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Device Navigation

There are really two ways of configuring the device, one is by using the device controls and menu system and the second is by using the Aquasuite software.  The device method is much more complex and difficult, so if this is a bit too much, you might skip this and go straight to the aquasuite method.  This page will cover navigation and menus on the device itself.

The main way to get around using the unit buttons it the three on the right hand side for up, down, and enter.  On the XT model you will also have four buttons on the bottom that show up on certain screens doing different things. There is no guidance on this, so I’ve simply learned this by trial and error and sharing what I think I understand so far:

Or alternatively you can use the remote control which has easier to press buttons and a “Back” button as well.  It also had a keyboard for typing, but many of the buttons on the upper left are for controlling the computer via remote after clicking the PC/Aquareo mode button while the menu navigation inside the aquaero is mainly the upper right buttons.

The navigation style is fairly simple up/down/enter being the main buttons you use to navigate the menus within.  The mode button will switch from controlling the aquareo to controlling the computer.  If you ever notice the remote not working to control the aquaero, you should check that little mode PC/Aquaero button.

Layers of Interface Menus

One of the more difficult things for me was trying to navigate the unit menus by memory.  While it’s not all that bad after a day or two of tinkering, the first couple of hours left me more than once trying to remember where I saw something and not being able to get back there.

There are nine (9) each submenus that configure the unit, and it looks something like this on the actual device:

At first it’s a bit confusing in that the first screen you see above is sort of the “quick launch” menu with seven (7) icons that are almost all just sub menus of the first.  The only exception to that is the “Event log” which can not be accessed by the menu.  At first use I assumed each of these were separate menu items, but after further use I noticed I was exploring the same areas.  Anyhow, this large icon screen is more of a quicklaunch menu for some of the more frequently accessed areas, but you can get there by simply entering the main menu which is the upper left most icon.

While 7 menu items may not see all that complex, I found myself lost my first day just poking around the many layers deep within and decided I would try to make a menu tree as part of my “Guide” contribution in this review.  It was extremely tedious and boring, but hopefully this will help give you a map of sorts of where things are at. I’m going to break it down into mulitple sheets.

You can click on the images below to see the full size versions:

Menu/User Interface

Menu/System

Menu/Sensors

Menu/Controller

Menu/Outputs

Menu/Data log

Under Construction

Menu/Alarm

Under Construction

Menu/Timer

Under construction

Menu/Infrared

Under construction

While I’m still missing a few menu sections here, it’s pretty clear just by looking at the mass of menus that navigation by device menu will take time.  I was a bit lost myself trying to figure out where things are, but in the end was happy to meet with Aquasuite which essentially does “most” of the same thing in a much easier to use interface.  I think the only thing missing is the Data log, Alarm, timer, and IR settings, but I’m sure as the software progresses, that’ll be covered there too.  I’ll give you a brief intro into Aquasuite on the next page.

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