Ideal Halo App

[ianmcd]

The infrastructure is being worked on at the moment but yes, you're right, the server is unreliable. Up more than down by a large margin but not reliable enough for sure.

Having conceded that, no way to avoid it, it has genuinely surprised me how much people rely on an app (any brand app). Even if the server is working I wouldn't fire up the app to alter something even though I remain logged on to mine at home so it's only a press on the icon, I just walk to the room unit and make any adjustment there and frankly that is extremely rare anyway, I guess that's an age thing.

Comfort level, activity level, economy overnight, one button press for override and another for extra hour if necessary. Not an advert for BeSMART but would apply that to any control.

As for talking to a heating control, give me a break, talking to sentient or semi-sentient humans is hard enough, talking to a thermostat (and googles server elsewhere) is for another type of person altogether.

Not according to your own BeSmart post on facebook, some very unhappy customers on there, I have only ever fitted one, took it out at my cost and replaced it with a Hive, wont fit another, service is terrible, call tech and just get fobbed off, I have now fitted just over 230 hives, been back to one and it was just the batteries, I cant afford to be taking constant calls everytime the BeSMART server drops out , doesnt do my reputation any good, had a customer last week wanting a fairly new Vokera with BeSMART taken out and replaced because of the constant crashing, told her the boiler is fine , I will fit a hive and if it crashes within a year then I will replace your boiler and deduct the cost of the Hive, I am confident she will be happy with her boiler now

 

[vulcancontinental]

Not according to your own BeSmart post on facebook, some very unhappy customers on there, I have only ever fitted one, took it out at my cost and replaced it with a Hive, wont fit another, service is terrible, call tech and just get fobbed off, I have now fitted just over 230 hives, been back to one and it was just the batteries, I cant afford to be taking constant calls everytime the BeSMART server drops out , doesnt do my reputation any good, had a customer last week wanting a fairly new Vokera with BeSMART taken out and replaced because of the constant crashing, told her the boiler is fine , I will fit a hive and if it crashes within a year then I will replace your boiler and deduct the cost of the Hive, I am confident she will be happy with her boiler now

Yes that's true but not when put in context. Up more than down but certainly not good enough.

If Hive works for you then great. The point I was making is how surprised I am at how much people actually rely on the app to adjust their heating or put another way, how out of touch I am.

 

[ianmcd]

Yes that's true but not when put in context. Up more than down but certainly not good enough.

If Hive works for you then great. The point I was making is how surprised I am at how much people actually rely on the app to adjust their heating or put another way, how out of touch I am.

David when I first started fitting smart controls, I thought my customer base would be young techies, which I still think was the target customer base, but for me most of my customers are elderly, their kids can monitor the heating and HW usage from afar , to make sure their lone parent is up and moving around and that the heating is on, and the older ones love being able to turn the heating on and off from their own armchare, yes I have tried explaing about it being a learning thermostat and to let it do its job, but if they have got to 80 odd years on this planet doing what they feel best, who am I to argue with them, was chatting with a regular customer last week, her son is a right techie and always has the latest iphone, gives his mum his old one, I said to her what do you use it for, she says the heating and solitaire, I just use the house phone to call people

 

[vulcancontinental]

That sounds rather too much like me except I use my phone app to check the boiler rather than the heating system.

 

[TeaAndBiscuits]

Unfortunately though some brands don't let you use the opentherm ability without using their own proprietary kit.

I think veissman had issues with Honeywell kit being installed, I know of baxi having issues with opentherm using a nest, possibly others.

When I wanted a boiler because I wanted opentherm there were few brands to choose from that I knew it actually fully worked on

Halo is the replacement for their 'Touch Connect' system that I got installed with my Vogue boiler.

Thing was total crap. Functioned OK as a basic thermostat/timer but the connected/online part was utterly hopeless. Rather than update the app/ server infrastructure and make it work properly, they binned it and brought out something new. Anyone's guess if it's any better.

I ripped it out and fitted a nest, which controls the Vogue flawlessly via opentherm.

 

[vulcancontinental]

That sounds rather too much like me except I use my phone app to check the boiler rather than the heating system.

BTW the system pressure can't be topped up by app, only from the room thermostat or boiler fascia button. nNot sure what the next incarnation will offer.

 

[sxturbo]

BTW the system pressure can't be topped up by app, only from the room thermostat or boiler fascia button. nNot sure what the next incarnation will offer.

On the intergas with the installer app that could be a really useful feature if it could be done via an app.

 

[vulcancontinental]

Not particularly concerned about Intergas

 

[sxturbo]

Not particularly concerned about Intergas

No, I'm aware of that, but as far as I'm aware there isn't anything similar from other manufacturers..

 

[sxturbo]

@op,

Did you get this sorted?

 

[vulcancontinental]

No, I'm aware of that, but as far as I'm aware there isn't anything similar from other manufacturers..

Worcester have an auto fill option I believe

 

[ianmcd]

Worcester have an auto fill option I believe

They do indeed and it is absolute crap

 

[vulcancontinental]

They do indeed and it is absolute crap

Good to know

 

[ianmcd]

Good to know

it can be over ridden at the boiler controls, and cut in a standard filling loop, most installers I see are doing this