Every feature on the BudMaster Nexus

Climate control 11 features

• VPD-driven automationCalculates leaf VPD in real time and adjusts extraction, intake, and circulation fans to maintain your target range.
• Day / night profilesSeparate temperature, humidity, and VPD targets for lights-on and lights-off periods. Auto-switches on light schedule.
• Temperature controlAutomated heater and cooler activation via smart plugs with configurable thresholds.
• Humidity controlAutomated humidifier and dehumidifier with VPD-based logic. Mutual-exclusion safety interlock — never runs both at once.
• Overheat protectionAutomatic light dimming when temperature exceeds safe limits, with graduated response. Light dims before fan is pushed to the limit.
• Bud rot (Botrytis) risk detectionMonitors night-time humidity and VPD conditions that favour grey mould. Sends a push alert via the BudMaster Mobile App AND automatically forces extraction fan to at least 80% to clear the humid air. Active intervention, not just an alert.
• Night flushConfigurable high-extraction burst after lights-off to clear stale air and manage humidity.
• Fan hysteresis5-minute debounce prevents rapid fan state changes that stress motors.
• Configurable fan minimumSet the stall threshold for your fans (Arctic P12 default 40%).
• Intake ratioSet intake as a percentage of extraction to maintain negative pressure.
• Leaf temperature offsetAdjustable offset for accurate leaf VPD (matches AC Infinity's Leaf Offset feature).

Lighting 7 features

• Light scheduleSet lights-on and lights-off hours per room, per stage, or per plan week.
• DLI trackingMeasures actual Daily Light Integral (mol/m²/day) from the PAR sensor in real time.
• DLI auto-dimming (closed-loop)Closed-loop brightness control that adjusts light output continuously to hit your daily DLI target. Not a fixed schedule — a live regulator. Competitors typically only report DLI; BudMaster hits it.
• Sunrise / sunset rampsGradual brightness ramp-up and ramp-down (configurable duration in minutes).
• Dimming outputDirect driver-level dimming for compatible LED drivers. Works with most dimmable grow lights (Mars Hydro SP, Spider Farmer SE, HLG, Growcraft).
• Stage-specific DLI targetsClone 15, Veg 35, Flower 45, Auto 45 — all customisable.
• Overheat dimmingAutomatic brightness reduction when room temperature exceeds limits.

CO₂ management 7 features

• Demand-based CO₂ dosingAutomatic valve control to maintain target PPM during lights-on.
• Dual safety cutoffSoftware 30-second max dose + an independent hardware 35-second backup. Prevents runaway — two independent mechanisms, because CO₂ at grow-room concentrations can kill.
• CO₂ target shiftsAUTO+CO₂ mode boosts temperature tolerance (+2°C), VPD range (+0.1-0.2 kPa), and drops humidity ceiling (-5%).
• Post-dose lockout2-minute cooldown after each dose for sensor stabilisation.
• Cycle cooldown5-minute minimum between dose cycles per room.
• CO₂ cost trackingConfigure price per kg; track total usage and cost in daily/weekly reports. Know the real cost of enrichment.
• Day-only dosingCO₂ only doses during lights-on — plants don't use CO₂ in the dark.

A whole BudMaster Nexus costs less than a Trolmaster CO₂ sensor stick on its own. One complete climate-control hub — sensor, channels, firmware, dashboard, case — versus £265 for a device that only reads CO₂ and still needs a £400+ HCS-2 controller to do anything useful.

Sensors 10 features

• Temperature & humidity sensorAir temperature and humidity, with a calibration offset.
• Barometric pressure sensorFolds air pressure into the VPD calculation.
• CO₂ sensorCO₂ concentration with extended 400–5,000 ppm range (photoacoustic, no ageing lamp).
• Light sensorLight level converted to PAR for LED grow lights.
• Industrial soil sensor7-in-1 sensor: pH, EC, temperature, moisture, N/P/K. Plugs straight into the Nexus.
• Sensor health tracking5 consecutive bad reads flags a sensor as failed. The Nexus falls back to safe defaults — won't drive targets from a dead sensor.
• Air calibrationTemperature and humidity offset adjustment with raw reading display.
• Soil calibrationpH, EC, temperature, moisture offsets with rolling average reset.
• EC scale selectionTDS-500 (0.5), TDS-700 (0.64), or NaCl (0.7) conversion.
• Grow medium selectionSoil (pH 6.0-7.0) or Coco/Hydro (pH 5.5-6.5).

Grow plans 9 features

• Week-by-week schedulingCreate multi-week environment plans (up to 16 weeks per plan).
• Auto-advanceController automatically moves to the next week's targets every 7 days.
• Per-week targetsEach week has its own VPD, temperature, humidity, CO₂, DLI, light schedule, and fan speeds.
• Copy weekDuplicate one week's settings to another for quick plan building.
• Plan progress barVisual progress indicator showing current week out of total.
• Start/stop via dashboard or Mobile AppFull plan control from web UI or phone.
• Plan completion handlingAuto-reverts to stage presets when the plan finishes, with Mobile App notification.
• Survives rebootsActive plan state is saved on the device — a power cut won't lose your place.
• Up to 4 saved plansSave and recall different grow strategies.

