Wifi Thermostat Compatibility

[Sheriff]

I have several home HVAC units operated with CT100 thermostats. I need to replace the 20 year old units and intend to use the newest generation of equipment. Unfortunately, I am told that the brains of many of these new systems are in the thermostats and those tsats are proprietary...most of these tstats are wifi operated. How do I interface a wifi tstat with HS3?

[jvm]

Typically you'll need to purchase a Thermostat plugin from the HS Plugin shop. For example, there are plugins for both Ecobee and Honeywell thermostats available for about $30-40 each. You can also access some functionality through ifttt.

[tome10]

Maybe you should abstain from WiFi TStats, and go with a z-wave type. I use the Trane XL624 which has humidity. The main problem with any of these tstats is you can’t control the onboard temp sensor. I wish I had a unit that I could just use the onboard temp sensor just as a sensor, and then have any of the other sensors call the shots. It’ll be burning up in the master bedroom due to sun through window, but the main Tatar temp is cool and won’t call for air. I attempted to set the stat’s cool or beat settings arbitrarily up or down a couple of degrees, but that proved problematic. Perhaps I’ll revisit some day.


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[Wade]

I agree with tome10 that you might want to avoid wifi tstats--at least those that rely on a cloud connection. I have 2 nest and 2 Honeywell WiFi tstats, and the cloud connection is an ongoing issue for both since the PI developers have to regularly react to changes in the API (nest is a particular problem right now--read about it elsewhere on the forum). I'm in process of changing to z-wave units to eliminate the cloud variable. I'm currently testing the Remotec ZTS-500US and it's doing well so far.

[jvm]

I'm on the opposite side from cc4005 / tome10 and like the "other" integrations that WiFi thermostats can provide - e.g., HomeKit, Google Assistant, etc. For me, that's a bigger advantage than direct Z-Wave interfacing.

[RoChess]

Went from Nest at old location to 3x Remotec ZTS-500US at current new location and couldn't be happier. No more big-data-cloud worries, no more lets-kill-this-API-tomorrow worries, and flawless HomeSeer control.

They do lack humidity and only have a temperature sensor, but I've got a dozen other Z-Wave sensors that can provide those values along with motion/etc. so not a huge loss for me. Have no need for other integrations such as HomeKit, Google Assistant, etc. but if they support Z-Wave then it would work as-is for those as well, and can always tie them to your HomeSeer box if that is needed.

Keeping my automated home smart during an internet outage (and to some extend power outage) is important to me, and I'm still not happy Google has knowledge on when I turned on my heat for 6 years and keep filing removal of data requests, but who knows how much those are respected.

[Sheriff]

Perhaps I wasn’t clear, but “non Wi-Fi” is not an option if I go with the new equipment. The Lennox Variable Refrigerant Flow system offers some irresistible advantages in my application, BUT, the system brains are inside the Lennox proprietary thermostat...their Wi-Fi tstat must be used. So, I need an interface from HS3 to Wi-Fi. Does that exist?

[Wade]

You'll need a specific integration for the thermostat you plan to use--or at least for the Lennox cloud server. Post the specific model(s) that you're able to use and perhaps someone can point you in the right direction. I have a Trane zoned system in one location, and no HS integration exists as the Nexia interface is closed and no-one has reverse engineered a solution. I don't possess the requisite skills (if it's even possible).

[tome10]

There's no integration for lennox.

[julietalpha]

It would be great if someone would write a plug in for the Lennox iComfort communicating thermostats. I have the brand new iComfort S40 - and it surely has an API. They advertise google, IFTTT, and Control4 integration. (Google uses this site to connect to it externalgateway.myicomfort.com). I'll be happy to beta test!

[Michael McSharry]

There will not be a local integration, but it is possible for internet-based integration such as with https://github.com/thevoltagesource/myicomfort. I have done a few thermostat integrations with HS. The hardest part is usually overcoming the authentication requirements for access to the user account. I'm willing to give it a try after I finish other projects.

[andyf]

I have a Lennox iComfort system. But I also use a regular Z-Wave thermostat with it. There are jumpers and cut-outs on the furnace control board to tell the system whether you're using a regular single/dual phase thermostat or an iComfort thermostat. Of course, with a regular thermostat you do lose some of the intelligence of the iComfort system such as the built in diagnostics and automatic notification of system problems.

But it still works well with a regular thermostat if configured properly.

[Sheriff]

Andyf, is yours a VRF system? I don’t think the VRFs have those jumpers.

[andyf]

Not sure what a VRF system is. The wiring manual I have shows the furnace to be a SL280UHV.

[Sheriff]

Variable Refrigerant Flow. I’ll look your model up.