Wireless programable thermostat

[deadshort]

Hi, I would be greatful for you opinon / recomendations as to the best wireless thermostat? I have a Vokera Linea combi boiler.

Thanks,

DS

 

[deadshort]

Thanks all, Honeywell get good reviews via which thanks.

DS

 

[ericmark]

See http://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/speed-of-wireless-ch-thermostat.451915/ I have fitted a Horstmann RF Programmable room thermostat HSFS1 which seems around the cheapest and it does work, however there seems to be a delay between the programmer calling for heat and the central heating firing up, as to if this is due to location of thermostat or a fault with the thermostat or normal I don't know? Also the Honeywell Y6630D Wireless room thermostat is installed in same house that also seems to have a delay so it may be normal.

The Horstmann RF Programmable room thermostat HSFS1 has 4 dip switches to alter the difference between the turn on and off temperatures, swap between 5 + 2 or 7 day programming, and heating or cooling with 7 day that 5 x 7 = 35 temperatures you can select for the week and either wall mounted or placed on a piece of furniture where it looks like a room thermometer rather than a programmer. Since mobile I tried different locations oddly near to radiator works better.

However since both the thermostats seem to have a delay I am not too sure about wireless now. Could strangle the central heating installers as there was already a wired thermostat when they replaced the boiler and they cut out all the wires.

 

[muggles]

Vokera's own OpenTherm stat will give you the best heating efficiency

http://www.vokera.co.uk/trade-professionals/controls/

 

[Echo the husky]

However since both the thermostats seem to have a delay I am not too sure about wireless now.

There should be no delay. If it's cold and the thermostat is calling for heat the valve should open the moment the programmer is switched on.

The usual cause for this delay is incorrect wiring of the receiver, I see this time and time again. The receiver needs a permanant mains supply all the time, the connection to the common of the relay output should be fed from the CH on connection from the programmer. The NO output of the relay output should go to the CH valve motor (or to the boiler if it is a combi).

If the entire receiver gets its power from the CH on connection from the programmer it will take a while for the thermostat and it's receiver to communicate again after the heating is switched on at the programmer. This is what most often causes the delay.

 

[St0rmer66]

Vokera's own OpenTherm stat will give you the best heating efficiency

http://www.vokera.co.uk/trade-professionals/controls/

On a Linea? . Pretty sure OpenTherm compatibility wasn't included on them back then .

 

[bernardgreen]

However since both the thermostats seem to have a delay I am not too sure about wireless now. Could strangle the central heating installers as there was already a wired thermostat when they replaced the boiler and they cut out all the wires.

Wireless on a licence exempt frequency is never the best option for communication when wired is an alternative.

The delay may be because the thermostat only transmits a status report at regular intervals and not immediately the demand is created. It makes sense that it sends regular status reports since a single transmission of the command "BOILER OFF" may be lost and then the boiler would continue to run even though the thermostat was no longer calling for heat.

 

[ericmark]

However since both the thermostats seem to have a delay I am not too sure about wireless now. Could strangle the central heating installers as there was already a wired thermostat when they replaced the boiler and they cut out all the wires.

Wireless on a licence exempt frequency is never the best option for communication when wired is an alternative.

The delay may be because the thermostat only transmits a status report at regular intervals and not immediately the demand is created. It makes sense that it sends regular status reports since a single transmission of the command "BOILER OFF" may be lost and then the boiler would continue to run even though the thermostat was no longer calling for heat.

I agree with what you say, it seems there is a regular command sent, some where I have a wave meter may be that will show how often it transmits, or maybe I can find the frequency and use my FT50R to monitor it. But other than that it is hard to know what is going on, and more to the point with this point, do all thermostats do the same?

In my case I have that niggle in back of my mind that the two thermostats could interfere with each other? The hard wired parts are next to each other. Had I not got this problem I would have recommended the Horstmann RF Programmable room thermostat HSFS1 as on paper it is exactly what is required. And it does work. It just seems to have a delay. Mums house now sitting at 21°C and rising as it should this time of day, but I have looked from time to time and it does seem slow to respond.

 

[bernardgreen]

The frequency wll be 433.92MHz or around 868 MHz as these are the Licence Exempt channel allocated for heating controls and a large number of other application from car doos locks to telemetry down links from drones. ( not 100% certain that the last one is a legal use ).

Block of transmissions by other users and loss of packets ( commands and/or data ) is getting more and more frequent as more and more wireless stuff is pushed onto unsuspecting customers.

Shortly after Christmas a survey for a site found that for 22% per cent of the time the channel at the receiver was blocked by transmissions from other users. The signal level was high enough to prevent the receiver hearing transmissions from its associated transmitter.

 

[muggles]

Vokera's own OpenTherm stat will give you the best heating efficiency

http://www.vokera.co.uk/trade-professionals/controls/

On a Linea? . Pretty sure OpenTherm compatibility wasn't included on them back then .

Depends which Linea it is!

 

[deadshort]

Hi, thanks for your input I will check which boiler it is tonight and get back to you.

Kind regards,

DS

 

[deadshort]

I am beginning to think I may just run a bit of 3core+earth from my exiting programmer which is a cupboard to the hallway and fit a wired programmable stat

Thanks, Ill be fishing and swearing this weekend........

Regards,

DS

 

[bernardgreen]

Thanks, Ill be fishing and swearing this weekend........

Better that than freezing or sweating for several weekends if ( when ) the wireless link doesn't link

 

[flameport]

I am beginning to think I may just run a bit of 3core+earth from my exiting programmer which is a cupboard to the hallway and fit a wired programmable stat

A much better solution.
Just make sure you buy a mains powered thermostat.

 

[ericmark]

My battery powered thermostat will run for about 2 years on a set of good batteries, however I have found the low battery indicator does not show before the batteries reach a point where they will not hold the relay in, so I swap every year at end of summer even if still working rather than it fail when I am not expecting it to.

In theroy even mechanical thermostats need a neutral and three core and earth cable should always be used to the thermostat, however in practice even with mechanical types often the neutral is not wired to the thermostat.

For me I think first set is to disconnect the Honeywell Y6630D Wireless room thermostat and see if it improves. It may be they are both on same frequency and one is upsetting the other.