I am getting quotes for air-conditioning installations for our home (South East Queensland - Australia), and I have a couple of installers who can install either myAir (AdvantageAir) or airtouch (airtouch 5 not 4). I was wondering if anyone has used either system with home assistant and could provide any comments on its performance and stability. I am particularly interested in throttling the ac system based upon the energy production from my solar system as well as the power consumption of the rest of the home.
The 2 systems are based on a ducted air-conditioning system but I am open to considering split systems too, although I haven’t seen too many split air-conditioning systems with integrations directly supported by HA. There is Daikin but this is based on the availability of what I understand is a superseded wifi adapter. There are some split system integrations on HACS but my preference is to get a system that uses local polling and is likely to be well supported by HA for the long term.
From my reading of this forum the myAir / AdvantageAir system is a good choice, but it would be great to get some opinions from users of the system before making a decision.
@bigwoof
No responses surprising given integrations available in HA and topic is of interest. Which AirCon + Control system did you end up going with and are you able to comment on success/issues with integration of the control system in HA. Am also located in SE Qld and deciding on AirCon/Control System quotes. Thanks.
I went with a ducted system controlled by the Advantage air system (Advantage Air - Home Assistant) - apparently, they are a Perth-based company.
I got a 15kW Panasonic system (but the installers can use the Advantage Air/MyPlace controller for most ducted system brands). I have previously had a ducted Daikin system but they have priced themselves out the market and the Panasonic is still a very good product and not as expensive.
It is more expensive than going for a bunch of split systems, but I am happy with the integration, as it is local polling, and I have not had any connectivity issues - there is a minor delay on the system updating on HA when I make changes on the wall panel - perhaps 30s but not a deal breaker.
The wall panel that comes with the system is an Android tablet that is running an outdated OS - I don’t think I have seen a system update since it was installed - so there is that if you are worried about running old software.
Some of my favourite automations
automatically switch to fan mode once the internal temp and external temp are the same - i.e. cooling is no longer needed.
reset the temperature after my kids have set the temperature to artic-mode after a delay - i.e. energy saving
So in summary I am really happy with the system and the HA integration and would recommend it to another person running HA (and even people without HA).
I did get a comparative quote for an air touch system - but didn’t go for it as it was a bit more expensive and it looks like the air touch system routinely gets updated which requires a new integration each time (but I could be wrong there).
As for installers I got quotes from:
Alfa Air (included “gecko-proof” board coating as a standard)
Smarter air and electrical (additional cost for “gecko-proof”)
All the best with your search for your home cooling system.
Hi @bigwolf
Thanks for taking the time to reply and the info you’ve provided, all useful stuff. Am replacing 20 year old Daikin 16 kW ducted system and yep Daikin pricing themselves out of the market. Not only with their system prices but their spare parts for new systems are over the top now too. Am still buried in MyAir5/Advantage Air Vs Airtouch 5 Vs iZone Nexus feature comparisons and reviews - seems we are paying for smart home hub capability rather than just an Air Con control system.
Regardless of the system you pick if you need you can always either try the ESP board route or setup IR blaster hubs in each room you have a unit that can have individual control to get around any issues you encounter down the line with lack of integrations and local only control via official means.
I currently have a smaller of the fujitsu units installed in my home that is connected to my wifi via the adapter it came with and its using the FGLair intergration for control which is internet reliant but so far unless my internet does go into maintenance for 1-2hrs it has been stable so far.
I am in the process of making a decision between an Advantage Air and airTouch5 controller for a ducted system. Are you still happy with the Advantage Air system and level of integration it offers?
I am certainly happy with the advance air system.
I have a few basic automations that save me a few dollars (in connection with my iotawatt).
When my Aircon is running during peak times it will get turned off when I start up the cooktop (both are on a monitored circuit).
automatically change the mode to dehumidifier based on the climatic conditions
turn off before sunrise
then my favourite - override artic mode - I have kids who think that electricity is free and they set the temperature too low - I have 5 min delay that changes it back to something reasonable - they haven’t noticed yet.
Anyhow the only issue I have with the integration is sometimes there is a delay when I turn on and off zones using my lovelace dashboard (a second or so delay). No biggie - to be honest I think that the delay in related to the time that it takes for the vents close. My other concern is that the Android tablet running the system is Android 12 and will never see another security update. On the tablet it is not the highest spec device so don’t load it up with apps - I installed fully kiosk on it but never use it as the advantage air interface is easy enough for the family users.
I had no idea trying to choose between the different controllers was going to be the hardest part of installing a new air conditioner! The type of automations you are able to achieve is what I had in mind. My concern was also with having an Android device with such an old operating system within the network, which is the same concern with the Airtouch options.
Thanks also for the reference to the iotawatt. You are happy with it for current monitoring?
yeah I cant speak for the security of the old Android tablet - I haven’t investigated separate VLANs or isolating it from the internet yet but it is on the to do when I win the time lottery.
As for Iotawatt - I got it back in late 2019 and it has been rock solid for most of the time (other than a corrupted SD card). Just make sure you have enough inputs on the device id you want to monitor every circuit on your board - I have 3 phases at home so I have maxed out the iotawatt and rely on the solar inverter to monitor the solar production and feed in and the iotawatt monitors 3 phasese on the AC unit (pulse the rest of the loads in my home).
Some considerations on the Iotawatt - the HA integration is good for reading real time energy (i.e. power consumption) data form the Iotawatt but to get more accurate energy usage the iotawatt does a better (more accurate) job - at least that is my experience.
Thanks Phil for the information about the Iotawatt. We are in the process of upgrading our distribution board and getting three-phase power so will have a look into the Iotawatt. I am also looking at the offerings Shelly has. Up until now I have been using an EmonPi to monitor solar production and feedin.
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