AZ Nerdz: Wifi Thermostat

[Glenn]

A few weeks ago I installed a 3M-50 wifi t-stat. You can pick these up at the Depot for $99. I'm smitten with this device.

Installing the device wasn't to hard, but there were a few "gotchas".

The c-wire. HVAC systems run on 24v AC. Some systems have a c-wire going to the t-stat. Most don't. However, you'll usually have a few extra wires that you can use on your run to the HVAC from the t-stat spot on the wall. We have a split system; central air with the air handler in the attic, oil fired hot water boiler on the lower level.

I tried tapping into the 24v on the air handler...no dice. So I taped into the 24v on the boiler's control pannel. Success! Until the boiler kicked on, causing a voltage drop and the wifi radio to drop connection. It would eventually reconnect, but it wasn't a good way to have it run. Long story short, they say you can use an 18v AC wall transformer to power the unit. I had a plug on the backside of the wall, so I was able to hide all the wires when running them to the t-stat.

It took me about a week to figure this out. I had thought too many wifi devices in the house were freaking the unit out. I spent time setting up a static IP for the t-stat and whatnot. Works like a charm now with the power adapter.

You have a few options for controling the unit: Old school program via the unit, web interface, iOS/Andriod app.

I like the web interface (which you can ironically get to via the iOS browser.) Gives you a lot of options and it's where we set the 7 day program up. You can also set "away" temps which are handy for when you're away for more than a day.

You can adjust the t-stat from anywhere provided you have an interweb/mobile connection. I was even able to do it via my blackberry...but that's sometimes spotty.

All in all, great device. I'm eating lunch and just logged into the website to check the temp at home; 61F with a 58F setpoint.

 

[Nick]

That's pretty great. I really want one of these, but they are $250, which is just ridiculous. Maybe some day in the future.

www.nest.com



Stuff like this is going to grow more and more in the future.

 

[drjeff]

A few weeks ago I installed a 3M-50 wifi t-stat. You can pick these up at the Depot for $99. I'm smitten with this device.

Installing the device wasn't to hard, but there were a few "gotchas".

The c-wire. HVAC systems run on 24v AC. Some systems have a c-wire going to the t-stat. Most don't. However, you'll usually have a few extra wires that you can use on your run to the HVAC from the t-stat spot on the wall. We have a split system; central air with the air handler in the attic, oil fired hot water boiler on the lower level.

I tried tapping into the 24v on the air handler...no dice. So I taped into the 24v on the boiler's control pannel. Success! Until the boiler kicked on, causing a voltage drop and the wifi radio to drop connection. It would eventually reconnect, but it wasn't a good way to have it run. Long story short, they say you can use an 18v AC wall transformer to power the unit. I had a plug on the backside of the wall, so I was able to hide all the wires when running them to the t-stat.

It took me about a week to figure this out. I had thought too many wifi devices in the house were freaking the unit out. I spent time setting up a static IP for the t-stat and whatnot. Works like a charm now with the power adapter.

You have a few options for controling the unit: Old school program via the unit, web interface, iOS/Andriod app.

I like the web interface (which you can ironically get to via the iOS browser.) Gives you a lot of options and it's where we set the 7 day program up. You can also set "away" temps which are handy for when you're away for more than a day.

You can adjust the t-stat from anywhere provided you have an interweb/mobile connection. I was even able to do it via my blackberry...but that's sometimes spotty.

All in all, great device. I'm eating lunch and just logged into the website to check the temp at home; 61F with a 58F setpoint.

Glenn, be forewarned, the next time you're over having a PBR on my deck, my wife will be asking you about this! We tried a version through a home sceurity system 2 winters ago, but ran into a wiring in-compatability issue which then would have resulted in about a $5,000 or so fix just so that we could remotely kick up the thermostats as we're getting off I-91 in Greenfield. The convienece wasn't worth the extra $$

 

[Geoff]

Personally, I own nothing but old-school round mechanical thermostats. They don't fail. They don't run out of batteries while you're on a 2 week trip and freeze your pipes.

When I was a weekender, I'd just turn up the thermostats on a Friday evening and go out to the bar for a couple of hours.

 

[ctenidae]

My wife and I split thermostatic duties. She handles turning it up, I handle turning it back down. If I'm sitting on the couch in shorts in January and sweating, either it's too warm in the house, or I'm a fat bastard. Could go either way.

 

[drjeff]

My wife and I split thermostatic duties. She handles turning it up, I handle turning it back down. If I'm sitting on the couch in shorts in January and sweating, either it's too warm in the house, or I'm a fat bastardor its's just the winter of '11-'12. Could go either way.

Fixed it for 'ya C-ten

 

[mlctvt]

Thanks for the info Glenn-
We've got a condo with 2 thermostats. We set the temp to 54 when we're not there but once you do turn up the heat it takes 6-8 hours for the temp to reach 65 degrees. I had looked into a system that is basically 2 set point thermostats on the same unit and it has a phone connection. You can call your phone number and switch between the 2 set points. The bad thing is the cost was about $250 per thermostat plus it would interfere with our auto-dialer low temperature alarm.
I'll look into this one.

 

[Glenn]

The cost of this unit was the driver. Nick posted the Nest...which is nice and looks sharp, but it's pretty pricey. There are other brands out there as well, but you're looking $300+. I just couldn't justify that .

