I have the original Neptune Systems aquacontroller (not the newer one shown in the above picture). It is well worth every penny. It will control lights, pH, ORP, temp, wavemaker, moon light simulation, or anything that needs to be turned on/off, etc. It CAN be hooked to a computer to download readings for the month, and to program, but it DOES NOT have to be connected to a computer. It has a built in interface for programming the unit. The other controller on the market with as many or more features is the Octopus Controller. I have not used one of those, but they seem to be very similar.