[2 questions are after the longer introduction]
Hi!
I have a Computherm KonvekPro that I have been using for controlling a gas convector with a programmable thermostat of the same brand.
The KonvekPro is controlled with a simple 24V line, when the circuit is closed, it lets the convector heat.
The current thermostat is not remote controllable in any way.
I want to buy additional convector controllers, and I’m searching for a wireless thermostat for it. The goal is to have it controllable from openHAB, and in turn from a smartphone.
I really want to avoid cloud based solutions, as I value my privacy much more than the convenience this would bring.
Unfortunately my relative has already ordered two Computherm E400RF thermostats from our power company who sells sets of these at a discount, without contacting me first. They have ordered a wifi controllable unit, which is normally configurable with an app of the manufacturer, but fortunately it can also be configured with its buttons, and it can operate without an internet connection, according to the manual.
By reading the manual I suspect that remote control should work without internet access, as it repeatedly tells that for pairing a new device, it has to be on the same wifi network as the thermostat. But other than that, I dont have information on what protocol it uses for communication, other than that primarily it is a cloud based device, which is a bummer as it will at most be on a VLAN with no internet access.
So my first question is, do you have information about whether openHAB supports this thermostat? What binding should I use? It should be working the same way as all the other Computherm E series units.
I have read that with HomeAssistant, it works with the binding for Floureon devices.
If not directly, maybe not all is lost. The E400RF is a 2 piece unit: one of them has buttons, a screen, wifi and and a 433 MHz RF transmitter, and the other has an RF receiver and it controls the convector.
Is it realistic that I could use its RF protocol to control the unit? I like to think I have the know-how to manage computers, like I’m even running my homeserver with several services, but I have never dealt with RF signaling before.
My other question is what would you normally recommend as a wireless thermostat, to control such a device as the KonvekPRO? (or a boiler, or anything really, but with regards to the temperature, so a smart plug is not enough)
I’m mostly interested about whats available in eastern Europe (Hungary), but general recommendations or very popular options are also welcome; the reason for that is unless necessary, I’m not keen about ordering things from amazon and such.