Hubitat, Sinope Thermostats, and Google Assistant; i'm lost

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what is HPM?

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Hubitat Package Manager

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dcmeglio/hubitat-packagemanager/master/apps/Package_Manager.groovy

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1 - yes, i believe that i connected the thermostat in the devices page. it appears in the list with all the other devices i have.

2 - yes, i have the google integration app in the APPS screen and i currently use it to control my switches. "hey google, turn on the coffee machine."

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  1. on your devices page click on your thermostat. You should details and be able to adjust settings from there. If you adjust the settings do they change on thermostat?

  2. In that google app have you scrolled down and added your thermostat to the list of device to expose to Google?

Finally after #2 say "Hey Google sync my devices" and that will resync google to your Hubitat. Then go into your google home app and see if the thermostat has showed up.

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  1. yes, they change on the thermostat but the "current states" at the upper right of the hubitat web page doesn't change. the "heating setpoint" in particular.

  2. yes, i click on apps/google home/which devices. i have to click on the "which devices: area in order to bring up a list of devices with check boxes. the thermostat check box is unchecked so i check it and then click on update. when i go to any other section of the controls and then go back to google home, the device is not on the list anymore. it always disappears.

i don't know what i did but i managed to get controller on the google home interface on my phone. i could move a dot on a large circle apparently to change the heating set point but it didn't do anything on the physical thermostat.

another thing i'm wondering about is why are there so many superfluous controls for a thermostat that turn electricity on and off to a heating element? there are no fans, no cooling, etc. and what on earth is emergency heating?

thanks for your help

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Thermostats don't only control electric base boards, they can also control A/C systems, furnaces, hydroponic baseboards, in floor heating, etc.

Used mostly in in floor heating systems where if the step to go from current temp to programmed tem will kick in a emergency heating system (backup) that is usually air forced and will help bring the temps up a bit faster and many times more efficiently.

You should consider adding the Thermostat Scheduler built in app.

As for the other questions about Google assistant, sorry I don't use it. Echo devices work great with Sinope thermostats and Hubitat.

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  1. You need to figure that out first. Might need to contact support. If that doesn't work then no automations are going to work.

  2. When you do this again (check the thermostat and then click done in the google home app) have the live logging window open. After you click done I'm guessing there is an error.

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i wonder how the thermostat would control those things when there are only two wires connected in series to the heater.

okay but again i'm left wondering how all of these things would be managed by a simple thermostat with two wires.

i did install that but i deleted it since i thought that it was redundant with the "Rule Machine" app. yes the scheduler could be useful so i'll re-install it but my main use would be controlling the thermostats from my phone. I would really hope to be able to just say "hey google, set the living room thermostat to 21°"

is that what you have set up? if so, can you just say "alexa, set the living room thermostat to 21°?"

thanks again for your help

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For a Driver, try: TH112xZB Sinope Thermostat EnergyMerter V3 from Sacua. The Hubitat built in driver is fine, this one is less chatty.

I'd highly recommend using the Thermostat scheduler for 99% of your heating, and reserve asking Google to change things for the other 1%. One advantage to baseboards is you effectively have zone heating. If a room isn't going to be used at certain times on a regular basis, keep the door closed and have the scheduler keep the heat in that room a couple of degrees lower.

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1 - okay, now the page seems to update with the correct set point. i don't know what has changed.
2 - i opened a live logging window and this is what i get:
dev:812021-12-15 13:35:35.839 infoupdateSetPoints(20, null)

dev:812021-12-15 13:35:35.825 infosetHeatingSetpoint(20) was called

dev:812021-12-15 13:35:15.063 infoupdateSetPoints(22, null)

dev:812021-12-15 13:35:14.941 infosetHeatingSetpoint(22) was called

seems to be normal. i don't see any error messages.

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You will see a lot of stuff in the thrermostat drivers that may not work with your thermostat. Instead of trying to create a separte thermostat driver for every make and model out there, Hubitat uses a generic type that covers all of them. You know that your thermostat can do. Just ignore the rest.

Here is the doc for Thermostat Controller. This will give you better setpoint control if your thermostat is limited in that regard.

Here is the doc for Thermostat Scheduler. This is intended for connected thermostats that do not already have scheduling functions.

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thanks for the info and the docs. i thought the driver would be written by Sinopé and that they would write it specifically for a single product.

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The drivers were written by Hubitat internally. Sinope sent in product and drivers were then written. Very few manufacturers write the drivers themselves, and when they do, it's loaded as custom code.

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thanks. i've downloaded and installed the driver. now i have to figure out how to use it.
as i said in the subject line of this post, i am lost. i am absolutely completely lost. i've been working on this for hours yesterday and again today. about 10 hours total and i have achieved nothing. it is far too complicated for mere mortals such as myself. i don't know what a "driver" is or does and how to use or install it. and as much as i would like to, i'm too old to learn all this stuff at this point in my life.

in the end, the juice just ain't worth the squeeze.

one of the issues with the scheduler for me is that nothing in my life is "on a regular basis." it's different every day which is exactly why i wanted to be able to talk to the system or at least tap on my phone's screen in order to make changes rather than have to walk to each separate thermostat in the house. That's what i'm trying to achieve.

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ok, i downloaded the driver and saved it. i think it's in the hubitat somewhere.
i followed the instructions and now have a virtual thermostat as well as a thermostat and a thermostat controller. i have no clue as to what i'm doing here.

what does the virtual thermostat do?
do i need the thermostat and the thermostat controller devices?

maybe i'm just hung up on the terminology that i don't understand. is "device" not the physical box that i bought from Sinopé?

now that i put a "null controller" device in the devices page, that's what shows up on Google Home but it doesn't control the physical thermostat. i can slide the button around the circle and the number in the center changes but nothing else happens.

does the "null controller" have to talk to the real device somehow?

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Depends on the heating system and the combined thermostat. So my Sinope floor thermostat (TH1300ZB) uses only 2 wires because it's a simple heating element thermostat. It wouldn't work for my AC system (I have a GoControl for that) It sounds like you should be using that one for baseboard heaters.

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A driver is the software the controls a device. An application is software that performs a function on the hub or interacts with a devices driver.

For the theremostat, I was reminded of something similar. Google home doesn't like auto mode, so you'll need to disable that. This thread is more about getting a remote sensor into Google home. To get the thermostat control in there, Thermostat Scheduler should do the trick.

Shouldn't be null. Set your thermostat also as the temperature sensor, unless you're using a remote temperature sensor. Then click on the table where it shows Free in green. There's a switch labelled Free/Controlled. Switch to Controlled. Then share the virtual thermostat that ends with "Controller" in the name, with Google Home and it should show up. You should be able to set your heating then. Keep in mind that the weighting settings in Thermostat Controller will determine the offset amount. So if you enter 78 degrees for example, you might get 76 on the actual thermostat. Give the docs a read. They explain this.

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@rlithgow1 @SmartHomePrimer @nclark @jrfarrar
thanks to all of you who contributed to this thread. i sincerely appreciate your help.

@gwydionjhr gave me a phone call as he coincidentally lives about 45 min away offering his help, in person if needed. i shared my screen with him and he corrected a few things and guided me on some others.

lo and behold, it works!!! the thermostat appears in google home and voice control works in 1 second!

i am incredibly grateful for the support. i know it sounds corny but i really could not have done it on my own. they say it takes a village to raise a child but in this case i'll say it takes a forum to troubleshoot tech stuff like this.

thanks again to all of you. now let's see what other kinds of trouble i can get myself into with this Hubitat thing :grin:

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Remember, automation, not remote control!!! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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The community is always here to help!!! :sunglasses:

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