March 24, 2026
We are pleased to announce the release of Panel Controller V25 software, a major software update that brings a completely refreshed experience to the popular model railway control board. This isn’t just a routine update — V25 is a ground-up overhaul of how the board connects, communicates, and presents information.
See Your Layout Come Alive with Live Charts
The headline feature is live charts right on the main page. Four real-time graphs show Wi-Fi signal strength, network traffic, CAN bus activity, and MQTT messaging — all with 10 minutes of scrolling history. Tap any chart to zoom in. It’s like having a dashboard for your entire layout at a glance.
Smarter Wi-Fi That Follows You
For operators with larger layouts and multiple Wi-Fi access points, V25 introduces Wi-Fi roaming. The board now automatically finds and switches to the strongest signal on your network — no manual intervention needed. The entire Wi-Fi engine has also been rewritten from scratch to recover gracefully from dropped connections without needing a reboot.
Secure, Signed Firmware Updates
Every firmware update is now cryptographically signed, meaning the board verifies the authenticity of an update before installing it. The update page shows a full version history, and you can roll back to any previous version from V25 onwards — peace of mind if you ever want to go back.
Control Your Board from Anywhere with the REST API
Power users and home automation enthusiasts will appreciate the new REST API — 16 endpoints that let external software read and control every setting on the board. Connect it to your scripts, dashboards, or home automation system.
Backup, Restore, and Clone Your Setup
Spent time getting your board configured just right? V25 lets you export your entire configuration as a single file. Restore it later, or use it as a starting template when setting up additional boards.
Friendlier Network Monitor
The network monitor now shows board names alongside their technical IDs, with colour coding for easy identification — making it far simpler to see what’s happening across your layout.
A Fresh, Modern Interface
The web interface has been reorganised with colour-coded sections for inputs and outputs, helpful tooltips on every element, a dedicated Wi-Fi settings area, and a responsive layout that works just as well on a phone as it does on a desktop.
Under the Hood
Behind the scenes, V25 doubles the CAN bus message buffers to handle heavy traffic without dropping messages, improves MQTT reconnection reliability, supports full-length Wi-Fi passwords and network names, and adds an optional boot delay to prevent connection storms when many boards power up at once.
V25 is available now as a free over-the-air update. Full details can be found in the updated user guide included with the release.
See the Panel Controller product page for the all new user Guide.
System 2 Panel Controller
New for 2023, our System2 range of products offers more flexibility and growth above and beyond our classic range.
The Panel Controller is the heart of any System2 accessory control installation. It features 16 inputs and 16 LED pair outputs.
- Each input can be configured as:
- Push button (push to make)
- Toggle switch
- DCC Block detector
- DCC Points Position Indicator