Hi,
I would like to get smart thermostats that are compatible with Openhab. The KE100 KIT are currently on sale, but I’m not sure whether I can connect them to Openhab.
Do you know if I can use them with Openhab.
Welcome to openHAB!
I don’t see any mention of this KE100 in the documentation, including the upcoming 4.1 version. So the short answer is: no.
To be honest, I don’t like this thermostat. I use a lot of Kasa devices and generally recommend them for ease of use, but it concerns me that the KE100 can only communicate with their KH100 plug-in hub, using what appears to be a proprietary wireless protocol. Their FAQ specifically states that it can’t be used with Z-Wave or Zigbee, and it doesn’t appear to be a Matter device.
I would instead recommend a Zigbee thermostat, because then you’ll be able to add other Zigbee devices (door/window sensors, outlets, temp/humidity sensors, etc.). I’d like to recommend Matter devices, but that ecosystem is pretty frustrating at this point in time.
You’ll need a Zigbee coordinator and there’s a steeper learning curve, but if you’re just getting started with openHAB it’s a good investment. I only started using Zigbee recently, and I wish I’d gotten into it much earlier.
If you’re really stuck on getting a Kasa, you could buy one and then generate a log with the JSON that the device puts out. However, there are no promises that it’ll be added quickly.
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Wow, thanks for your detailed answer. You’re right, I’m just getting started with openHAB and the thermostats will be my first project. Later I would like to add more devices such as window sensors.
That’s why your advice on using Zigbee devices helps me a lot. And a steeper learning curve doesn’t put me off.
I am currently trying to get a good understanding of openHab. But with all the bindings and different devices, it’s quite a lot. Obviously I don’t want to end up buying a device that isn’t compatible with openhub. Zigbee is a good starting point for me.
Many thanks for your helpful advices.
If you’re not put off by a learning curve, I recommend using zigbee2mqtt. This requires:
- Running/learning the separate zigbee2mqtt service.
- Running/learning the separate Mosquitto MQTT broker.
- Using openHAB’s MQTT Binding to communicate with Mosquitto
If you use openHABian on a Raspberry Pi, you can install both z2m and Mosquitto from openhabian-config. Many of use MQTT, so you’ll find lots of examples and help in the community.
I recommend starting simpler. In fact, I recommend starting with a Kasa smart plug. Kasas are super easy to get going in openHAB, so you can quickly go from connecting it to playing with it in UIs and rules. If you start with a thermostat (and Zigbee) that requires a lot of configuration, it’s much harder to know if/when you’re doing things right.
A lot of people come here wanting to do something really complex right off the bat, and then get frustrated at all of the hoops they have to jump through at once. Better to jump through one hoop at a time.