Does anyone know of a simple wireless radiator actuator that can be interfaced to OpenHAB? I do NOT need it to contain a temperature sensor (because on a radiator seems about the most ineffective place in a room to put a sensor), or a display, or any user controls, or to remember its programme (all of this stuff will be done by OpenHAB with one-per-room control panels). It just needs to open or close the valve under remote control, including perhaps part opening or part closing the valve. It needs to be battery powered, to have a battery charge measure accessible remotely, and to communicate via Bluetooth, or WiFi, or Zigbee, or Z-Wave, or 433MHz or similar. Since this is a very simple device, it seems to me that it ought to be a lot cheaper than many of the āelectronic TRVsā on the market, say Ā£10 each. I have 19 radiators in my house, each of which will need one of these, so if they cost Ā£50 or more, the cost becomes excessive.
Thanks for your reply. Since the Equiva device has a display, a turnable knob, two buttons, a temperature sensor, and much more software (for locally programming the time periods and temperatures) than I need, it seems obvious that it should be possible to design what I need at a substantially lower price than the Equiva (if of course the resulting device can be sold in the same volumes). Iām just waiting for someone to do it :-). Or if I can find a battery operated device that will open and close the value (but do nothing else) maybe Iāll try to design a little PCB with the wireless comms and the intelligence on it myself (another retirement project to add to the list!).
Yes, thatās what I meant with such āelectronic TRVsā above
I fully get your idea, but very much doubt that any company would design, produce and market such a device, as without a display, a turnable knob, two buttons, a temperature sensor, and much more software the traget audience would be far too small, i.e. only a few geeks like us, to make it economically viable.
If you do find a solution though, please let us know.
Because I donāt have a power socket near every radiator, and in any case itās messy with all those Sonoff boxes and lengths of wire. I know batteries are a nuisance, but if their state is monitored by the software, and it tells you when to replace which batteries, it seems to me to be liveable with. So wireless battery operated actuators seems the best solution to meā¦
Note that these ācomplicatedā TRVs are autonomous, and work quite happily on their own. The role of a system like openHAB is supervisory, but not essential. You wonāt freeze if the internet hiccups.
Naked valves are useless without a control system, wireless or not - limiting market.
Yes, I get that. Iām not suggesting that the valves are controlled via the internet, but from a controller running something like OpenHAB on my LAN. So the heating wonāt fail if the internet stops working, but it will if my local LAN stops working for whatever reason. Maybe we need a button on each valve just to force it on or off manually if the controller has failed.
I understand that. First of all I wanted to discover whether anyone DOES make it. Many of the things you see on Wish or Banggood seem to have as many mis-features as you have described for my actuator, so someone (probably in China) MIGHT have made it. But if not I will consider making it myself.
I see my thread has already been linked. Yes, in my original temporary prototype, I used individual Sonoff devices and thereās āmessyā wiring.
In my current house, I installed all the wiring so that itās basically hidden - the wires run down the pipe into the floor/wall, and off to a central place where I have some 4 channel Sonoff devices. All hidden, practically invisible.
For my house, and I would think many others, it would be an impractical amount of work to do this. My ground floor has solid concrete floors so there is nowhere for the wires to run. Upstairs the floors are chipboard with fitted carpets. I have 19 radiators to do. Thatās why I think wireless is practically my only option.
I too have nearly that many radiators. I was lucky that I was able to do the work in an unoccupied house. With carpeted rooms, a cable can be easily run underneath the carpet.
They said, I donāt have 1 ācentral locationā, I have 2, as the routing of wires necessitated two separate locations.
A friend of mine is going for individually powered actuators, utilising conduit, junction boxes and Shelly 1s, which are much smaller than the Sonoff Basic I used, Iām confident heāll be undertaking a reasonably stealthy installation compared to my proof of concept! Iāll ask him to share photos in my thread when heās received all the parts, this may give you an alternative impression of the installation methods.
My experience with battery powered WiFi devices has left a very sour taste in my mouth, and Iāll happily trade the perceived āconvenienceā and āeaseā of battery powered devices for the reliability and minor aesthetic implications of a permanently powered installation! You donāt notice neatly run small profile conduit after a few days! But you do notice the issues with batteries!
