A few questions before I make the plunge

[AndyBond]

Hi There,

Apologies for the following, I'm very new to homematic and struggling with decoding all the google translate pages I'm viewing

I have a max! system that I've tried, and unfortunately found some failings (for me), so I'm investigating homematic instead.

Is there anybody who could answer even 1 of the following questions (some I think I have the rough idea), while I try and work out if the solution would work.

1. Can you group 2 TRVs into a single room, and then treat them as a single item?

2. I have a combi boiler, that needs to be turned on/off with a single open/closed switch (no mains), can I use a HM-LC-Sw1-SM? or does that require/auto provide mains on the output?

3. Does anyone have a resource that explains why you should base rules on valve position rather than temperature?

4. Can I set a rule so that if I knock a thermostat into manual and up a few degrees, that it will reset to auto after a set time (or set the boost button to be x degrees above current room temperature)

5. Can I record (via any of the history plugins) the temperature of the TRVs? (The Max! TRV would only send the temp after you had asked for a valve change, to record temp reliably you needed the wall thermostat)

6. What USB stick allows you to communicate with 433MHz devices (I got really lost on this one as google translate argued with my common sense - I want to control somfy rts blinds if that helps)


Thats all for now, am sure I will have a ton more questions - just want to make sure I'm going down the right track (I've read some of the english manuals - but couldn't find the webui manual in english)

Many Thanks,
Andy.

[Homoran]

Hi Andy,
I like to help a little bit, but unfortunely I don't habe ans heating devices.
2. the ...SM has contacts without mains supply (correct words?) so you should be able to use it.

5. if you usw the historian, ccu.io or iobroker you can log every datapoint.
But all oft them are external programs and need a Server such as raspberry pi vor better.

6.) you will need the CUL433 of busware.de, I think somfy is supported.

Greets
Rainer


Gesendet von meinem LIFETAB_S785X mit Tapatalk

[nicolas-eric]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

1.
I have 2 TRVs in one room that are grouped with one of the Homematic wall mounted thermostats. That works fine. I don´t really know if that works for only two TRVs, but it should work.

2.
As Rainer said before - That will work

3.
All my rules/programs are based on temperature.
Why?
I want the right temperature, I don´t care about the thermostat´s valve position.

4.
If you use manual mode it will stay at this temperature all the time.
You can set different temperatures for each day.
Whenever you set a different temperature and stay in auto mode the thermostat will go back to it´s preset at the next setpoint.
p.e. the preset for my bathroom is 19C from 8:00-10:00 and 19C from 10:00-20:00 (screenshot below).
If you set the temperature to 25C at 9:30 it will go back to 19C at 10:00.

5.
With a MicroSD Card in the CCU you can record the temperature in a diagram.
If you want more you need some of the plugins that Rainer mentioned.

6.
Yes Somfy works (a friend does that and I´ve rear about that in this forums) with a 433 Mhz CUL Stick. You will also need the CuxD plugin for that.

Feel free and ask some more questions if you have some...

Have a nice weekend!


Btw. Are there some English manuals available for Homematic Products?

[AndyBond]

Thankyou so much for the answers.

The 433Mhz CUL makes sense (the blinds are 433Mhz) I got really confused by people in the forums (via Google translate) saying you could control 433 with the CUL868 - didn't see how unless it did both frequencies.


looks like my max! Bits will be on eBay later this week, and an order placed to ehomeportal.


I've spotted that some of you also use the medical gateway? Is this for IR control or something else?

as for the manuals - everyone I've found is German at the start and English at the end, apart from the web ui, that I haven't found an English version for.

Thanks again.

[nicolas-eric]

The mediola Gateway is for controlling 433 and 868 Mhz devices.
I use it for some old 433 Mhz Intertechno switches.
And you can contol nearly all IR devices with it.

But more important to me ist the mediola Creator software with that you can create your own remote for the mediola a.i.o remote iPhone/iPad App (also available for android and win phones).

There is also a Homematic version available (Creator HM), you don´t need a mediola Gateway for that.
And there are different plugins available for Creator like a plugin to control Logitech Harmony Hubs.

On my iPads the remotes look like this:

[AndyBond]

Ok - Now that remote option looks good (exactly what my other half has been after).

I've done some more digging into the CUL - according to busware, you can use the 868Mhz version on 433, but as the output isn't correctly tuned, it will be a much lower quality signal (The cc chip actually sets the frequency, the output stage I believe amplifies the signal). At least I now know why some people can get it to work.

If the mediola has 433/868 in it, then could that be used for the somfy blinds? (although the CUL is a lot cheaper )

It also answers the question as to why some conrad sell the mediola s/w with the ccu - I didn't appreciate that there was a HM version available..

