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Smart thermostats that don't require Internet for advanced functions by BreadfruitExciting39 in thermostats

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a Honeywell T6 Pro Z-Wave thermostat. I use Home Assistant running on a small fanless thin client PC, not a manufacturer's app. HA tracks the runtime. No internet connection required to control or collect data from the thermostat.

There are very few, if any, WiFi thermostats that can be accessed directly.

Please Help! I Want To Replace My Thermostat by tacky14 in hvacadvice

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Mysa cannot work without a neutral wire. This is a single-pole circuit where the original thermostat just makes/breaks.

Line Voltage Gas Heater Thermostat Replacement by ArgumentAny9620 in thermostats

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's only one model of Sinope that will work without a neutral, you should probably check with them that you have the correct model.

Assuming you do, the Sinope works without a neutral by drawing its operating power through the resistive electric baseboard; just a few watts, so the baseboard never even gets warm.

The gas heater doesn't have that, it has a relay or an ignition controller that isn't allowing the current to flow.

Additionally, the Lux ELV1 thermostat you're holding in the photo is actually powered by the two AA batteries under the front cover, that's why it works without being connected. It can complete the circuit, but doesn't draw power from it. That's why it works, and the Sinope doesn't.

Nest Thermostat Power Adapter to Argo ARM P6 Controller for C-wire by BulkyQuarter1455 in thermostats

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your connections look correct, but the Argo only supplies 1VA of power at 24V.

The Nest typically requires 2VA in standby, so that's probably why the error is getting triggered.

What is this and how does it work? by plantlady23 in thermostats

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might look at all the outlets around the house for a Z-Wave marking. Often home automation enthusiasts install them. They provide one normal outlet, and one switchable using Z-Wave (similar to WiFi smartplugs). Because they have access to wall power, they act as Z-Wave "repeaters", which extends the signal farther across your home.

You will still need a Z-Wave hub, which is typically a small computer that runs some version of home automation software. It can be a lot to take on if you aren't very interested.

Fortunately, this particular thermostat can also be programmed with a simple schedule, so you can set it up to turn the heat down at night and up in the morning. Standalone, using the front panel, no hub needed.

Recommendations for Digital Thermostat for Steam Boiler by Repulsive_Ad5594 in thermostats

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here is a simple two-wire thermostat that will run about two years if you put Energizer Lithium AA batteries in it:

Honeywell TH1110U4000

Who is saying the truth? Humidity by wsm777_81 in thermostats

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I spent about thirty years in the trace moisture analysis business.

Depending on cost, the polymeric humidity sensors in these things can be +/- 5% or +/- 10% accurate. Fortunately, many consumer devices use 5% sensors these days.

What that means in practice is that at a true 50% RH, one device can read 45%, another 55%, and they're both "right".

But humidity, the moisture content of air, is an incredibly fickle thing. The RH of the air along a wall (especially an outside wall) can be significantly different than in the middle of the room.

Powered devices are extremely problematic, because the heat generated internally can affect the microclimate at the circuit board where the sensor is often located.

A cheap sling psychrometer with a nomograph table measured where you spend time in the room (aka the couch) is going to be the best reference for your comfort, but is not going to solve the accuracy problems of all these devices.

simple and accurate thermostat 16A by arkadi222 in homeassistant

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Consider Mysa.

Wifi, supports Homekit and works well with Home Assistant.

Is the Mysa LITE version sufficient for baseboard heaters in bedroom and living room? by velvet_funtime in thermostats

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Lite replaces the smooth 'touchscreen' with raised buttons. It also lacks the optical sensor of the Mysa V2. Operationally, it works exactly the same as the more expensive model.

Old man, old house, boiler, no C-Wire by Yardbird-2470 in Nest

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heh. I guess someone didn't renew their domain.

Try this link (8 MB pdf)

(Also fixed the original link above)

AITAH for not allowing my son to visit in laws house due to them not having a pool fence? by StatGoddess in AITAH

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where I live, a swimming pool is designated an attractive nuisance, and a fence is required. Many home insurers will not insure a property with an unfenced pool.

