[WIP] Apex Fusion (Local) – Neptune Apex LAN integration

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Hi everyone — I’m looking for testers for a Work-In-Progress custom integration: Apex Fusion (Local).

This integration talks directly to a Neptune Apex aquarium controller over your LAN. It does not use Apex Fusion cloud and is not affiliated with Neptune Systems.

Project link

Inspiration

If you’ve tried other Apex options and found gaps (cloud dependence, stale support, or missing local REST/module support), I’d love feedback on what you need—this project aims to close those gaps with a local-first approach.

Contributors are welcome (issues, testing feedback, and PRs).

What it does

  • Local polling on your LAN (REST-first with legacy/CGI fallback)
  • UI config flow setup
  • Probe/input sensors (Temp, pH, Cond, etc.)
  • Digital inputs as binary sensors (leak/float switches, etc.)
  • Output control via 3-way select entities (Off / Auto / On) using the local REST API
  • Firmware update entities (informational only; does not install updates)
  • Trident support (entities created only when a Trident module is detected)
  • Trident reagent/waste levels in mL (controller-reported data)

Important notes

  • This is a prerelease/beta: expect changes.
  • Best practice is to use a dedicated Apex account for Home Assistant if you also use the local Apex web UI, since multiple local sessions using the same account can conflict.
  • If you run more than one HA instance / local integration against the same controller, use separate Apex accounts for each.
  • HACS support is planned later once this has more testing time.

What I’m currently testing

  • AC6J [A3 Apex Jr] (Firmware Version: 5.12J_CA25)
  • FMM (Software Version: 24)
  • MXM (Software Version: 1)
  • Trident ACM (TRI) (Software Version: 23)
  • PM2 (Software Version: 3)
  • VDM (Software Version: 13)

What I’m looking to test

  1. Different controller models / firmware versions
  2. REST-capable vs legacy-only controllers
  3. Module discovery and entity creation (Trident / FMM / VDM / PMx / MXM, etc.)
  4. Output control reliability (select entities)
  5. Any missing/odd entities, incorrect units, or update interval/backoff issues

How to install (for now: manual)

  1. Download the latest prerelease from GitHub Releases (v0.1.0-rc.2):
    Releases · roblandry/apex-fusion-home-assistant · GitHub
  2. Copy apex_fusion into your Home Assistant config:
    config/custom_components/apex_fusion/
  3. Restart Home Assistant
  4. Add the integration via Settings → Devices & services → Add integration → “Apex Fusion (Local)”

If you hit issues, please include

  • Controller model + firmware version
  • Whether http://<apex>/rest/status works on your controller
  • A snippet of Home Assistant logs around the issue (with integration debug enabled)
  • If possible, a redacted dump of relevant endpoints (I can provide a helper script / instructions)

Enable debug logging:

logger:
  default: info
  logs:
    custom_components.apex_fusion: debug

Thanks in advance — feedback from different setups will help stabilize this quickly.