I’m looking to get started with HA to automate several parts.
First part we want to change/automate is our heating system. Currently we have a traditional central wired thermostat. The main issue is that this one turn on/off the heating system based on the temperature in the living room, while the most important part we need is keeping the baby room at certain temperature over night.
So we want to replace this with a smart a thermostat and smart radiator thermostats.
After doing some research, Tado or NetAtmo seems the product we need.
But for both the integration in HA require using there cloud platform, which I don’t prefer.
So I’m looking for alternatives that use local communication.
One of the things I run into is Zigbee and Z-wave. There seem to be wired smart thermostats and smart radiator thermostats supporting these protocols.
Will any Zigbee / Z-Wave device work on HA?
Z-Wave is a certified protocol, so every device should work flawless, but they are usually a bit more expensive due to the certification process.
Zigbee is not certified, but HA is pretty compatible with Zigbee devices and are probably the product that is most compatible at all.
You also have Matter devices, which is the new standard that is supposed to be the future. If you go this way, then I suggest you look for Matter devices based on Thread, because that is the native communication protocol for that standard.
Z-Wave, Zigbee and Matter all require a hub/usb device to communicate with HA.
Use the forum here to ask for recommended products or info on specific products.
You can probably not find a single device that no user have tried yet.
I assume when using “smart things” like the a Zigbee wired thermostat and the radiator valve, I have to do the logic myself in HA (when a room ask extra temperature, turn on the heating) while products like Tado have this implemented in there devices?
The vkace will be smart in the way that you give it a target temperature and then it will open and close to stay at that temperature.
Some even have schedules built in.
But even a “stupid” non-smart thermostat can be somewhat smart without having to do all the work.
There are integrations like Better Thermostate to do the complex work.
I believe one or two of the radiator valves will handle it all for you - but only of course if you have their zigbee stick and their temperature sensor and their app etc. etc. Companies like this are more likely to want you to open a cloud account - if not now, then later. Philips have just announced this.
For most people it’s a matter of fitting the new product in with what they already have, so you’re right, they have to do the logic themselves. If you’re just getting started you have more choice. I would say, though, that if you allow yourself to get locked into one particular ecosystem of products, making changes later on can get expensive.
I’m usually the one who demands local-only solutions. But I’ve made peace with my cloud-based smart thermostats. They just do so much more than a simple HA automation can (easily) do.
For example, they don’t just have high- and low-temperature limits, turning the heat off or on when it reaches the end of a range of several degrees. They figure out how long to run the heat each cycle, to keep it at the one set temperature. Once you have that feature you’ll never want to go back to the old way. And of course they have their own internal schedule with an intuitive users interface (app or web browser) which is easier than writing your own.
The good news is there’s an integration for HA so I can control them from there, even though they’re really communicating with the manufacturer’s “mother ship” server. This also brings some redundancy in case HA or their internet connection ever fails. In my climate a failed heating system can be catastrophic.
