When we launched the TAP Kiln Control Mobile app in 2016, our vision was to give kiln operators and heat treat artists the same level of convenience and connectivity they enjoyed in all other areas of their lives. Responsive, easy-to-use touchscreen controls weren’t enough. We wanted to offer true remote kiln control, so artists could enjoy the flexibility of being able to remotely monitor their kilns and edit and execute their kiln firing schedules in real-time from their smartphone or tablet.
Developing TAP Kiln Control Mobile was a huge investment on our end. We had never developed a mobile app before, and we definitely dealt with speed bumps and learning curves along the way. But through our commitment to supporting the artists in the TAP community, and through their helpful feedback, we’ve continued to launch software updates to continually improve TAP Kiln Control Mobile.
Today, it’s – by far (as far as we know!) – the highest rated kiln control mobile app, and the only one that offers true remote kiln control.
What Is Remote Start? And Why Does It Matter?
In 2023, we released Remote Start – one of our all-time most requested features. With Remote Start, TAP Artists can turn on their kiln and initiate a kiln firing schedule no matter where they were. This feature – combined with the ability to remotely edit schedules, make real-time firing adjustments, skip steps, and abort firings – finally gave artists true remote kiln control for the first time ever.
This represented a huge step forward for convenience and flexibility for all artists – but it also represented a major advancement in accessibility for artists who may have physical disabilities. With TAP Kiln Control Mobile, artists don’t have to be able to walk over to their bend over in front of their controller to program their kiln
For safety reasons, you should never leave your kiln unattended. But that doesn’t mean you should have to be physically right beside your kiln for the entire duration of the kiln firing process. In real life, sometimes you need to be able to step away from your kiln. Remote Start, along with the other features of TAP Kiln Control Mobile, gives artists the flexibility of being able to multi-task and gives them the peace of mind of always knowing the status of their kilns.
This is a stark contrast from using other kiln controllers. When SDS Industries’ VP & Chief Creative Officer, Brittany Gabel, was a glass art student at Rochester Institute of Technology, she would have casting projects that required multiple days’ worth of firings. She would have to go back to campus at odd hours throughout the night or very early mornings to check on the glass kilns to make sure her projects were firing successfully. She would have to assess what step the firing process was at, or sometimes wait around until the kiln reached a certain step so that she could add more glass to her mold. Sometimes she’d miss her window entirely.
With remote kiln control through TAP Kiln Control Mobile, she would have been able to know exactly when she needed to attend to her kiln, saving her tons of time and effort.
Why Is Remote Start Only Available with a Premium Subscription?
For all of the different controllers in the TAP Ecosystem, Remote Start is only available with a Premium Subscription to TAP Kiln Control Mobile, which is available for $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. While some customers are frustrated by the prospect of having to pay a subscription for an app when they already made a significant investment in the kiln, 100% of the net subscription fees for the Premium Plan goes directly back into the app for maintaining our servers, developing new features, and providing improvements for all users.
If we could give away all the premium features for free, we totally would! But unfortunately, that just isn’t feasible. However, while features like Remote Start are super convenient, they are also 100% optional and don’t affect the core functionality of your TAP Controller.
How to Get Remote Start for Your TAP Controller
Once these two conditions are met, all you have to do to activate Remote Start is to follow these steps:
- Select your kiln from the My Kilns screen of the TAP Kiln Control Mobile app.
- Click the Schedules tab at the bottom of the app.
- Press the blue and white Start Icon to the right of the schedule you want to start remotely.
- The app will ask you to confirm you want to Remote Start this firing schedule. Click Yes to confirm.
- To ensure you never accidentally remotely start your kiln, the app will generate a six-digit verification code in the form of a push notification. Enter those six digits. Click Activate, and your firing will start.
- Once your kiln firing schedule has been remotely started, you will be able to monitor your kiln, skip steps, abort firings, or view real-time firing graphs from your TAP Kiln Control Mobile app.
Easy as that! Remote Start can save artists significant amounts of time by letting them start their kiln firings or preheat their kilns without having to be next to their kiln.
Download TAP Kiln Control Mobile
If you haven’t tried TAP Kiln Control Mobile, we invite you to do so. TAP Kiln Control Mobile, available on iOS and Android, helps you save time and enjoy peace of mind with:
- Real-time updates and remote temperature monitoring
- The ability to create schedules and modify settings from the palm of your hand
- Modify your kiln firing in real-time
And so much more! And it’s totally free to use, with the option to upgrade to a Premium Subscription for advanced features like Remote Start, which lets you start your firing schedule from anywhere!
