Spring Startup Meets Smart Automation With The Attendant

As spring approaches and the pool season begins to ramp up, automation quickly rises to the top of the list of topics pool professionals discuss with homeowners. Customers want pools that are easier to manage, more efficient to operate, and capable of maintaining consistent performance without constant attention.

For builders and service companies, automation offers a different kind of value. Connected systems can provide better visibility into equipment performance, reduce troubleshooting time, and help identify issues before they turn into costly service calls.

It’s no surprise that the topic continues to dominate conversations heading into every pool season.

Over the past few years, one of the pool automation platforms gaining attention among pool professionals is The Attendant, a connected automation and monitoring system developed by Poolside Tech. The platform combines equipment automation with system monitoring and data visibility, creating a tool designed to help both homeowners and service professionals better understand how their pools are operating.

While many automation systems are designed around specific equipment ecosystems, Attendant was built to integrate with a wide range of pool equipment, giving builders and service companies flexibility when designing or upgrading equipment pads.

But compatibility is only part of the story.

The larger goal behind the platform is to expand the role automation plays in how pools are monitored and maintained.

“Automation used to basically turn things on and off,” explained Ben Forrest of Poolside Tech. “Now we’re talking about systems that think, adapt, and prevent problems before they happen.”

Building an Intelligent Pool System

Traditional automation systems have historically focused on equipment control. Pumps can be scheduled to run at certain times, heaters can be turned on remotely, and lighting systems can be coordinated through a mobile app.

The Attendant builds on that concept by introducing a deeper layer of monitoring and diagnostics.

Through connected sensors and equipment integration, the system collects operational data from the equipment pad and makes that information accessible through a cloud-connected interface. Homeowners and service professionals can observe how pumps, heaters, and other components are operating in real time, providing insight that goes far beyond simple scheduling.

For service professionals, that level of visibility can change how pools are managed. Instead of discovering issues during routine weekly visits, technicians can receive alerts when equipment begins to behave outside its normal operating range.

A pump drawing unusual power, a heater cycling incorrectly, or changes in water conditions can trigger notifications that allow technicians to respond quickly—often before the homeowner even realizes something is wrong.

For homeowners, the system provides peace of mind that their pool is being monitored continuously rather than only during scheduled service visits.

The Attendant Product Line

Poolside Tech has developed several versions of the Attendant platform designed to support different types of installations.

The Attendant

At the center of the lineup is the flagship Attendant controller. Designed for installations where multiple pieces of equipment must operate together, the system functions as a central hub capable of coordinating pumps, heaters, valves, and sensors while collecting operational data about how the system is performing.

Because the platform is cloud-connected, both homeowners and service professionals can access system data remotely through the Attendant interface. Instead of relying solely on periodic inspections at the equipment pad, users can observe system performance in real time.

The goal is to move automation beyond fixed schedules and toward systems that provide a clearer picture of how equipment is operating throughout the day.

The Attendant Mini & The Attendant Mini + Chemistry

For installations that do not require the full scale of the flagship controller, Poolside Tech offers a compact alternative in the Attendant Mini.

The Attendant Mini delivers many of the same monitoring and automation capabilities in a smaller footprint designed for residential equipment pads. Despite its size, the system still integrates with pumps, heaters, and monitoring devices while providing remote access and system alerts through the Attendant platform.

For pool pros, the Attendant Mini offers an accessible entry point for introducing connected automation to residential customers without requiring the larger automation cabinets typically associated with advanced systems.

The platform expands further with the Attendant Mini + Chemistry configuration.

This version incorporates probe-based sensors that continuously monitor water balance parameters such as pH and sanitizer levels. Instead of relying exclusively on manual testing during service visits, the system provides ongoing readings that allow service professionals to observe trends in water chemistry over time.

“If a builder offered homeowners a system that keeps chlorine and pH perfect no matter how many kids are in the pool,” Forrest said, “almost everyone would say yes—as long as it’s affordable.”

By integrating water monitoring with equipment automation, the Attendant platform aims to help service professionals maintain more consistent water conditions while reducing the guesswork that often accompanies traditional testing routines.

Building Momentum Across the Industry

While the Attendant platform has steadily evolved over the past several years, Poolside Tech has also been working to introduce the technology directly to the professionals who build and service pools every day.

In recent seasons, the company has made a strong presence at industry trade shows, conferences, and educational events, demonstrating the platform to builders, service companies, and distributors across the country.

Those efforts have helped Poolside Tech build a growing network of partnerships across the pool industry, beginning with major manufacturers like Latham and extending to distribution relationships with organizations such as POOLCORP and Heritage Pool Supply.

The company has also developed connections with several prominent industry buying groups, including Carecraft, United Aqua Group (UAG), and Master Pools Guild (MPG). These organizations help introduce new technologies to members who are continually looking for tools that can improve operational efficiency and customer experience.

Pool Pros Embracing Connected Automation

Service companies have also begun exploring how connected monitoring platforms can improve day-to-day operations. Organizations such as Poolwerx are working with Poolside Tech in their efforts to streamline service routes, reduce troubleshooting time, and provide greater visibility into pool performance between service visits.

Companies such as Shasta Pools are also exploring how connected monitoring platforms can support both sides of their operation. As a company that builds pools while also maintaining a large service and repair division, Shasta is working with Poolside Tech to adopt automation and monitoring technology that gives homeowners greater visibility into how their pool systems are performing while helping technicians keep a closer eye on equipment between service visits. For Shasta, integrating connected automation is part of a broader effort to improve the long-term ownership experience as smart home technology continues to expand into the backyard.

A Changing Landscape for Pool Automation

Automation has come a long way from the simple timers that once controlled pumps and heaters.

Today’s connected systems provide real-time insight into equipment performance, allowing homeowners and service professionals to monitor pools more effectively than ever before.

Platforms like Attendant represent an evolution in how automation is being designed—combining equipment control, monitoring, and operational data into a single connected environment.

As the new pool season approaches and automation once again becomes a central topic of conversation, it’s clear that the technology is continuing to evolve.

That’s why this spring, the goal is no longer just convenience. It’s making pools easier to manage, more efficient to operate, and better understood by the people responsible for keeping them running.

Photo Credits: Poolside Tech, Latham