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Wireless WiFi Smart Thermostats - The future of wireless thermostats have already arrived as there are a handful of wireless thermostats available on the market now. These are the forefathers of wireless thermostats and offer basic functions that the average wired programmable thermostat has to offer that are currently available on the market.
As we progress and the thermostat manufacturers tweak and improve on their thermostats, the thermostats will grow far more complex than the wireless thermostats offered today. This new breed of the wireless thermostat is a far cry from the once state-of-the-art thermostats that offered touch screens and adaptive recovery features that the current breed of thermostat offers.
As we move into the future, we see new features and options that will offer us more control, monitoring, and energy savings. All the manufacturers have something in the pipeline for wireless thermostats including Venstar, Emerson (White-Rodgers), and Honeywell to name a few thermostat manufacturers.
Wireless WiFi Smart Thermostats - Wireless Thermostat Types
There are wireless thermostats that do not require a wired connection from the air handler to the thermostat. These types of wireless thermostats offer communication between the thermostat and the air handler in cases where the old wire is not useful or in a new house where the wireless thermostat was installed sans the wiring between the air handler (or other HVAC equipment such as a boiler).
These wireless thermostats offer “essential control” and a quick solution when the thermostat wiring is difficult to run or when the homeowner chooses not to run new thermostat wiring when the old thermostat wire goes bad for whatever reason.
No Wires | Wireless WiFi Smart Thermostats
Other smart wireless thermostats offer you a connection to the internet where you can surf the internet through the thermostat. A good example of this is the SilverPac WiFi thermostat list here on the thermostat category pages. This thermostat is good but is it practical for remote monitoring and control for your HVAC equipment?
The SilverPac Wifi thermostat is good in the traditional sense of thermostats and home control and monitoring of your HVAC equipment and even energy usage. However, you have to be home to change the temperature, so yes, it is a well-advanced thermostat. Still, again, you can only monitor and control your energy usage and HVAC equipment if you are at home. There is a solution that can give you remote monitoring and control from any location in the world where you have a connection to the internet.
The Honeywell Redlink Gateway WiFi Thermostat System | Wireless WiFi Smart Thermostats
The Honeywell Redlink system allows one to connect wirelessly to their HVAC system from any location where you have an internet connection. That can be an absolute lifesaver for those people who have second homes or travel extensively for their work. You can check the temperature of your house to make sure those pipes aren’t going to freeze or adjust the temperature remotely for any reason. Use your smartphone or a computer to log in to your RedLink account and see how things with your HVAC equipment or change the temperature.
The Honeywell Redlink Gateway is compatible with the Prestige line of thermostats and is only available for purchase through an HVAC contractor so the Honeywell Redlink WiFi thermostat is professionally installed so you can be assured of a good problem-free installation.
WiFi Smart Thermostats Future | Wireless WiFi Smart Thermostats
In the future, there will be combined thermostats such as the Honeywell Redlink and the SilverPac WiFi thermostats where you can remotely monitor and control not only your HVAC system but other appliances in the home. You will be able to tell exactly home much energy you’re using, including gas, electric and possibly even water. You will be able to connect to your water heater, refrigerator, range, and other appliances.
All this information will be displayed in the graph for your perusal, and by monitoring these appliances, you can change some habits and make simple changes to save energy without sacrificing comfort. It may also be possible to get trouble codes so if you have a problem with the appliance a technician can see what is going so he can make sure he has the appropriate parts on the service truck for a quick repair.
Conclusion | Wireless WIFI Smart Thermostats
These features described here are just around the corner. There are a few thermostats that have a mix match of the features described here, but no one has combined all the features into one system. If it can be conceived, it is probably just around the corner, so soon, we can probably have the dream thermostat with all the features described here. Good luck and we hope you enjoy the Honeywell Redlink system.
Wireless WiFi Smart Thermostats
I live in Florida and have an HVAC system consisting of AC and electric heating coils in the Air Handler. The unit has a “de-humidistat control on it that is wired such that both the temperature and the de-humidistat set points must be exceeded in order for the AC to run. (I don’t if this is called “series” or “parallel” but I think it’s “series.” The de-humidistat control is so as to keep humidity at a level to avoid mold while with minimum running of AC. It’s for when we are away for multiple months.
I recently installed an Emerson Sensei Thermostat to replace the simple battery operated one that was there. The Sensi is wired per the manufacturer’s instructions in their iPhone App. I have two questions:
1. Though Emerson claims the Sensei is not designed to use with a “de-humidistat”, I installed it with the de-humidistat switch included on the circuit and it appears to work as it’s supposed to. I believe the but am not are that the de-humidistat control is wired in on the “Rc” wire between the air handler and the thermostat. Is there any issue that you know of in my continuing to use the de-humidistat in this manner? I think Emerson Customer Service may have thought I was talking about using a “Humidifier” with the Sensei as opposed to a “De-hudmistate” control.
2. My real issue is this…as I understand it, the battery in the Sensei is really just a back-up battery to power the wifi radio if the power goes out. Given that we’re away 2-4 months at a time, I needed to have the Sensei wired to get 24V power from the air handler. Fortunately there was a unused wire in the bundle that I wired to the C terminal on the air handler and to the C terminal on the Sensei per their instructions. The whole reason for the power is to power the wifi so that I can monitor the temp and humidity and change the temperature setting of the home remotely using my iPhone. This was working fine when we were there and the De-humidistate was set to “ON” meaning no humidity set point. However, after leaving the home and seeing the thermostat to 80 and the de-humidifier control to 60%, I discovered that the wifi radio only operates when the AC is running (i.e. the temperature has risen above 80 and the humidity has risen above 60%. Obviously this is not ideal as I would like to be able to check and change the setting at any time on my iPhone. I’m thinking that there must be some alternative way of wiring the the thermostat so the wifi radio is always ON but I can still use the de-humidistat control. Any suggestions? I suspect there are many other people in Florida where de-humidistat controls are common who would like to know the answer to this question. Thanks.
Just making a guess but the way you have it wired (“de-humidistat control is wired in on the “Rc” wire between the air handler”) could be the problem with number two. It depends on how you have it wired. I would use a relay for this purpose. As with most applications this thermostat likely has a sleep mode when running on battery just like so many other devices we use have. Not sure. I did look through the manual (all the I have access to) and did not see any reference to this issue for the WiFi thing.
Yes, I’ve heard about Florida and the humidity issues. A dehumidifier is nothing more than an air conditioner. For optimum dehumidification you want longer runs of your air conditioner and 60% is the top level for the human health range for proper humidity. Florida is one of those places where HVAC systems are challenged by the demand to maintain a specific level of humidity and temperature. Thus the importance of proper sizing of HVAC equipment and good duct work that has a vapor barrier. A dehumidification system works by blowing air across a coil that has a temperature less than the dew point. The moisture in the air condenses on the cold coil and drips into a drain pan to be drained away down a condensate drain.
Sorry I really couldn’t give you a definitive answer. Probably either call Emerson back and make the distinction between dehumidification and humidification or call your local trusted HVAC contractor. I’m certain they will have a solution for you and can check the wired circuit to make sure it is wired properly. Additionally, they have likely dealt with similar issues and would know an alternative solution wiring the de-humidification part.