I've read through many thermostat threads on here. It seems like every local control thermostat has a problem though??
CT100 has multiple reports of missed mode/setpoints and opertatingState updates...
Not many comments on Honeywell with customer dth.
No reports on Remotec ZTS-500.
So the question is - are there any zwave/zigbee thermostats that work 100% (without a bunch of caveats)?
I'm on ecobee now, but I do a lot of vent automation and the slow operatingState updates (regardless of polling frequency) make it a little painful. Especially on short heating cycles - it is less of a problem on longer cooling cycles.
But not so painful that I'm willing to replace it for something with quirks that are more painful.
I very recently installed the Centralite Pearl and haven't had any issues with these points at least. I have our ceiling fans tied to the thermostatOperatingState and it has been spot on since day one. The only time the setpoints have gotten screwy was when the TStat decided to dropoff the network but that was due to poor signal at that time.
FWIW I have a Centralite Pearl on the way to replace my Honeywell WiFi thermostat. The custom driver didn't work well for me because I mostly base setpoints on mode rather than schedule, so when I set a temp I want it to go to Permanent Hold mode. The custom driver doesn't do this, so my setpoints were adjusting themselves at the default schedule times. Because of this, I started using Hubitat to hit IFTTT Webhooks endpoints with temp as a parameter, and use those to change the setpoints using the Honeywell TCC channel, as IFTTT allows Permanent Hold. Works well for the most part, but there's been a couple of times when the setpoint didn't change. Not sure where the process breaks down, but it made me want to switch to a locally controllable thermostat....which will be here Friday
I have a Honeywell Z-wave thermostat (older one). I had another Honeywell but replaced it with a Pearl. The Honeywell was replaced for looks not function.
In both cases:
I use the built in Generic Thermostat driver.
I have not preprogrammed (in the thermostat) setpoints.
I only use Heat mode.
Recently I've been using thermostat scheduler
I have hot water heat using a boiler and baseboard radiators. This system has a lag from the time the heat reaches the room to the time the thermostat senses the increase in heat.
I've had the Honeywell before I purchased my HE (~ June). Was using it with VeraPlus.
The Pearl is only a month old.
All the time I've had them I've only had one issue. The Honeywell received a corrupt change in temp value. Never happened again and I don't know the root cause.
Controlling heat
IMHO The Honeywell performs much better than the Pearl. It works on a very slow PWM principle. Mine is set for 5 cycles an hour. The ON time is controlled by the average temperature and is able to perform the function of the old mechanical "anticipator"
The Pearl is an ON/OFF style of controller. It has an adjustable "minimum deadband" which I have set at 1 °F.
To be honest I'm still learning more about the Pearl control function / deadband performance characteristics.
Other
Neither have had any communications issues.
I like the Pearl capability of setting both the minimum temperature and maximum temperature internally. The Honeywell only sets the maximum temp. I find this capability to be very important. If somehow an automation command is corrupted, the effect is limited to the max and min temperatures. Mine has a max of 75 °F and a min of 62 °F.
The Pearl in black is gorgeous, we have White because the black would not match our style. The white looks very good as well.
I have not used the Auto functions(s) as I have 3 heat zones and one A/C zone so the A/C is on a different thermostat.
FWIW, I am using the port of Ecobee Suite and have a virtual switch that switches on when OperatingState switches. I've been comparing the times that turns on and off vs. what is recorded on the Ecobee website for my thermostat. So far I see about a 15-30s lag max.
Great! No complaints at all. It's been working nicely. Took a few days to get used to the new appearance on the wall but I actually like it better now that I'm used to it.
Would you mind sharing how you're doing this - I'm completely fine with YMMV code The Honeywell TCC driver isn't reliable and I'd like to use IFTTT webhooks to change my temp when everyone is away (since IFTTT is reliable). Since I have multiple Tstats and I run in auto mode, I have to set both heat & cooling set points on both when I leave, then resume when we return.
So I've created these rules (I assume this is how you create multiple "actions"), but it's very specific and seem silly since I essentially need to call 4 webhooks if everyone is gone.
I thought about making a virtual thermostat device have my IFTTT webhook API key as an input and my endpoint names as input, then I could setCoolingSetpoint/setHeatingSetpoint, etc.
Any guidance would be appreciated. My Tstats aren't something that I can easily swap out - I've been down that road before, so unfortunately that's not an option.
I had a different RM rule for each of my mode setpoints, so I think you're on the right track. IIRC on the IFTTT side you can grab the temp from the URL and pass it on to TCC, so it can be done with just one applet for heat temp and one for cool. Can't remember 100% though and I deleted everything when I swapped thermostats.
The Honeywell TCC driver isn't reliable and I'd like to use IFTTT webhooks to change my temp when everyone is away (since IFTTT is reliable). Since I have multiple Tstats and I run in auto mode, I have to set both heat & cooling set points on both when I leave, then resume when we return.
