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    2GIG CT30 Firmware update idea

    Probably a crazy idea ...

    Has anyone tried to plugin (with power temporarily off) a wifi module into their CT30 that is normally uisng a Zwave interface and update the firmware? I talked with radiothermostat.com a while back and they said there was no way to do a thermostat FW update over zwave. However, they advertise the feature of FW updates when using their WiFi module, and they also claim to have some great FW update for their thermostats.

    I am now considering buying a wifi thermostat (actually the Filtrete 3M-50 from HomeDepot) for another house, and am thinking about temporarily configuring it and taking it around to my CT30s to try upgrading the thermostat FW on each over the wifi connection.

    It sure would be nice to know what was in the CT30 FW upgrade ...

    #2
    Do they offer any other means to update the firmware than WiFi? Since they're easy to pull off the wall without rewiring things I wouldn't mind taking them down and tethering them to a serial port or something similar. Would be easier on the wallet than buying a WiFi adapter.
    HS Pro 3.0 | Linux Ubuntu 16.04 x64 virtualized under Proxmox (KVM)
    Hardware: Z-NET - W800 Serial - Digi PortServer TS/8 and TS/16 serial to Ethernet - Insteon PLM - RFXCOM - X10 Wireless
    Plugins: HSTouch iOS and Android, RFXCOM, BlueIris, BLLock, BLDSC, BLRF, Insteon PLM (MNSandler), Device History, Ecobee, BLRing, Kodi, UltraWeatherWU3
    Second home: Zee S2 with Z-Wave, CT101 Z-Wave Thermostat, Aeotec Z-Wave microswitches, HSM200 occupancy sensor, Ecolink Z-Wave door sensors, STI Driveway Monitor interfaced to Zee S2 GPIO pins.

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      #3
      No they didn't offer any mechanism for a FW update unless it were thru the wifi. I should probably ask them again to see if any new service has become available in the past few months.

      Comment


        #4
        After studying the radiothermostat.com website it appears the firmware update they reference is only for the wifi interface and not the thermostat itself. So what I was proposing doesn't make sense unless they also update the firmware on the thermostat itself and there is no evidence on the website that there is any thermostat firmware upgrade.

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          #5
          Is a firmware upgrade indicated or necessary?
          I'm expecting one of these any day now. I ordered it to eventually replace my RCS X10 Stat, probably in the spring. The RCS works great but it's the only thing I have left on X10 and the idea is to simply eliminate that interface.
          Where the 2Gig runs on batteries, I'll have plenty of time to mess with it over the winter on my desk before installing it.
          Real courage is not securing your Wi-Fi network.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Wadenut View Post
            ....The RCS works great but it's the only thing I have left on X10 and the idea is to simply eliminate that interface.
            .....
            Gasp! Sacrilege!
            Paul

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              #7
              Here is the message I got from radio thermostats support (very quick reply by the way):
              -------------
              On the 3M50 we only update the firmware on the WiFi module. We are not able to update the firmware on the thermostat remotely.

              The Zwave modules are not able to be updated remotely.

              It requires specialized hardware and software to upgrade the thermostats so they are not field upgradeable.

              With the thermostat in off if you press the lower right hand corner of the thermostat and hold it it will bring up the firmware version of the thermostat and the zwave module.

              I do not have any release notes on the different versions.

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                #8
                Sounds to me like a pretty solid example of a product that was released to early and has now fixed most of the issues through firmware releases eh?

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                  #9
                  I was wondering if anyone has actually purchased one of these yet and if so how was it working. My friend was looking at purchasing one. He's not running a Z-Wave network so it seems like a good option since it has an API and looks like you can interact with it via web services.

                  I might take a look at one of these as well since it seems it could be integrated into HS, but not locked into using Z-Wave.

                  Here is the actual link to it:
                  http://www.radiothermostat.com/filtrete/products/3M-50/

                  Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by GatorEye View Post
                    I was wondering if anyone has actually purchased one of these yet and if so how was it working. My friend was looking at purchasing one. He's not running a Z-Wave network so it seems like a good option since it has an API and looks like you can interact with it via web services.

                    I might take a look at one of these as well since it seems it could be integrated into HS, but not locked into using Z-Wave.

                    Here is the actual link to it:
                    http://www.radiothermostat.com/filtrete/products/3M-50/

                    Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
                    My feedback is to avoid it. I purchased the Z-wave version, and I am pretty unhappy with it. The Z-wave issue aren't relevant to your question, but I suspect the general operation of the thermostat is.
                    It doesn't filter the temperature reading correctly. As a result, the room temp reading constantly bounces up and down by a degree or so. Also, it doesn't have any cycle limits, so the AC is constantly switching on and off. It comes on, runs for a minute and goes off. Then it has to wait for five minutes before it can restart.

                    The replacement Honeywell thermostat (installed in the same location) does not have these problems and maintains the temperature within one degree or so.

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                      #11
                      There's nothing about the basic thermostat functionality that would require a firmware update. Temperature drops, so the relay kicks in to call for heat. Temperature rises, the relay kicks out. QED. The only thing that would seem to be firmware-related in the thermostat itself is interaction with a U-SNAP module.

                      I wouldn't automatically call the ability of an embedded device to take on a firmware update as a sign of weakness or having been shipped before it's ready.

                      Most firmware updates for embedded devices are to improve one thing or another. In fact, I'd call the fact that you can't update the firmware in the Z-Wave U-SNAP as a flaw -- the CT thermostats with a Z-Wave U-SNAP can never tell us HS users whether the thermostat is calling for heat, and the only way to know is to pay someone to take a Z-Wave U-SNAP apart and reprogram it. And why was this decision made in the first place? Because if you're running on batteries, then this sort of information will cause the batteries to die within a few weeks, so it was permanently disabled. News flash, folks, if you poll your thermostat (which is all you're left with) even once every 10 minutes, the batteries will be dead in a week anyway.

                      Based on the reviews of the 3M50, it seems to work very well, as long as you actually read the instructions and act upon said instructions to run a C wire. I'll be finding out myself later this week.

                      Chris

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                        #12
                        I just installed the 3M50 with the WiFi module 3 days ago and so far it is working great. Being able to set up a weekly schedule through a web browser was very simple.

                        I also have ten or so CT30's in a vacation home all running zwave and they too are working great. Being able to remotely turn the heat up/down and monitor them remotely has not only saved a ton of heating cost but also allows the radiant heat to work before we arrive.

                        I was running all of the CT30's on batteries and found that they lasted about 4 months (with polling set to 15 min). This past summer I added C-wires to all of them -- As running C-wires from the furnace room was not practical, I was able to hide a single gang outlet box in the wall behind each thermostat that contained a 24v transformer and attached the thermostat to 110v from either a near-by light switch or outlet. It turns out the thermostat is large enough to completely cover the electrical box so it can't be seen. Now I don't have to worry about changing batteries every 4 months!

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                          #13
                          Figured I'd follow up, in case someone stumbles into this thread.

                          The 3M50's didn't work out for me, and there was no explanation offered. Discussions of the scripting for the 3M50's and why they didn't work for me can be found here: http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=145309

                          And just to start spreading the word around, the 2GIG thermostats have to be added to HS after the C-wire has been attached. If you add a 2GIG thermostat while it's on batteries and _then_ connect the C-wire, it will be unreliable. Discussions about this can be found here: http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=149677

                          Chris

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