For anyone reaching this thread from a google search, I am in New Zealand and in June to fully install 4 wall units each with the WIFI module and the outside unit cost me approx $9,000 NZD (obviously piping, labour and difficulty to install will be factors in any install). Also be aware there are multiple types of units as well; A Wall unit system and the ducted system (I believe that this is called AirBase), I just have the wall units all coming from the same outside unit and is what the info below is based on, if your looking at the ducted system the costs and details maybe very different.
To control the devices from Home Assistant you will need one of:
- The Daikin WIFI controller module (BRP072A42, BRP072B42 or BRP072C42) which comes at additional cost
- An external device which emulates the remote control
The Daikin WIFI controller module BRP072A42 is indeed being phased out and replaced by a more secure firmware - the BRP072C42 - which besides changing to https now also require a password printed on a sticker attached to each of the controllers in order to authorise the app with the device. Otherwise they appear to be the same thing and provide mostly the same functions. This newer module does not ‘currently’ work with the default Home Assistant Daikin component, however I have managed to hack together a version that does (see this post )
The WIFI controllers allow for setting and providing information back via the local network (yes folks, no cloud based sign up required) so you can read and change the status of the unit, get/set the destination temperature as well as get additional information such as current room temperature and outside unit temperature, which makes automations quite nice (eg. when someone is home, unit is on and temp < 16 degrees turn on, when unit is on and temp > 25 degrees turn off, when noone is home turn unit off)
On the flip side my work colleague went with the external device option which was a lot cheaper however he found that they can only emulate the remote control which are limited to a one-way signal, so you can turn the device on and set the temperature but the unit does not send status updates back to home assistant. You can still do automations but it can only be things such as if someone is home turn device on, at 9pm change to 20 degrees, when noone is home turn device off. (unless you have another device for obtaining the temperature - which was my original plan)
Of note in both cases the remote controllers provided with the units do not sync up with the unit, so if the wifi controller or an external device turn the unit to 18 degrees, the remote will still say its at 25 degrees and pressing any button will change it to 25 degrees (or off if that is what the remote’s last state was)
So what you choose will depend on how much you want to spend and/or what you want to have available for automations. Personally I think having to pay for each WIFI controller is a little overkill and money grabbing but it has opened some cool possibilities. (worth noting you can install 4 units and only have 1 or 2 with a wifi controller but wheres the fun in that)