An apparatus for controlling an air conditioner and a method for operating the same are provided. The apparatus may include a control apparatus that enables easy access to data for the air conditioner, to determine and control an operation state thereof visually, and for which a mode of reception of the data from the air conditioner may be different corresponding to connection modes and positions of a plurality of component devices of the air conditioner to which the control apparatus is connected, making the data received thus different from one another according to the connection modes. These differences in the data permit various data to be easily displayed, enabling a user to change the connection modes as required, and to provide various information on the air conditioner by producing the data of the air conditioner in a frame on an output different from one another.