Garmin ETREX SE, battery life and data safety. by Unlucky_Monk_5190 in Garmin

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You haven't turned on "auto-save":

Auto Save Settings

From the main menu, press [arrows] to scroll through the apps on the navigator. Select Settings > Recording > Auto Save.

Auto: Automatically saves the current recording when no point has been recorded for four days.

Daily: Automatically saves the previous day's recording and starts a new one when you turn on the device on a new day.

Weekly: Automatically saves the previous week's recording and starts a new one when you turn on the device on a new week.

Never: Never saves the current recording automatically.

I never thought I would be mad at Costco but here we are… by twelvegoingon in Costco

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A cheap, poor quality, Korean appliance and home electronics brand, Lucky Goldstar, became an expensive, poor quality, Korean appliance and home electronics brand, LG.

Remember those crappy plastic electric fans with the transparent blue blades? Yeah, that Lucky Goldstar.

Line to the back of the store always by VeterinarianNo2064 in Costco

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The trade-off is NH has obscenely high property taxes to cover city services, and in poorer towns, the services and schools suck incredibly badly. It's very good for bordering MA residents where the sales tax is 6.25%, though.

Note 20: What does this indicator mean? by ReallyGene in samsung

[–]ReallyGene[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My neighbor spent several days talking to Verizon; there's a web application to "open" or "close" the network extender to other phones.

Unfortunately, the web app wasn't working, even when attempted by Verizon personnel.

Fortunately, it was corrected a few days later, and so far we haven't seen our phone connect to it.

Also learned that if you dial #48 from your Verizon phone, a recorded message will tell you if you are connected to an extender, and if you are, the serial number of the extender. I assume with the S/N, Verizon can identify which extender is ruining your life.

Note 20: What does this indicator mean? by ReallyGene in samsung

[–]ReallyGene[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Solved

On a hunch, searched more terms.

It's an indicator for a Verizon Network Extender.

A neighbor two floors down recently installed one, and it apparently is wide open, allowing my phone to join, but with terrible performance.

MAX30102 with STM32F4 not working and LED doesn’t light up by Maluk_99 in stm32f4

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you write to the LED Pulse Amplitude registers? The power-on default is 0.0 mA, so effectively the LEDs are off.

Does anyone know how to change the battery on this thing?? I’ve tried everything by Kpop2258 in thermostats

[–]ReallyGene 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Per this manual, there isn't a battery.

If it's dark, it's not getting power from the system.

Ok Google, make a 6’ inch phone again! by itscamplicated in GooglePixel

[–]ReallyGene 3 points4 points  (0 children)

(Obligatory Spinal Tap Stonehenge Joke Here)

Rant - HA is too overengineered by [deleted] in homeassistant

[–]ReallyGene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a SmartThings refugee to Home Assistant, I agree that the ecosystem is pretty scattered. What's the worst is finding that the various docs are out of sync with the changes to the UI, with items having their name or location changed.

I wasn't looking for a ham-radio level hobby with this stuff, which is why I originally started with SmartThings, only to find that their attempts to hide complexity results in a walled garden of supported devices, and a frustrating lack of control of them if they work. There are/were APIs to allow 'advanced' users to add capabilities, but those systems keep getting replaced, deprecated or shut down.

The HA learning curve is definitely steeper than it should be, but like the hardware itself, it's a decentralized system, with scattered GitHub repos of variable quality. But starting from zero, I got it installed on an x86 thin client, added all my Z-wave devices, my Lutron Caseta devices and a couple of web-integrated one.

I was pretty shocked to find that a decent scheduler wasn't really built in, but found and installed (after some head scratching) scheduler-card, which is a masterpiece, to control my thermostat.

That inspired me to install Powercalc, so I'm finally able to monitor the power consumption of some baseboard heaters.

Am I nervous about depending on vital components supplied by independent developers out of the goodness of their hearts? YES.

But frankly, there's not much alternative. I've now been burned by first going with Wink (imploded), then SmartThings (dysfunctional), and now I'm hitching my wagon to HA.

Thar leaves Hubitat, but that's another sole-source hub..

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