We recently bought a Florida house, that we will NOT occupy for 5 summer2017 months. We know that we shoud have the air condtioning running, during our absence, due topotential mold concerns.
I now want to install a WiFi enabled thermostat, to control our heating and AC needs. A WiFi interface is a must. I have read about the Google (aka Alphabet) Nest product. It seems to be an excellent module, while costing near $300. Might others have a recommneded alternate, at a lower price point?
I shall be watching the replys with intrest as I was about to ask the same question sans Florida home :-( There must be generic product on the market. I don't mind it working with an inbound IP connection rather than via a server.
Would have though a raspeberry Pi and a sensor would have been a good start.
I've just read an article (in El Reg IIRC) about the Nest being hackable, can be used in a DDOS and if there is a DDOS the temperature can't be changed! TNP's suggestion of a fruit pie might be better and cheaper.
Much more DIY and much more fun.
Actually if there's an Arduino with wifi capability, that might be best. You can't hack something that's that dumb!
Actually the way I would solve that sort of problem is to set up an app on my publicly accessible server and use that to set a value via a web interface, and then have the thermostat poll that to drop data off and to get 9ntsructins from. That way the home sensor stays behind a firewall that blocks any attempts to connect to it..
I shall be too. But as far as I know at present there is a choice between two types:
(a) Those like Nest with high security but which fail when the server has problems and which you can't fix. Try a non-google search on "Nest Thermostat Glitch Leaves Users in the Cold"
(b) Those which are insecure and so immediately sign you up to a botnet which brings the DNS system to its knees.
Is there a third type?
Can I ask just how you'll know when the AC should be run from hundreds of miles away? Weather reports?
If so, why not just fit the appropriate sensor - humidity or whatever?
Bit like those Hive adverts for switching on the heating when coming back off holiday. I can programme mine to do that already.
I totally agree.
I suspect many are using the thermostat as an on - off switch and will continure to do so despite being Internet enabled.
My programmable has holiday mode. It works fine. I set it for number of days away minus one and a min temp of 16. (why would I want it colder)
I've not looked closely into Hive, but guess it can only be retro fitted to extremely crude or basic systems.
How many decent modern ones could have either the heating or hot water switched remotely easily?
After you've removed the existing programmer and installed a Hive, all of them? Could get expensive if you have more than a single heating zone plus H/W.
I've not had actual thermostats for many years. Sensors which feed the micro processor. Assumed most were like that these days? It's cheaper and more reliable than some clunky old thermostat.
I said programmer, not thermostat, it seemed you thought a hive worked
*with* your existing controller, rather than replacing it, and therefore might not be limited to what it could interface with.I don't know how many systems use separate timer and room stat, rather than a combined programmable thermostat these days?
A lot of the hive/nest/heatmiser type systems replace existing timer and stat with a programmable stat that happens to have remote access.
To be able to switch on my system and control the temperature of the house and hot water, you'd need to replace the boiler programmer. Which is specific to that boiler.
A programmable stat only allows control over the room temperture. Not usually able to switch the system on.
DerbyBorn expressed precisely :
We do that and why not? When in bed, or when out for the day, set it back to 16C. When in and inactive, up to 20C - active 18C. Out for a few days, 5C just to prevent freezing.
Harry Bloomfield wrote in news:nuvrbk $cbs$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
That is fine - I suspect many turn it from full down to full up though without thinking to carefully select a sensible temperature. Personally I would never set as low as 5C though. If the house gets too cold it takes ages to get it comfortable again. I never set lower than 16C.
My programmed timer periods are 18C morning and evening, with 10C overnight and 15C during the day. I can tell it to hold the 18C when I'm working from home, or might boost it e.g. to 20C for an hour or two if I'm in feeling chilly.
Andy Burns wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net:
How cold does your house actually get during the night?
It would be pretty unlucky to get below 13 or 14C unless I was away for a while and put it in holiday mode.
Also it doesn't take much sun to keep it above the 15C daytime setting, e.g. it's been gloomy as sin here all day today, and it's still above
18C now, without heating on since breakfast.DerbyBorn used his keyboard to write :
I log internal temperature and whether the boiler fires. It has to be extremely cold outdoors for it to fire at all overnight, set at 16C. At the moment, we are not feeling the need to nudge it above 16C even after getting up on a morning. Usually it remains at 16C until around
17:00 when we now boost it to 20C.
Yes, those with a web interface that you can get to by some obscure port forwarding of your broadband outer.
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