I just installed a Toshiba 8000 BTU "smart" window a/c in my basement that I would like to control with Hubitat some way or another. Mostly I want to be able to trigger it based on room humidity and temperature because it's built in temp sensor is a little less than accurate since it's measuring the air directly in front of it. It seems to work fine through it's own app but I highly doubt they have an open API. The a/c does have an Alexa skill and I'm wondering if there's a way to have Hubitat operate it through Alexa. I normally shy away from cloud dependent things but this isn't mission critical so I'd like to try.
I currently have xaomi temp/humidity sensors and a smart plug that I've been using to operate a dehumidifier and I'm looking for this a/c to functionally replace the dehumidifier. I could of course just use the smart plug on the a/c but I would like to have more granularity of control (activate dry mode, change fan speeds, etc..).
See if you can find a Remotec ZXT-120. It is a z-wave to IR gateway that can be used to control a window A/C or a mini-split. There is a Hubitat driver for it thanks to @bcopeland.
The only thing is that this a/c uses a "dumb" remote that only sends simple commands unlike most mini splits that send an entire string of commands based on what's selected on the remote. The most I'd be able to do with what's essentially a universal remote is turn it on and off, which I could do just as easily with a smart plug.
I decided I'm just going to go the smart-plug route and pair it with a CT100 thermostat. I actually just picked one up on ebay for $25. The A/C's built in thermostat is wildly inaccurate (as they usually are) and the xaomi sensors aren't too great at regular reporting.
Careful. Some of the newer window A/C units run the fan for some time after cutting the compressor out (I know the LG units do this to help the compressor cool down). Cutting the power off directly removes that cool down cycle and could possibly decrease compressor life.
I would check the manual for your new Toshiba before cutting it on/off using a smart plug.
Same as mine, but using a smartplug wouldn't work as it will not restart once power is applied. It has to receive the power on from the remote. I was considering getting a another unit for the shop as I found one that I could control with a smartplug. Just before buying it I thought about my Harmony hub which I didn't really use anymore. Looked on the forum found the harmony driver and it saved me some money.