So you've got a Freeze Alarm too! We've got the middle of the road one...works great! I also set up a wifi temp monitor in VT...cost about $50. It measures temp an humidity at the unit, and has a 6' cord/probe. I managed to snake the probe up into the bathroom. So we can measure temp in the utility/laundry room and the bathroom. http://www.amazon.com/Crosse-Techno...U4/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1327529990&sr=8-16

Jeff...no problem! I can give her an earful on that. She'll probably wish she never asked!

 

[mlctvt]

Glenn- on this unit do you connect directly to it through your routers IP address or do you connect through the company's website?
I think this unit is a rebranded Radio Thermostat brand unit?

If you connect direct to the unit do you have a static IP address for your router?
I have dynamic address on DSL so if power is lost my IP will change.

 

[Nick]

you could use dyndns

 

[Glenn]

Glenn- on this unit do you connect directly to it through your routers IP address or do you connect through the company's website?
I think this unit is a rebranded Radio Thermostat brand unit?

If you connect direct to the unit do you have a static IP address for your router?
I have dynamic address on DSL so if power is lost my IP will change.

I set my t-sat up with a static IP...but that was just to the router. You basically connect the t-stat to your wifi network. Here's a video that does a good job of showing how it's done. You connect it to your network, then enter a PIN from the t-stat...and you're set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifkSL8Db9Y

 

[mlctvt]

I set my t-sat up with a static IP...but that was just to the router. You basically connect the t-stat to your wifi network. Here's a video that does a good job of showing how it's done. You connect it to your network, then enter a PIN from the t-stat...and you're set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifkSL8Db9Y

I got that part. I was wondering how you access the thermostat from outside your home. Do you enter your home Router's IP address or do you go to a central website that is somehow connected to your thermostat and everyone else who bought one too?

 

[Glenn]

Ah, gotcha...sorry about that. You register the t-stat with the website. Once that is done, you create a username and a password. Every time you log in, you can see the thermostat's information. Same goes for the iOS app. Once it's registered, you can view/change settings from anywhere you have internet access.

 

[jlboyell]

the c is basically your neutral wire. you have to figure out whether the air handler powers the tstat or the boiler does. there should be an rh and a rc terminal. if it is powered by your boiler, you should be able to take common from boiler and r to power the stat. than rc and y run to the air handler. that way you dont need to worry about batteries. mechanical stats are very inaccurate and slowly lose their calibration. i do hvac, if u have any questions hit me up

 

[Glenn]

My issue was I didn't have a c-wire. The C-wire I located on the air handler didn't have enough juice to power the unit. The boiler did...but lost a bit of voltage when it kicked on. ( tapped into the 24v power source on the Taco control board). So I had to use the transformer.

Update: The unit was offline for a bit. I've been having some issue with my router. Whenever we use the PC and upload pics or stream a youtube/vimeo vid or 3, the router freezes and I can't access the interweb via the pc which is wired to the router. I updated the firmware...no dice. So this week, I need to reset the router. I can't figure out why Linksys requires a complete reset when updating the firmware. It seems most just require a power cycle. We'll see if it helps. Hopefully, importing the router previous router settings will go well after the reset.

 

[Glenn]

Router problem solved...I bought a new one. :lol: It's been solid for two weeks and the range is better.

T-stat has been working very well. The power adapter is solid...so is the interweb connection. It's nice coming home to a warm house after a weekend of skiing.

 

[mlctvt]

I finally installed the 3M-50 Filtrete Thermostat in our condo a few weeks ago. Home Depot's price is now $109.00 and all of their stores in CT and Ma didn't have stock. I ordered it from HomeDepot online and it arrived in less than a week.

Setup was't too bad. I didn't have the "c wire" so i'm powering it from a 18VAC wall wort. If you get one of these just follow the instructions exactly step by step. I set this up from a laptop with wifi card. I didn't have to set up a static IP and so far there haven't been any issues with that. I can alwasy set up a static IP if there are issues in the future. The android app works great it has an "away" temp so turning the system back to a normal program schedule is a single button once the app opens. I can also check the temp in the condo from anywhere and increase the temp to whatever I'd like before we arrive.

Thanks for the info Glenn. I knew about the Nest Thermostat but I didn't know there was such an inexpensive system like this one before reading your post.

 

[Glenn]

Sweet! Glad to hear you got it installed and running! It'll be really nice to come to a nice warm place after driving up Friday night. And being able to check the temp any time is a bonus. I have the app on my iPhone. I'm assuming it's the same as the Andriod...it's very handy.

My t-stat has been solid for awhile now. I think my disconnect problems were related to a 2nd router I had setup as a WAP. Once I replaced that unit (used my old linksys as a WAP) it's been connected without fail.

Now all you have to do is nerd it up and set up an IP camera or two!

 

[mlctvt]

Now all you have to do is nerd it up and set up an IP camera or two!

I've got an IP camera I'm going to try in a the next few weeks. I tried it out at my home in Ct and it works great.
I'm not sure where I'll put it yet, either looking out a window so I could check the weather/snow etc or looking down the hallway toward the door so it'll alert me if the condo association or anyone else enters the place.

 

[Glenn]

I put mine looking out the window. It's not that great at night...unless the outside is lit up well. But for watching the weather and seeing if the driveway was plowed, it works great.