Monitoring & scoring 12 features

• Environment scoreReal-time 0-100 score based on 6 weighted factors: VPD, temp, humidity, CO₂, DLI, pH. At-a-glance health dial.
• Factor breakdownIndividual scores for each environmental parameter with colour-coded bars.
• 24-hour score historyHourly score snapshots in circular buffer.
• Data trendsHistorical charts for temperature, humidity, VPD, CO₂, PAR, fan speed, pH, and EC.
• Grow diaryAutomatic timeline of stage changes, daily scores, and alerts (64-entry buffer).
• Daily reportsAuto-sent via the BudMaster Mobile App at end of light cycle with environment summary.
• Weekly reportsComprehensive grow summary every 7 stage days.
• Energy cost trackingkWh per channel per day, weekly cost at your tariff, per-grow totals. No app-switching, no manual meters.
• Room clockShows room time relative to light schedule with countdown to next lights event.
• Stage day counter"Day X of Flower" tracking that holds through power cuts.
• Configurable alert thresholdsSet margins for temperature, humidity, VPD, and CO₂ alerts.
• Alert sustain timerOnly triggers after condition persists for configurable duration (default 10 min). Stops nuisance alerts on brief spikes.

Alerts & notifications 7 features

• BudMaster Mobile App push alertsPush notifications for critical events: overheat, bud rot (Botrytis), sensor offline, CO₂ safety.
• 22 Mobile App commands/status, /plan, /mode, /fans, /light, /co2, /heat, /score, /dli, /soil, /history, /report, /tips, /diary, /system, /intake, /minspeed, /stage, /silence, /flush, /reboot, /help.
• Inline keyboard controlsTap buttons in the Mobile App to adjust fans, lights, and mode — no typing.
• Silence modeMute alerts for 1-24 hours (late-night grows, holidays).
• Per-alert cooldown15-minute cooldown per alert type prevents notification spam.
• Auto chat linkingSend any message to the Mobile App to auto-link your account. No QR codes, no tokens.
• "What Would Bugbee Do?"Stage-specific grow tips from Dr Bruce Bugbee's research. Professor Bugbee is the world's leading academic researcher on VPD and plant physiology.

Connectivity 10 features

• Wi-Fi setupCaptive portal AP mode for first-time configuration. No app needed.
• Wi-Fi auto-reconnect3-tier escalation: quick reconnect → full cycle → reboot. Survives router restarts.
• Direct radio linkDirect radio link to remote sensor nodes. No WiFi needed between devices, works even when the router is down.
• Multi-device discoveryAutomatically finds other BudMaster devices on your network.
• Full open APIEvery feature accessible over your network with clean responses. Scriptable, integrable.
• Built-in API documentationThe Nexus serves its own API reference. No separate manual.
• Local-network firmware updatesUpdate over WiFi without a cable, without the cloud. You initiate — not a forced push.
• Home AssistantOptional integration for smart-home dashboards. Stays local — not cloud-mediated. Disabled by default.
• BudMaster Mobile AppLightweight in-app control panel. Works on iOS, Android, desktop. No App Store install — opens straight from the messaging platform we use for delivery.
• PWA supportInstall the dashboard as a home screen app on iOS/Android.

Irrigation 5 features

• Scheduled wateringSet time, duration, and repeat interval for pump/valve control.
• Lights-only modeOnly water when lights are on (prevents overwatering in dark period).
• Safety duration limitHard 10-minute maximum prevents flooding.
• Manual triggerOne-tap watering from dashboard or API.
• Event loggingEvery irrigation event recorded with timestamp and duration.

Smart plug integration 6 features

• Smart-plug compatibleWorks with any locally-controlled smart plug over your own network. No Tuya cloud, no vendor lock-in.
• 4 plug channelsHumidifier, dehumidifier, heater, cooler.
• Automated climate controlPlugs switch based on VPD and temperature logic.
• Safety interlocksHumidifier and dehumidifier can never run simultaneously.
• Plug hysteresisPrevents rapid on/off cycling that could damage equipment.
• Connectivity testTest each plug's reachability from the dashboard.

Operating modes 5 features

• ManualAll controls user-set. Monitoring only, no automation. For experienced growers who want fingertip control.
• AutoVPD-driven fan control + DLI auto-dimming. No CO₂ dosing.
• Auto + CO₂Full automation with CO₂ enrichment and shifted environmental targets.
• Fan auto/manualIndependent fan mode (auto VPD control or user-set speeds).
• 5 grow stagesSeedling/Clone, Vegetative, Flower, Autoflower, Drying — each with optimised presets.

