I’m trying to select a pair of thermostats to use with HA. I returned a pair of Centralite Pearl thermostats because they did not have built-in auto-switching, and I didn’t want to write my own automation to do it when there are plenty of other products that have it.
I’m using HA on Docker, on an Ubuntu computer. I have a HUSBZB-1 based ZHA/Z-Wave USB adapter that seems to be working correctly, although I have no Z-wave devices yet.
I see the GoControl GC-TBZ48 has a one year warranty, whereas the Honeywell T6 Pro has a five year warranty. I found the Honeywell for $105 at Walmart, but the image is different from the one on Amazon – maybe an older model?
I called the Walmart seller (“Buildcom”) and confirmed that they’re the current model, and the photo is an older one. So I ordered them from Walmart today.
@MrRogers: Any luck? I am in the same boat looking to swap out my two Carrier thermostats with Zwave or Zigbee and I have the exact same USB controller as you for my Home Assistant setup.
I installed the two Honeywell thermostats, and I’m very happy with them. Although they’re connected via Z-Wave, I have not even begun to automate anything. In fact, I recently learned that Home Assistant is deprecating Home Assistant Supervised on generic Linux – my current setup. Since we’re living under COVID-19 precautions, I have little need for automation anyway.
But the thermostats operate perfectly. The auto-switching feature gets a lot of use this time of year.
I currently use the T5, but it’s more of a cloud-base option and the custom integration component for HA has been problematic and getting no love from anyone for development. I plan on moving to the T6 as it appears to be just plug and play physically with the connector I installed for the T5.
There are 2 versions of the T6, the one for $105 is physical push buttons while the more expensive one is touchscreen.
The T5 I have is touchscreen and I like the looks better, so when I do upgrade I plan on going with the T6 touchscreen version.
But right now with summer here, I only use mine for heating, so no plans on upgrading to the T6 until October time frame…unless I fine one for sale at a great price.
I also use the HUSBZB-1 with a large mix of both Zigbee and Zwave devices so I don’t expect any issues with using the T6 when I do upgrade.
I saw other threads here that indicate the T6 works with no problem, but always happy to hear of any other successes in using it.
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There are 2 versions of the T6, the one for $105 is physical push buttons while the more expensive one is touchscreen.
The photos appear that way, but I think the one that looks like it has physical buttons is just an older model. Mine was $105, and although the Walmart seller’s picture showed one that seemed to have physical buttons, they assured me that I’d get the newer model, and I did. No physical buttons and $105. It is the same one pictured on Honeywell’s website.
This thread looks not really up-to-date but I did not want to open an other one since the question is still the same. I am looking for a Thermostat which can be integrated into HA preferably through Z-wave and can operate without any cloud services. I have read through a couple pages here also that these two Thermostat might be still a good option. My only worries about these two guys that I need this item in Europe and based on the datasheet I could find on the internet about them they look to use the US Frequencies (908MHz) of Z-wave which is not the same as the EU versions (868MHz). Can anyone confirm that these two thermostats have variants to operate in the EU frequncies? The T6 Pro is still available on Amazon but the last comment says the guy needed to send it back to the seller since it was the US variant. I could not find EU version of this stuff (if it exists).
Also if there is any other hints on any other type of Thermostat which EU Z-wave and HA compatible they are also welcome. I do not even mind if there is Wifi enabled Thermostat as well if they do not need cloud services.
I have three T6s. I don’t know if there is an EU variant. Honeywell should.
That said, there are several issues with the T6, but all can be worked around. With the work arounds they have been running flawless with the old zwave stack, I’m in process of migrating to zwavejs, and from what I can tell the workarounds are still needed. Happy to share the details if you want…
I am still uncertain if I really want to buy this thermostat. It is about €300 which is a quiet expensive product and I am still unable to find any information if it operates on 868MHz or not. Honeywell web page asks me to contact a professional for details. I thought they are the one to contact if I need more specific answers…
I might look for other alternatives. Wifi is a solution however I have a Z-wave mesh in the house I would rather skip wifi it is not a must. Most Wifi thermostats requires cloud connection which I would like to avoid. Also my wife does not mind if I hack anything in the house to get it smarter. But she needs to control the thermostat locally even if HA is unavailable. Can you confirm it is working?
You can control it directly from the panel and that works fine. That setpoint will hold - until you change it again or set the temperature from home assistant. So yes, it works as you would want it to,
What I like about it:
direct control - does not require an active internet connection unlike my NEST - so for example had a power outage and while I have a backup generator, eventually the ISP equipment on the street ran out of battery, lost internet and hence had no programmatic control. WiFi could be a good solution if it allows for local control.
perceived reliability - Honeywell has been making thermostats for 50+ years. So I expect the basic function of turning heat on and off based on current setpoint to be rock solid.
I installed it using a C wire. While you could run it on battery, I did not try that.
The issues (these were found on old zwave stack, appear to be true on new zwavejs stack - though I have limited runtime on it)
Occasional crazy humidity values. Every now and then (weekly) it’ll report a impossible large number for humidity. For this I implemented a filter.
