Moving into LCS WiFi

I seriously wonder if the 990 Legacy system has a long life ahead. The misteps in design and failures are beyond anything I have experienced in a wifi-controller system. For a while, I wondered if the iPad/Phone apps were an attempt to provide a backup for a troubled product. I should look into the 1L setup. What exactly is it lacking from the 990 system?

The Wifi LCS is ONLY available to apple users at this time. This knocks off almost half of the users out there.

For that reason its hard to compare what you will not have and what you will have with the new APP operating system.

I have the 990 system and I like the feed back it gives after it confirms your address and programing the locomotive.

I am looking forward to the android release when available and I certainly will entertain having a phone and the 990 both to control the layout.

cjack posted:

I seriously wonder if the 990 Legacy system has a long life ahead. The misteps in design and failures are beyond anything I have experienced in a wifi-controller system. For a while, I wondered if the iPad/Phone apps were an attempt to provide a backup for a troubled product. I should look into the 1L setup. What exactly is it lacking from the 990 system?

I am not sure exactly what it lacks but I thought I read there were some additional legacy features that the cab2 could access. Specifically, I was thinking the visual feed back and brake slider were the two lacking components that could be picked up from the app.

I don't think the WIFI and LCS system is going to help generate growth within the hobby. I'm certainly not buying into it. For me and I'm sure a lot of others the walk around cab 2 is fine. 

Rod Miller

romiller49 posted:

I don't think the WIFI and LCS system is going to help generate growth within the hobby. I'm certainly not buying into it. For me and I'm sure a lot of others the walk around cab 2 is fine. 

Rod Miller

I have to disagree Rod. My teenage nephew could have cared less about my train layout because it looked "old school" with the big clunky remote. But As soon as I showed him that he could use his phone to run my trains, he now wants a starter set for he can run on my layout or setup at home.

H1000

H1000, I hope that holds true. I've been wrong many times before.

Rod Miller

I would encourage anyone to look beyond just the features of the remotes. While iCab 2.0 does not have every single feature of the CAB2 remote, it evolves over time. iCab version 2.0 has many more features than iCAB 1.5 did. And iCab even has some features that the CAB2 does not.

The less-visible, but equally important difference is in the command base. The Legacy Command base has internal memory that stores your engine roster. It is this database which allows  (just one example) multiple CAB2 remotes and iCAB(s) to all show the current speed of a given locomotive, on each of their displays simultaneously in real time. Again, this is because the Legacy base stores and updates this information in a central location, which can be accessed by both the CAB2 remotes and iCAB.

In contrast, the Base-1L system offers a lower price point and a simpler remote. But it does not have this internal database. This is why the CAB2 remote cannot be used with a Base-1L--information the CAB2 requires is not present.  iCab IS compatible with the Base-1L. But the features associated with a shared engine roster are not available when a Base-1L is used.

So, that's why I say your choice of command base is as significant as your choice of remote. 

Rudy, thanks for your comments. Obvious now that you point out the stored roster in the Legacy base.