Thanks for the tips. I was already a bit suspicious of this kind of thing.
ESPHOME based control is probably my ideal solution. Was hoping there might even be some models where you can easily wire in some kind of man-in-middle type set-up for state read/write type thing (UART?), but maybe I’m dreaming for AC.
I guess the good thing about air con is that the worse case is still tolerable from my perspective - IR hubs etc…
Ah nice yes this is the kind of thing I’m keen on.
That one is worth it for the name alone;) Ta.
Yeah there’s one for MHI too but its much more complicated and probably voids the warranty
I bought all the bits but we went ducted MyAir eZone before I got to doing it
Thanks but he plug is gone, gave it to a mate who had one of the 4 outlet versions.
I picked up a Grid Connect blind controller HUBRF11HA on clearance from Bunnings while in Traralgon last week for $0.38 just to see what was in it.
Pulled it a part today, weird 3 pin security screws were a pain and it contains an ESP TYWE3S module with a Tuya MCU and an RF chip.
Not sure what it I’ll use it for but it is an approved device so if I load ESPHome and ignore the RF bits it would work as a mains powered detached button.
I had a Fujitsu ducted reverse cycle in my old house and had an add-on module you could buy which allowed for external control (though pretty basic, just on/off and fan speed from memory). I think someone had also been able to ‘hack’ the comms from the keypad to do a man-in-the-middle type control.
Intesis have a variety of useful gateways for different makes/models of AC.
I use one of their gateways with my ~9 year old Fujitsu ducted system.
Under the covers their gateway is an ESP32 with the necessary interface components to communicate over the 1-wire bus.
The nice thing with their solution is they’ve worked out all the nuances of the protocol and changes to modes/fan speeds/etc are reflected correctly between the indoor control panel(s) and HA.
They’re not cheap, but given they just work it was worthwhile IMO.
Thanks for that. I had a quick look and they have heaps of options. I’ll keep it in mind if I ever get a reverse cycle A/C in my house again.
Out of curiosity, which type did you use? Modbus or the generic “Home Austomation system” one?
Do you have any need for a rf transmitter / receiver?
It wouldn’t surprise me if it was relatively straightforward to convert this to an ESPHome controlled one.
May or may not have an rf reciever I guess.
I used the “AC Cloud Control” version. It integrates very nicely with HA.
Modbus looked like way more effort than I was prepared to put in.
Oh right. I avoid ‘cloud’ at all costs. I’d probably try to figure out either Modbus or the generic ‘home automation’ version. Thanks again.
I have no use for a TXer plus no way of working out what the Tuya MCU is setup to do.
So far I have disabled the RF stuff and flashed ESPHome but I think I will swap the 8266 board for a C3 Super Mini and use the thing as a stand alone Bluetooth proxy.
My mate in Vic was going to see if there were any left and send them to me as my local store has the on clearance for $20, I think they are probably worth $0.38 plus a bit of postage.
I 100% get that.
Intesis did the hard part of understanding the protocols, so I expect you’ll get a good experience regardless of whether you interface via AC Cloud, or one of the other gateways.
I’ve tested and it works with ZHA out of the box.
Anyone in AUS selling good quality 24V AC Zigbee relays? I’ve got a dumb zone controller for my ducted heating/cooling that I want to add into Home Assistant.
It’s literally a wire from this control panel:
To the damper motors in the ducts. Anyone know of a product that can sit between the control panel and the damper and be integrated into HA?
If it was me, I’d make an ESPhome based controller for it. Very simple.
I mentioned these types of controllers only 2 weeks ago.
With ESPhome you could even swap that face plate out with a custom one that includes an LCD touch screen and have temperature data etc on there.
Seems straightforward, but still out of my skillset 
Do you have a particular ESP relay board you’d recommend that’ll also take input from the existing physical control panel?
Wonder if there’s anyone I can pay to do this for me. $500 or so is still much cheaper than the commercial products and better quality.
If you can write home assistant YAML you can use ESPHome.
It’s more the physical side of things and wiring it all up, not the config/software.
Something like a Shelly 1 Mini Gen3 I can probably wire up, but that’s about all I could physically do without getting someone else in to help me.