Security 7 features

• PIN authentication4-digit PIN required for dashboard access.
• Encrypted PIN storageYour PIN is never stored in plain text — it's scrambled and tied to the individual device.
• Attack-resistant PIN checkThe PIN check is hardened against the timing tricks attackers use to guess it.
• API tokensPersistent tokens for programmatic access.
• Brute-force protectionAccount lockout after 5 failed attempts.
• Session timeout1-hour session expiry.
• Credential encryptionWiFi passwords are scrambled and tied to the individual device.

Hardware 11 features

• The brainDual-core 240 MHz processor with WiFi + Bluetooth.
• 8 inputsIsolated inputs for door sensors, float switches, motion detectors.
• Configurable input labelsName each input (e.g., "Door 1", "Float Tank").
• Fan-speed & dimming controlSmooth variable control for fans and light dimming.
• Industrial soil sensor portConnects the industrial 7-in-1 soil sensor.
• Real-time clockKeeps accurate time without WiFi.
• Automatic time syncAutomatic UK timezone with BST/GMT switching.
• SD card loggingHourly data stored for up to 31 days.
• Daily auto-backupSettings backed up to the SD card at midnight.
• Backup / restoreExport and import your full configuration as a file.
• Crash detection + power-dip protectionTracks restarts and memory health, and rides out power dips without falling into a reboot loop.

Electrical & safety 10 features

BudMaster runs on 12 V DC end-to-end. The controller, the fans, the sensors — all low voltage. The only mains in the system is a replaceable external PSU. This isn't a cost decision. It's a safety decision, and here's why it matters in a grow environment.

• Extra-Low Voltage (ELV) classificationUnder 50 V DC is classified as SELV (Separated Extra-Low Voltage) per BS 7671 / IEC 60364. Non-notifiable under UK Part P Building Regulations — you don't need a qualified electrician to install it, and it doesn't count as fixed electrical work.
• It cannot give you a shockDry skin resistance (~100 kΩ) blocks meaningful current flow at 12 V DC. You can hold both terminals and feel nothing. Mains at 240 V AC can kill at 30 mA — a current achievable through damp skin, which is exactly the condition inside a grow tent.
• Built for damp environmentsGrow tents run at 60-75% RH with humidifiers misting, reservoirs spilling, irrigation dripping. A mains-powered controller in this environment depends on an IP rating and a working RCD to be safe. A 12 V controller is inherently safe — the risk is zero, not "mitigated."
• Lower fire riskArcs at 12 V DC don't sustain. A shorted 12 V rail blows a fuse and stops. A shorted 240 V rail can arc-fault, ignite wiring insulation, and start a fire — the leading cause of grow-tent incidents.
• The mains danger lives in a replaceable PSUThe one high-voltage component is an external 12 V / 5 A wall-wart with mandatory CE / UKCA safety testing. When it fails, you replace a £12 commodity. You don't replace — or open — the controller.
• User-serviceableOpening the BudMaster case to swap a fuse, check a wiring harness, or reflash via USB is safe. Opening a mains-powered controller means working on live UK wiring — that needs lockout/tagout discipline or an electrician if you're not one.
• Galvanic isolation by designThe external PSU provides isolated DC. When the soil probe contacts wet substrate, or when a sensor cable is pinched, there is no path back to mains. The whole low-voltage side floats.
• No RCD required at the controller itselfYou still want an RCD at the wall socket for the AC devices BudMaster switches (via smart plugs), but the controller is benign. A tripped RCD won't disable your climate — just the one smart plug that faulted.
• Fused per rail12 V DC is trivial to fuse per rail — a dead fan doesn't take the controller down. Mains-switched controllers typically share one 3-amp fuse across every output.
• Simpler compliance, lower certification riskThe EU LV Directive (2014/35/EU) and UK Electrical Equipment Regs apply from 50 V AC / 75 V DC. BudMaster sits below both thresholds — easier self-declaration, fewer tests, and no surprise reclassifications.

The bottom line: most grow-room incidents involving controllers are electrical — water ingress, damaged cables, unqualified DIY installs of mains-switched gear. The 12 V architecture removes that whole category of risk before it starts.

Dashboards 9 features

• Desktop dashboardFull-featured web UI with live sensor cards, charts, and controls.
• Mobile dashboardOptimised touch-friendly interface with swipe navigation.
• Real-time chartsLive-updating temperature, humidity, CO₂, and VPD graphs.
• Historical trends24h, 7d, 14d, 30d data with pH, EC, and PPM charts.
• Environment score ringAnimated SVG score gauge with factor breakdown.
• Calibration page3-column colour-coded layout (teal calibration, blue offsets, amber settings).
• Room configurationStage selection, schedule, CO₂ targets, fan settings.
• Event logFilterable log with INFO/WARN/ERROR/CRIT levels.
• OTA update pageDrag-and-drop firmware update interface.