their individual controllers and power bricks. The platform proved a modern controller could compete on openness and price, and it forced the whole category to respond.
Key specs
- Announced at MACNA 2019; available spring 2020
- Control 2 and Control 4 launch models; devices form a collective
- Command Bus carries data and power between devices
- Local control via WiFi works without cloud configuration
- WaveEngine runs third-party DC pumps from one hub
Keeper notes
- Keepers highlight the setup experience — no code, color-coded ports, and rules built in the app in an evening.
- The value case is repeated often: comparable outlet counts at roughly half the cost of an equivalent rival system.
- Early users found the app's history graphs basic, with CoralVue actively revising them in response to feedback.