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couldn't you just place a wifi router in her house, even if it doesn't have internet? I have a honeywell programmable Wi-Fi t-stat, and if I didn't have internet, obviously I wouldn't be able to control it outside of the home. But.. I can unplug the internet from my router and still control it from within the house.
I can't imagine that the t-stat loses programming when it loses power.. It could lose the TIME, perhaps, and if it's trying to reach out to a time server on the internet to reset itself, that could be a problem.
Honeywell is generally an exception; most of these "cloud-tethered" devices get all their "smart" behavior from constant communication with the cloud server. No WiFi connection to the server in California (if you chose wisely, otherwise, China)? Then the thermostat goes very dumb.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner
WiFi in the future and utility offering incentives for WiFi purchases.
...In order to have weekend different from weekday must be WiFi. In order to have backlit display must be WiFi. To lock settings must be WiFi... Etc.
I have "smart" thermostats and light switches and more, but I chose to avoid WiFi and go with other protocols like Z-Wave and Insteon which are not only more battery-friendly, but also which are not remotely controllable by the utility or the vendor.
My honeywell Z-Wave thermostat can get time from the controller, and I can override the schedule by using Z-wave to control it, but if I don't then it will just fall back to the programmed schedule and the onboard battery-backed clock and work just like my old "dumb" Honeywell 7-day thermostat worked.
Bought a WiFi enabled Sensi ST55U stat due to good reviews for Mom's place.
Never would have replaced the old Mercury Stat but the cover was broken and Mom would get it stuck on max if not careful which meant the place was pushing 90F on more than one occasion!
Anyway... doing the swap was easy... but without WiFi even the simplest of features are not possible.
I asked after 63 minutes on hold if I could program with WiFi and then take it to her home... was told not viable... as is using a phone hotspot unless the hotspot was permanent.
Guess it is the way of the world but in order to run a weekday and weekend schedule or keep the back-light on active WiFi required...
Even for instructions one must go to the Web...
With all the power failures and turn offs in California it would seem a Stat that is dependent on Internet for so many features just adds a new level of complexity with a downside.
Maybe I should just repair the old Stat and put in a pin or stop so it can't be set above 72...
The old one lasted 60+ years... somehow I don't think these new ones will.
At least her rotary dial phone and rabbit ears for the 25 inch Zenith TV work! So does the VCR which came in handy not long ago... neighbor found some old VCR tapes of their wedding but had no way to view...
WiFi mean just that you need WiFi, if you don’t have WiFi in the house you should of gotten a regular programable thermostat.
My cell phone has WiFi but WiFi not required to make a call, retrieve a message from voice mail... etc.
I can't be the only one who can see a massive outage in the future causing more than a blip on WiFi required technology expanding into daily life?
Common sense begs the question why WiFi needed to back light the display?
Don't feel too bad... Thermostat was nearly free with rebate from Utility and it can turn the furnace off and on around a set temperature... all is not lost.
Most of the Smart Home products have battery backup so they will work during power outage, but their smart settings wouldn't work till connected to internet/Wi-Fi.
There are battery operated light bulbs too https://www.amazon.com/HAYLO-Emergen...ef=mp_s_a_1_14
Bought a WiFi enabled Sensi ST55U stat due to good reviews for Mom's place.
Never would have replaced the old Mercury Stat but the cover was broken and Mom would get it stuck on max if not careful which meant the place was pushing 90F on more than one occasion!
Anyway... doing the swap was easy... but without WiFi even the simplest of features are not possible.
I asked after 63 minutes on hold if I could program with WiFi and then take it to her home... was told not viable... as is using a phone hotspot unless the hotspot was permanent.
Guess it is the way of the world but in order to run a weekday and weekend schedule or keep the back-light on active WiFi required...
Even for instructions one must go to the Web...
With all the power failures and turn offs in California it would seem a Stat that is dependent on Internet for so many features just adds a new level of complexity with a downside.
Maybe I should just repair the old Stat and put in a pin or stop so it can't be set above 72...
The old one lasted 60+ years... somehow I don't think these new ones will.
At least her rotary dial phone and rabbit ears for the 25 inch Zenith TV work! So does the VCR which came in handy not long ago... neighbor found some old VCR tapes of their wedding but had no way to view...
I'm surprised you didn't go with a honeywell like this one that's about $80. I wouldn't have spent that much money for your moms house. I have the same honeywell but without wifi. Its a decent thermostat. You should be able to use that one without wifi.
Not all "smart thermostats" are cloud-tethered, but nearly all WiFi thermostats are.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner
Common sense begs the question why WiFi needed to back light the display?
Literally, lazy designers/programmers just default everything to relying on the cloud service.
Consider what happens when the vendor decides to terminate the free cloud connection (Wink, Revolv, Wemo,...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner
Still a few Techno Peasants here.
My cell phone has WiFi but WiFi not required to make a call, retrieve a message from voice mail... etc. I can't be the only one who can see a massive outage in the future causing more than a blip on WiFi required technology expanding into daily life?
Consumers choose "smart" products based primarily on price, and usually you need to get into the more expensive products (or "commercial") to find smart technology which is not tethered to a cloud service and which can keep doing its thing even in the face of a WiFi/Internet/cloud outage.
This does exist, for example, every Z-Wave product I've seen will just keep on doing what it does even if it can't talk to the Z-wave controller(s).
Z-wave Thermostat also needs Wi-Fi to work properly.
I've worked with many products in this space. and have never seen a Z-Wave thermostat which would not "work properly" without WiFi. In the case of the Radio-Thermostat and Honeywell models, the Z-wave remote control is a little snap-in module, which you can literally pull out with pliers while powered up and the thermostat will just keep on trucking.
Even without Internet, Z-wave still works! (assuming you chose a Z-Wave hub which is not dependent on the Internet).
For example, when I am home and I lose Internet connectivity, everything still works locally. But to get this point, I spent a lot more on my Z-Wave buildout than I would've spent if I'd just taken the primrose path into a Google/Nest/Wyze walled garden.
Bought a WiFi enabled Sensi ST55U stat due to good reviews for Mom's place.
Never would have replaced the old Mercury Stat but the cover was broken and Mom would get it stuck on max if not careful which meant the place was pushing 90F on more than one occasion!
Anyway... doing the swap was easy... but without WiFi even the simplest of features are not possible.
I asked after 63 minutes on hold if I could program with WiFi and then take it to her home... was told not viable... as is using a phone hotspot unless the hotspot was permanent.
Guess it is the way of the world but in order to run a weekday and weekend schedule or keep the back-light on active WiFi required...
Even for instructions one must go to the Web...
With all the power failures and turn offs in California it would seem a Stat that is dependent on Internet for so many features just adds a new level of complexity with a downside.
Maybe I should just repair the old Stat and put in a pin or stop so it can't be set above 72...
The old one lasted 60+ years... somehow I don't think these new ones will.
At least her rotary dial phone and rabbit ears for the 25 inch Zenith TV work! So does the VCR which came in handy not long ago... neighbor found some old VCR tapes of their wedding but had no way to view...
Menards has a non-electronic non-mercury thermostat for less than $20 that will work on any old heating system.
$20 is what I'm into the Smart Stat after rebate...
Illuminated display was a factor ad Mom's vision is failing...
Dumb me... never occured to illuminate the display WiFi is required...
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Not all "smart thermostats" are cloud-tethered, but nearly all WiFi thermostats are.
