What works with BudMaster
BudMaster is brand-agnostic. We don't lock you into our fans, our lights, or our humidifier — pick any decent gear that uses common, open connections. This page lists what the Nexus hub works with and specific brands/models known to fit, so you can buy confidently.
If your equipment uses any of these common connections, it works: any 12V fan, any dimmable LED driver, any local-control smart plug (for AC on/off devices) and industrial soil sensors. Nothing is locked to a BudMaster-only protocol — so you're never stuck with us.
Inline extractor & circulation fans Any 12V DC fan — plus every AC fan
The Nexus runs 12V DC end-to-end — and that's the whole point. Any 12V DC fan plugs straight onto a channel with full 0–100% variable speed, no separate controller. Bigger AC inline fans still work too: variable via the 0–10V port if they take a speed signal, or on/off through a smart plug. The only fans you can't speed-control are the ones locked to their maker's own box — and that's on them, not us.
① Straight onto a channel — 12V DC, full variable speed
| Brand / model | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arctic P12 PST | Yes | 120 mm PC fan — our reference. ~56 CFM, ~22 dBA, under 1 W. Daisy-chains (PST) for push-pull. Cheap. |
| Noctua NF-A12x25 | Yes | 120 mm — premium. ~60 CFM, ~23 dBA. Spins down to ~30%. |
| Noctua NF-A14 | Yes | 140 mm — ~82 CFM, more air per RPM. |
| be quiet! Pure Wings 2 | Yes | 120/140 mm — budget and quiet (~20 dBA). |
| TerraBloom DC100-12V | Yes | 4" — the one true 12 V DC inline duct fan. 141 CFM, 21 W. Straight onto a channel. |
| Generic 12V DC duct / booster fans | Yes | Cheap Amazon 12 V booster fans (e.g. ~88 CFM / 5 W). Any 2-wire or 4-wire 12 V DC fan works. |
② Via the 0–10V port — big AC inline fans, still variable
| Brand / model | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phresh Hyperfan V2 (6/8/10/12") | Via 0–10V | 315 → 1,065+ CFM. AC mains powered; the Nexus sets speed 0–100% on the 0–10V port. |
| TerraBloom ECMF (4"/6") | Via 0–10V | 141 / 288 CFM. AC EC fan with a 0–10V / PWM input — the Nexus drives the speed. |
| AC Infinity · TerraBloom · DucTurbo (controller bypassed) | Bypass | Disconnect their controller and the fan is a standard 4‑pin EC fan — GND · +10V · PWM · TACH. Drive the PWM line from a Nexus channel (low‑side PWM, fails safe to OFF) — or its 0–10V control via the dim port. A mod (voids warranty), but it frees the fan from their ecosystem. The open‑source DIY community already drives these fans this way. |
③ On/off via a smart plug — AC fans with closed speed control
| Brand / model | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Systemair RVK · Vortex S-Line | On/off | AC fans whose speed is set only by a triac/transformer, not 0–10V. Switch on/off via a smart plug. |
| AC Infinity Cloudline · VIVOSUN AeroZesh | On/off | Locked to their own proprietary controllers — no standard 0–10V/PWM input. On/off via a smart plug only. Exactly the lock-in the Nexus is built to avoid. |
LED grow lights Any dimmable driver
The Nexus dims any LED with a dimmable driver. This is the universal standard — Mean Well, Inventronics, MOSO and LiteON all follow it.
| Brand / model | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mars Hydro SP-series (SP150, SP250, SP3000+) | Yes | Dimming port on the driver. Just wire it. |
| Spider Farmer SE-series (SE3000, SE5000, SE7000) | Yes | Standard dimmable driver. No cloud needed. |
| HLG (Horticulture Lighting Group) — HLG-100 through Scorpion Diablo | Yes | Dimmable Mean Well drivers. Gold standard. |
| Growcraft X-series | Yes | Dimming supported. |
| Gavita Pro e-series | Yes | Works — but if you already have a Gavita Master controller, you may prefer to keep it and use the Nexus for the rest. |
| ChilLED Tech | Yes | Dimmable Mean Well drivers. |
| Any LED with a Mean Well HLG or ELG driver | Yes | Universal. Wire the dimming pair to the Nexus dimming output. |
| Cheap Amazon LED panels with non-dimmable drivers | Via smart plug | On/off only, no DLI auto-dim. |
Humidifiers, dehumidifiers, heaters Any local-control smart plug
Any AC mains device you want to switch on/off lives on a smart plug. The Nexus talks to each plug over your Wi-Fi network — local-only, no cloud.
