How best to gain phone control of a on30 layout?

[Jsthoe]

If the goal is to have phone control, what is the difference/advantages of attaching an ez command smart interface to an ez control system vs using the ez app?

[Bucksco]

The smart Interface is basically a wireless version of the EZ Command Companion. If you have an EZ Command unit you can reference the EZ Command Companion unit to see what functions it controls.
EZ APP is software used for control of Bluetooth equipped locomotives. If you do not have Bluetooth locos you cannot use the EZ APP software.

[Jsthoe]

Thank you. It seems they do the same things just one uses wifi and the other Bluetooth to link to a phone

[railtwister]

With E-Z App, you are using your phone to directly control a loco which has the E-Z App board installed. With the WiFi system, you are still controlling the loco with the DCC system, but the phone controls the system using the WiFi interface. For On30, you will be able to use E-Z App only after the user installed loco boards become available from BlueRail Trains (soon), or when Bachmann releases an On30 loco with an OEM E-Z App control board installed.

Running an E-Z App loco on a DC layout is easy, just pre-set your DC throttle to provide enough power to the rails to allow E-Z App to function (usually about 3/4 throttle) and you are ready to go, but beware that any DC locos also on the track will start to go, too. If you already have DCC installed on your layout, you can easily add an E-Z Loco at any time, without adding anything extra (other than the loco and your phone), and it will use the available DCC power already on the rails without interfering with any of your existing DCC locos. If all you have is E-Z App control on your layout, in order to add a DCC loco, you will still need to buy a DCC system in addition to the DCC loco itself.

E-Z App Rocks!!!

Bill in FtL