Dear Grobo.. Sensor Data Please!

[Gmann]

Not quite with ya m8 ??..

[blue045]

I agree I would like to see everything I can. Grobo is a low stakes ICS system. Would be fun to dive into details

@FireGuy

hat information they are seeing. I’ve sent in a few tickets and what I get is “everything looks good on our end” or “this is reading high (or low) and we recommend …” so I think they want to keep their “recipe” to themselves. We could all reinvent what they are doing if we really cared to spend the time…but we don’t which is why we bought Grobo.
2) They don’t want to overwhelm new growers. This is where I agree with the option as an “advanced” option. If you don’t care, don’t use it. I think allowing the info to A LOT of us would end some “unnecessary” trouble tickets as we could get an idea. If I check my PH with my mete

[Angiebaby]

@Gmann

Only a new grower but I totally agree that sencer data should be made available IF possible even via a paid add on IF necessary !

@Angiebaby

Paid? Boy don’t make me come over there!

@Gmann

Not quite with ya m8 ??..

We’ve already paid for all of it, it shouldn’t be something we have to pay extra for. It’s an AIO machine. This has been a HUGE expense! I was being funny in a sarcastic sort of way, like don’t you make me pull this car over and beat your ass for saying such a thing!! lmao!, get it now?

[Gmann]

!!!

[Cowboymi]

I bought a Bluelab ph, ppm, temperature meter unplugged the Grobo nutrients and bought my own instead of waiting for Grobo to do something

[bjorn]

Hi @pyromancy and AG,

Thanks for continuing to share your feedback with us. It’s always incredibly valuable and heavily debated internally.

We have no plans to release raw sensor data, nor do we plan to open up any controls required to change those values.

At Grobo, our core purpose is to Make Growing Easy.

To accomplish that, Grobo is designed to run by following proprietary grow recipes that we’ve developed over the last 4 years and that we’re constantly improving. This allows us to optimize each grow for success and to help when something goes wrong.

We agree that the system is lacking communication, so we’re now working to make our grow boxes smarter and more communicative. This includes notifications that will alert you to any overheats, sensor issues, or other anomalies. Our goal is to design a system that catches the issues and provides you with a solution before you’ve even noticed that there’s a problem.

This is a big job that will still take us many months to launch, but we’re positive that it will level up your grows and experience.

Happy growing,
Bjorn

[Cowboymi]

Plants keep growing on the weekends, nights, and holidays when Grobo is closed

[miami5th]

How about a premium monthly subscription for access to the data or neatly presented graphs and UI?

[pha720]

@Cowboymi

Plants keep growing on the weekends, nights, and holidays when Grobo is closed

I second that!

[FireGuy]

#YouPaidForTheSensorsButCan’tHaveTheData
Like I said…cagey! It’s a $2000 box that depends on Grobo, not happy as they originally released the data. Never knew ph and EC were recipe secrets.

[edergerald]

hi AG and grobo-team.
it’s a pity.
just a few days ago @Dani told me that dashboard is in development and will be released soon. i was glad to hear that but now it looks like there is no way to see that data.
i just want to know whats going on in my grobo!
please think again about this decision @bjorn , maybe yuo can provide just temp and hum, that would not endanger the secrecy of your recipes.

thanks
eda

[bjorn]

@Cowboymi - Totally agreed. We have just expanded our support to run 6-days a week, from Sunday to Friday. Our goal is to get to 7 days a week before the end of 2021 so you’re always supported!

@miami5th - It’s possible that we would look at that in the future but it’s not in our current roadmap.

@FireGuy - It’s true that back in 2016 we did show sensor data in some of our marketing, however it’s been over 3 years since we showed it. Raw data has never been included with any public release of the app. Grobo is really designed to be hands-off and I’m positive the improvements we’re working on will be worth the wait.

@edergerald - We will certainly continue to discuss this but for now releasing the raw data or controls is not in our plans.

We know this is not the answer that some of you are hoping for, but in the long run, we firmly believe this will result in the best possible product.

B

[miami5th]

Thanks for the response @bjorn!
With the current model, users have indirect visibility into the Grobo sensor data only through contacting support. This results in users contacting support which translates to additional costs for the company. As the company continues to grow, so does it’s user-base, as well as the need for product support. By providing only a couple of options for support (AG and Phone Support) users will be left with no other option than to contact the company to obtain sensor and grow information. As of now, this is provided at no additional cost to the consumer.

Support then becomes a major cost center and hinders growth. There’s an opportunity here to monetize the sensor data AND decrease support costs. By providing the sensor data and other useful grow information you can enable the growers to be successful, while minimizing support contact and costs. With a premium monthly subscription you can transform support from a cost center to a monthly re-occurring revenue stream.

As I am a relatively newcomer to Grobo, I purchased 2 units in the early summer of 2020, the support is provided to me at no charge. Does this continue thru perpetuity for the life of the unit? I would be comfortable paying a monthly subscription fee of $5-10 for this.

[bjorn]

Hi @miami5th,

Thanks for the feedback and great question. Yes, support will continue to be provided at no charge. We want you to have success with your grows and are here for you!