The only challenge with this is that I now want to spend even more money...

The question from my wife was, "can it do the lights as well" which obviously both systems can, subject to the correct switching unit.

Do you have any recommendations for rf Light Switches? (must be bi-directional and have manual control - i.e. I need to know the boys have turned their bedroom lights on, without checking their room) also - most of our switches are doubles, and can be operated from either end of the room ( 2 wall plates, each wall plate has 2 switches)

Final question - for now does the creator HM include the option for webcams? that would be the icing on the cake.

[Homoran]

Hi Andy,

I've done some more digging into the CUL - according to busware, you can use the 868Mhz version on 433, but as the output isn't correctly tuned, it will be a much lower quality signal (The cc chip actually sets the frequency, the output stage I believe amplifies the signal). At least I now know why some people can get it to work.

yes, but.....
normally the CUL868 is in 868MHz mode. Only if you like to send, you can tune it to 433. It switches back after this at once. So you can't listen to any 433 device with the CUL868

Do you have any recommendations for rf Light Switches? (must be bi-directional and have manual control - i.e. I need to know the boys have turned their bedroom lights on, without checking their room) also - most of our switches are doubles, and can be operated from either end of the room ( 2 wall plates, each wall plate has 2 switches)

Those requirements limits it to nearly zero
- Bidirectional is only possible with homematic as far as I know.
- 2 wall plates, each wall plate has 2 switches (hope you don't talk about something like this!
- ...and can be operated from either end of the room this is also not possible with the HM devices, but there are workarounds.

good luck
Rainer

[AndyBond]

yes, but.....
normally the CUL868 is in 868MHz mode. Only if you like to send, you can tune it to 433. It switches back after this at once. So you can't listen to any 433 device with the CUL868

Makes perfect sense - Thank you - I am learning a lot, my 433/868 experience is mainly with call buttons & site pagers, and never for myself.

Those requirements limits it to nearly zero
- Bidirectional is only possible with homematic as far as I know.
- 2 wall plates, each wall plate has 2 switches (hope you don't talk about something like this!
- ...and can be operated from either end of the room this is also not possible with the HM devices, but there are workarounds.

This was my worry - I looked at lightwaverf switches http://www.lightwaverf.co.uk/LightwaveR ... LW420.html - uni-directional only (and quite costly)

I'm in the UK and most of our switches look like this (non-rf) http://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-2-gang-2-w ... hite/16201

I'll look into other switch options - to be fair, I'm not going to suddenly replace every switch overnight.

The only thing that worries me slightly with the homematic/868/light switching - is the limits on transmission time. In normal operation it shouldn't be an issue, but I have a feeling my kids will find a way to break it

[Homoran]

I'm in the UK and most of our switches look like this (non-rf) http://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-2-gang-2-w ... hite/16201

the first I already guessed, the second I realized that I should have known, when I saw the photo.

There ist still one possibility.
Do you (in the UK) have those switches not as a switch - but as a push button - with the possibility to use it without mains.
Do you (personally) have the posibilty to install an actor in-wall with a connection to both "switches" and dthe lamp?

This would be the easiest way.

but I have a feeling my kids will find a way to break it

No, certainly not.
If you use it assembled as I proposed above, the most actions are wired, only the telegrams to the ccu when the actor changes the state or if you or your wife switch off the lights at night remotely without entering the room will be wireless.

Greetings
Rainer

[AndyBond]

Sorry for the completely useless post - but everything is on a van and out for delivery today and I'm a little bit giddy (sad I know).

I've been playing with a demo of the mediola creator - and signed up for the beta of neo (although whether I'll be accepted I don't know)

I didn't go for everything just yet - but I've got 6 trv, 2 thermostats, a HM-LC-Sw1-FM (for playing with the lights) and a HM-LC-Sw1-SM (for the boiler - although had I thought about it a bit more, I could have saved some money and got the sw4-wm, and had some spare ports for something), oh - and a ccu2.

It also looks like I'm going to be fitting some electric underfloor heating (we are in the middle of a new extension/re-purpose of our house). Most of the heating systems use an underfloor temperature probe connected with a thermostat. I can repurpose the switch I got for the lights - but is there an external temperature probe available (not seen one - but then I'm getting confused with what I have/haven't seen now)?

Also - does anybody have any references for the following:
a) Controlling AppleTV3 to mediola creator? (It asks me to select upnp device - which is an empty list)
b) Can you add your own elements into mediola (i.e. gauges - or is this a 'wait for neo')
c) when you purchase mediola, wheres the best place (conrad?), and do you just get a key? (all I'm after - no need for physical install media)

Thanks