| Smart plug | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BudMaster Smart Plug (UK) | Yes (pre-loaded) | Ships pre-loaded with BudMaster software. Plug-and-play with the Nexus — fits right in. Optional add-on. |
| Sonoff S26 / S31 (pre-loaded open firmware) | Yes | Popular choice. Buy pre-loaded or set it up yourself (easy). |
| Sonoff S26 stock firmware (eWeLink) | No | Cloud-dependent. Load open firmware first, then works fine. |
| Blakadder-listed Tuya devices (after re-flashing) | Yes | Check templates at templates.blakadder.com. Some need a wired setup step. |
| Shelly Plus plugs | Yes | Work over their local network connection. |
| Amazon Smart Plug / Alexa | No | Cloud-only, no local control. Unusable with the Nexus. |
| TP-Link Kasa KP115 | Via local control | Has local control; the Nexus supports it but labels it as a "standard smart plug" by default. |
We sell a BudMaster Smart Plug add-on, pre-loaded with BudMaster software so it fits right in — plug it in, the Nexus finds it. Or roll your own — setting one up with open firmware takes 5 minutes and the plug is a few pounds on Amazon.
CO₂ valves + regulators Any 12V valve
Any standard 12V CO₂ valve works. The Nexus drives it from a channel, dosing on demand during lights-on only, with dual-safety cutoff.
| Part type | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 12V CO₂ valve + needle valve (generic) | Yes | The standard aquarium / hydro setup. Cheap on Amazon or eBay. |
| 24V AC CO₂ valve | No | Wrong voltage. Would need an external 24V AC relay module. |
| Propane / natural-gas CO₂ burners | Via smart plug | On/off only, no dosing precision. Use for commercial-scale only, with proper safety controls. |
| Milwaukee / Aquatek kits (bottled CO₂) | Yes | Wire their 12V valve to a Nexus channel. |
Soil / substrate sensors Industrial soil sensors
The Nexus reads industrial soil sensors — the real-deal stainless probes used in agriculture, not the cheap capacitive toys. Wire them straight in.
| Sensor type | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7-in-1 NPK sensor (soil temp, moisture, EC, pH, N, P, K) | Yes | Our recommended sensor. Stainless steel, 3m cable. What ships with the Pro kits. |
| 4-in-1 sensor (temp, moisture, EC, pH) | Yes | Cheaper, drops NPK. Still industrial-grade. |
| 3-in-1 capacitive "plant monitors" (Xiaomi Flora, etc.) | No | Bluetooth, not a wired industrial sensor. Drifts after one grow cycle — which is exactly why we don't support them. |
| SDI-12 probes (Teros 12, etc.) | No (directly) | Different connection. Use a converter module if you must. |
| Generic "pH / EC meters" (handheld) | No | No way to plug in. Manual use only. |
Pumps & irrigation valves Any 12V pump or valve
Any 12V pump or valve wired to a Nexus channel. Scheduled irrigation with safety duration limits to prevent flooding.
| Part type | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 12V diaphragm pump (typical grow pump) | Yes | Most hydro pumps use 12V. Wire them to a Nexus channel. |
| 12V irrigation valve | Yes | Garden-variety 12V valves all work. |
| 230V AC submersible pump | Via smart plug | Works but on/off only, no duration-per-zone control. |
| Peristaltic dosing pumps (12V) | Yes | For nutrient dosing. Timed delivery. |
Safety & input sensors Any simple on/off switch
Eight protected switch inputs on the Nexus. Wire any simple on/off (open/closed) sensor — door open, tank level, leak detector, motion, remote kill.
| Sensor type | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Float switch (water tank level) | Yes | Wire into a switch input. Label it "Tank low" in the dashboard. |
| Reed switch (door open / tent flap) | Yes | Simple magnetic switch. Trigger alerts, kill extract, whatever you like. |
| Leak detector (flood sensor) | Yes | Any simple on/off leak sensor. Triggers shutdown of pumps. |
| PIR motion sensor (switch output) | Yes | Security / intrusion alert via the Mobile App. |
| Emergency stop mushroom button | Yes | Normally-closed switch. Opens = all outputs off. |
If you've got kit you want to use and it's not here, email hi@budmastergrow.com with make + model and we'll tell you honestly whether it'll work. No upselling. If it uses any of the common connections above, chances are yes.