[edergerald]

thanks @bjorn for the reply. its so cool to talk to ceo and developers directly via a forum, get fast replys and good discussions.
i agree exactly with what you said: “not the answer you was hoping for”.
as i am head of software development, engineer and gadget-nerd im normally used to be a mature user and customer and can handle things like small fixes or, if not, write meaningful support tickets to get faster help.
without that data i have to completely rely on your technology and your help to make a good grow - again, just not what i expected in purchasing a $2k3 growbox, but maybe my fault, i interpreted something in @Stephen’s promo-videos and the posts in this forum that was not correct.
so now its your turn to grow the biggest buds in austria, please make a good job! i am hands-off.

nevertheless, i make a pruchase decision for grobo after long research, and i won’t revise this decision. i am convinced the grobo is the best product in the market and a great wholistic concept with great support.

but as i know all softwaredevelopers on the world are on the same side i hope @bruno calls you everyday to rethink this decision and give him the chance to make a sensor-value-dashboard for us and maybe even a webservice that delivers all current sensor readings as json-string.
with that webservice developing a smart room control system that produce the perfect climatic conditions for the room my grobo is located would be a challenging project for long austrian winters.
(but for next winter, i will make my first three grows as it is and decide after that if my grobo needs a raspi-controlled perfectclimate-extensionbox)

[Angiebaby]

Thank you Bjorn for your thoughtful responses,

I look forward to the coming updates very much!

@bjorn

At Grobo, our core purpose is to Make Growing Easy.

Well that is why I bought one. I saw Stephen on video on cha-ching, sale!
But it’s not as easy as it looks. You can’t just drop your seed in the pod, close the door and follow notifications and Stephen’s video’s. The lists of all the extra things you need to get and need to learn seem unending.

Easy is the name of the game. Easy is the keyword. It’s the creamy center of the candy.

I think having the access to the basic data that we get from support would make it easier for us to troubleshoot things on our own. I love the updates you have planned as you explained them, but have you also considered any of the following?

1. Making feedback available on demand in the app; yes ph is good, your blah blah blah is A-OK, etc., or

2. Creating a troubleshooting section in the app for things that commonly go wrong, this seems really close to 1. but there are so many ways you can go with it.

I think you created an amazing product with amazing service and I thank you again for your very thoughtful responses- the service and support behind your product already shows how much you care about each and every one of us and all of our grows. We really all want the same thing. A fun and easy path to Oz.

Thank you for always listening.
Angie

[Hilario_Leyba]

Plain and simple, I agree with all of the suggestions. Maybe make it like a choice when starting a grow novice has it the hidden way, moderate has a bit more access, and advanced, can pretty much run the show if needed.

[pha720]

@Grobo internet program?

Great question. It does both. The notifications are time based so that you get them at the right stages in your grow. Drain and fill to replace the water is also scheduled weekly. How the unit cares for your plant is automated though. For example, every hour pH is measured and adjusted as required.

I especially don’t like this part when it comes to extending the shift schedule for our plants. It should send notifications based on our shift schedule seamlessly. I find myself going back to look at the previous weekly notifications to make sure which “week” I was on base on the growth of the plant. That’s not a lot of work off of especially if you’re a beginner grower like myself.

As we all know, each of the strains we grow are different especially if we add LST, advanced training and the temperature of our environment. When I first saw the YouTube videos and what not, just like @Angiebaby I thought it was “set it and forget it” besides the water change but it’s quite more than that. Despite all that, it’s still a good machine even though I have to spend extra money (fans, hygrometer, etc) to better my grow which which I guess that’s a personal choice for bigger yields.

[Vicc]

As an engineer I understand the value of data, it helps you make informed decisions when it comes to your grow. I also understood the value for a company to protect this data (especially if automation is part of a business statement and the targetted users are beginner growers) so I decided to gather my own data instead.

My suggestion for growers who are really curious about their data, is to get a PH and EC monitor and you can gather the data yourself.

Also if the grobo probes are uncalibrated, it would be pointless to get that data from grobo support since the data is not accurate so I found it much easier to just gather my own data.

You can find plenty of aquarium branded ph and ec monitors out there for the fraction of hydroponic branded hardware, I got both my used ec and ph controllers / monitors for $100 and they work great. I do not see this as a big deal since many of us are already adding our own water chiller (this makes me think there is actually room and opportunities in the market for upgraded extreme baller grow boxes with a built in peltier cooler like how a gaming rig is built and adding a heat exchange with a fan would also lower environmental temps with not too much extra cost for parts at least)

I am sure there are other means to gathering data like a wire sniffer and network monitors and scrapping all of the outgoing data from your access point but that may require some hacking.

After using the grobo and analyzing its data on a daily basis. I found that as long as the PH and EC probes are properly calibrated and clean and the grobo is being used as intended, the technology can be trusted. I’ve watched the PH balancer bring my PH from 5.5 back to 5.9 after introducing enzymes for the first time. It won’t give you the best of the best quality buds but for first time home growers it would probably be the best they have tried.

[edergerald]

thanks fot that post @Vicc, exactly what i will do now.
with a raspi and some sensors the whole dashboard and notifications should be done for about $200 and based on that setup environmental control of the surrounding room should also be possible for another $200.
its even the more powerful solution because its possible to compare the grobo-values from a wireshark output with the the second probes to check if something is going wrong on one of the two sides.