Temperature does not update reliably. Looking at zwave logs, the T6 sends out humidity changes every 0.1 change. Whereas for temperature, I’ve seen 1 degree changes not get reported. Eventually it will update. Could not find any config Params. So I just poll it every 10 minutes with a random delay (I have more than one T6)
Very occasionally setpoints don’t go through. This happens much more often with the NEST. So for all my automatic control, I issue the setpoint, wait, read it back and retry if needed. I think regardless of the thermostat - failures will occur - so building in retries is essentially. I use this automation for both the T6 and the NEST (after substituting the correct names in)
Automation
- id: set bedroom temperature
alias: set bedroom temperature
description: ""
mode: queued
max: 2
max_exceeded: silent
trigger:
- platform: state
entity_id: sensor.bedroom_target_temperature
- platform: state
entity_id: input_boolean.hvac_bedroom_control
to: "on"
condition:
condition: and
conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_boolean.hvac_bedroom_control
state: "on"
- condition: template
value_template: '{{ states("sensor.bedroom_target_temperature")|int > 57 }}'
- condition: template
value_template: '{{ states("sensor.bedroom_target_temperature")|int < 72 }}'
variables:
target_temperature: '{{ states("sensor.bedroom_target_temperature")|int }}'
action:
- service: system_log.write
data:
level: info
message: "Setting bedroom_thermostat temperature to {{ target_temperature }} in 1 minute"
logger: hvac
- delay: "00:01:00"
- service: script.climate_set_temperature
data:
entity_id: climate.bedroom_thermostat
temperature: "{{ target_temperature }}"
- delay: "00:00:05"
- condition: template
value_template: '{{ target_temperature != state_attr("climate.bedroom_thermostat","temperature") | int }}'
- service: system_log.write
data:
level: warning
message: "Unable to set bedroom_thermostat temperature to {{ target_temperature }} - retrying in 10 seconds"
logger: hvac
- delay: "00:00:10"
- service: script.climate_set_temperature
data:
entity_id: climate.bedroom_thermostat
temperature: "{{ target_temperature }}"
- delay: "00:00:05"
- condition: template
value_template: '{{ target_temperature != state_attr("climate.bedroom_thermostat","temperature") | int }}'
- service: system_log.write
data:
level: error
message: "Failed to set bedroom_thermostat temperature to {{ target_temperature }} "
logger: hvac
Script. I run it as a script since with the NEST when the service call fail it creates an exception which terminates the automation. When the script fails the automation continues.
climate_set_temperature:
description: "Set a temperature on a climate"
fields:
entity_id:
description: "The climate entity"
example: "climate.bedroom"
temperature:
description: "Temperature Setpoint"
example: "60"
mode: parallel
sequence:
- service: climate.set_temperature
target:
entity_id: "{{ entity_id }} "
data:
temperature: "{{ temperature }}"
I have found this page which states it operates at 908MHz.
I have asked the local Honeywell distributor if they have any info on that however I doubt they can answer it. I am unable to find any Z-wave version of this device in any domestic stores. I have to believe if it had an EU 868MHz version at least there would be some side note about it…
Nest is another thermostat I am looking at. Indeed, it is a wifi and not a z-wave device. And of course cloud connected. However it is possible to integrate to HA. My question regarding this device what can you exactly do with this in case of internet outage. It is an unacceptible soultion if I can not control it at least locally.
The code snipets you entered here looks very impressive. Nice workarounds for the issues you faced with the device.
You can’t control Nest from Home Assistant when there is no internet. You can control it from the device itself. Either way you’ll want that script as periodically the NEST api throws errors and the integration does not retry. Also, There is no easy way to determine if it reachable via internet. So for example, my nest was unable to reach the internet for 2 days. Home Assistant was happily showing the data from 2 days ago. I was not doing any setpoints since the house way in away mode. So that was not super awesome😣 and i need to open an issue.
Another thought, if a Lennox E30 works for you. I manage an integration that connects to it locally (e.g. via your WiFi) and gives you full control from HA (and alerts if you lose connection)
The Lennox E30 looks fancy but it is a bit bulky for me. I have light switches on the wall around the thermostat and I need to relocate the thermostat on the wall if I want this device. This requires extra work on the wall like chiseling, rewiring, repainting. I would like to avoid this.
Regarding Honeywell T6 Pro Z-wave. This is the device I would really like to get. I have contacted Honeywell for more info on EU Z-wave. Still no answer. I believe I will look for something else. Even if they have an EU version I don’t want to buy something which is so rare that if replacement device is needed it is difficult to get.
Regarding Nest. If it is working locally when there is no internet it is acceptable for me (for my wife). HA control is not a requirement if there is no internet. Most likely this is the thermostat I will buy. I put some reminder for myself for these scripts you mentioned eralier. One more question regarding the Nest. Is it possible to activate keylock on the thermostat? I do not want my children tamper the device. The best would be if this keylock could be activated/deactivated through HA or deactivate it automatically when there is no cloud access.