Explore TAP Kiln Controllers by SDS Industries
The TAP II and TAP II Pro Controllers by SDS Industries provide users the most advanced, precise, and easy-to-use kiln controllers on the market today. With responsive touchscreen controls, an intuitive graphical UI, and integration with the TAP Kiln Control Mobile app, TAP Kiln Controllers can pair with any relay-controlled kiln or oven.
We invite you to explore our selection of programmable kiln controllers, standalones, and conversion kits on our online store. You can also purchase TAP Digital Controllers or TAP Controlled Kilns and Heat Treat Ovens through one of the following distributors:
- Evenheat
- Hot Shot Oven & Kiln
- Paragon Kilns
- Mobile Glassblowing Studios, LLC
- Jen-Ken Kilns
- Kiln Frog
- Sheffield Pottery
- Delphi Glass
Remote Kiln Control FAQ
Is it safe to use Remote Start for kilns?
First, we want to note: We recommend you never leave your kiln unattended. However, we also understand that sometimes real life gets in the way.
You may need to make sure your glass annealers are at temperature while you’re blowing glass. Or you may need your heat treat oven to be at temp while you’re shaping your knife or blade. Or you may need to step away from your kiln from time to time.
Generally, Remote Start is completely safe to use, as long as you’re mindful to make sure you never store anything inside your kiln or on top of your kiln and maintain 18” of clearance from non-combustible surfaces and 36” from combustible surfaces on all sides of your kilns at all times (including underneath!). Additionally, make sure that your kiln is safely out of reach from children or pets.
We recommend staying nearby your kiln and monitoring alerts and notifications from TAP Kiln Control Mobile. In addition to being able to serve as a primary kiln control method, TAP Kiln Control Mobile includes features to enhance kiln safety, such as:
- Being able to remotely abort your firing.
- Push notification alerts and alarms to inform you in real-time of changes in temperature, error notifications, or unexpected conditions.
- Preventative kiln maintenance alerts to automatically track component usage so that you can replace them before they reach the end of their lifespan.
We encourage you to utilize these features and to always exercise ample precaution when firing your kiln.
How does remote kiln control help with management for glass studios and ceramic studios?
Remote Start is just one of the many features that make TAP the best digital kiln controller for managing your glass art studio or your ceramics studio.
The TAP Ecosystem allows you to:
- Connect all of your studio kilns so that you can monitor them and control them remotely from a single mobile device.
- Make it easy and intuitive for students to program their kilns with simple touchscreen controls and logical menus.
- Easily create, name, save, and execute an unlimited number of firing schedules so that your students can save and reuse their own schedules or choose from schedules you create.
- Always keep your kilns up and running with automatic preventative maintenance alerts.
- Accurately price your work and studio time with an automatic Kiln Firing Cost Calculator.
From onboarding to managing your classes and keeping your studio kilns running at peak performance, these features are a game changer! If you’re looking to upgrade your studio to TAP, you can get 15% off glass studio controllers here and 15% off ceramic studio controllers here.
How do I pair my TAP Controller to TAP Kiln Control Mobile?
Below are instructions for linking your controller to the TAP Kiln Control Mobile app.
Please note: For the original TAP Controller, you will need to purchase the WiFi Dongle to connect to WiFi; TAP II, TAP II Pro, TAP Micro, TAP Monitor, and TAP&Go all have integrated WiFi.
- Download the TAP Kiln Control Mobile app on your smart phone or tablet (download for Android or iOS) and set up your account by following the prompts on the app’s screen.
- Connect your TAP Kiln Controller to a wireless network via the controller interface by going to Menu>Settings>Network>Wireless, selecting the desired network, and entering any required credentials.
- On your controller, go to Menu>Settings>Network to find your controller’s UID (Unique Identifier).
- On the app, go to Summary, hit the + Icon at the bottom right, enter a name for your kiln (it can be anything you want), as well as the UID from the controller, and hit SAVE.
- On the Summary Screen of the TAP Kiln Control Mobile app, click on the name of your kiln to access that controller from TAP Kiln Control Mobile.
Now, you can monitor and control your kiln remotely from your smartphone or tablet!
Please note: TAP Controllers are only able to connect to wireless networks that meet the following requirements:
- 2.4 GHz wireless network with WEP, WPA, or WPA2 security.
- Unsecured networks are also supported – but networks that use a captive portal (a la many cafes and airports) are not.
- Signal strength of at least two bars is recommended.
Once these conditions are met, linking your TAP Kiln Control Mobile app to your controller is super easy.
