The shape of the choice.
Two products going about the same job in very different ways. AC Infinity built theirs to keep you inside their fan-and-light ecosystem. BudMaster built theirs because we couldn’t find a controller that didn’t.
Brand-agnostic, local-first.
- Works with every variable-speed fan on the market
- Works with every dimmable LED driver
- Works with any local smart plug for heaters/humidifiers
- Works with any industrial soil sensor
- Web dashboard in any browser — no app to install
- Open API + native Home Assistant support
- CO₂ demand dosing with an independent hardware safety cutoff
- Soil pH / EC / NPK monitoring built in
- Week-by-week grow plans that auto-advance through stages
- Local-first: zero cloud dependency, no account, no subscription
Polished, but locked.
- Only controls AC Infinity UIS-protocol devices
- Third-party fans, lights, humidifiers: cannot connect
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only — fails on 5 GHz / mesh
- Frequent reports of WiFi dropping after ~60 days
- App-only — no web dashboard, no browser access
- No grow plans: target adjustment is manual every stage change
- No CO₂ control, no soil monitoring
- No public API. No Home Assistant integration path
- Cloud-dependent data logging
- Customer support reportedly hostile to integration questions
Feature-by-feature, no marketing fog.
Filtered for the things that actually matter once you’re running a tent in week six and the controller has to do something at 3am. Sources: AC Infinity product pages, Controller 69 manual, RollItUp / Overgrow / THCFarmer forum threads.
| BudMaster Nexus | AC Infinity 69 Pro+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Price & positioning | ||
| UK price | Coming soon | ~£110–130 |
| Subscription required | Never | No (account required) |
| Cloud dependency | None — works offline | Required for app data |
| Equipment compatibility | ||
| Works with non-AC-Infinity fans | Yes — any variable-speed fan | No — UIS protocol only |
| Works with any dimmable LED driver | Yes | No — UIS LEDs only |
| Smart plug for heaters/humidifiers | Any local smart plug | UIS smart outlets only |
| Soil pH / EC / NPK sensor | Built in | Not supported |
| Climate intelligence | ||
| VPD-based fan automation | Yes — varies fan speed in real time | Yes — per-port targets |
| Grow plans (week-by-week stage progression) | Yes — auto-advance | No — manual per stage |
| DLI auto-dimming (PAR-based) | Yes | No |
| CO₂ demand dosing + hardware safety | Yes — independent safety cutoff | Not supported |
| Connectivity & integration | ||
| Web dashboard (browser, no install) | Yes — any device | App only |
| Native Home Assistant | Yes | No supported path |
| Open API for scripting | Full, documented | None |
| Wi-Fi bands | 2.4 + 5 GHz, mesh | 2.4 GHz only |
| Ethernet (PoE) | Yes — built in | No |
| Build & safety | ||
| Mains on the controller board | No — safe-touch 12V end-to-end | Switched mains via outlets |
| Open firmware | Yes | Closed |
| Updates | User-initiated, signed | Auto-pushed |
| Repairable / inspectable design | Yes | No |
| Where AC Infinity wins | ||
| Hardware industrial design | Functional | Beautiful |
| UK retail availability | Direct only | Amazon, hydro shops |
| Brand recognition | New | Established |
The forum thread you've probably already read.
If you’ve searched "AC Infinity controller alternative", you’ve seen these threads. The complaints are remarkably consistent across RollItUp, Overgrow, THCFarmer, r/microgrowery and grow-Discord channels. We didn’t cherry-pick — this is the recurring pattern:
None of these are deal-breakers in isolation. Together, they describe what happens when a fan-and-light company makes a controller as a customer-retention tool, not as the actual product.
If you already own AC Infinity gear — keep it.
This is the question we get most. The answer is: you don’t throw any of it out.
AC Infinity fans are standard variable-speed fans dressed in their own connector. Swap that connector for a plain screw-terminal one, or use a cheap adapter cable: the fan now plugs straight into the Nexus and runs at full variable speed. Same for the smart outlets — reflash them with open firmware (about ten minutes each), or just replace them gradually with off-the-shelf smart plugs.
Most switchers don’t replace anything. They wire their existing AC Infinity fans into the Nexus, plug their non-AC-Infinity dehumidifier into a local smart plug, plug their other-brand LED into the dimming output, and finally have one hub that talks to everything in the room.
Why this product exists at all.
AC Infinity is a fan and light company. Their controller exists to keep you buying their fans and their lights — that’s the business model and they’re very good at it. The controller is, fundamentally, marketing infrastructure that happens to also automate climate.
BudMaster doesn’t sell fans. We don’t sell lights. The controller is what we sell, and the only way it succeeds is if it’s the best controller you can buy at this price point. That’s why it works with everything — we have no incentive to lock you in to anyone’s ecosystem, including our own.