Sorry if this has been beaten to death but I figured I would ask the very knowledgeable group on this forum. I need 2 and I have 24V powered HVAC units.
I have found 3 possible Themostats that seem to be front runners, one very cheap and not very useful without the veralite running scenes
GE Z-Wave ($65 including shipping)
Doesn’t look like it does much more than min low max high temp at the unit itself, does 24V and has battery backup.
I can not vouch for the GE or 2GIG, but I own the trane tstat and have not had any issues with it. Schedules can be set via either the tstat or via Vera. It has been operating my heating and cooling for almost two years. Search around as you can find them a little cheaper. Have a look around ebay as well. Another option would be to check out the 3M wifi tstat. A user by the name of: hugheaves created a plugin that can communicate with the tstat. It can be had for under 100.
I have the Trane and the CT30; and prefer the Trane over the CT30. The Trane’s report changes you make locally on the t-stat instantly (and as you said, can run the local schedule and Z-Wave access simultaneously).
[quote=“puap, post:1, topic:170903”]Sorry if this has been beaten to death but I figured I would ask the very knowledgeable group on this forum. I need 2 and I have 24V powered HVAC units.
I have found 3 possible Themostats that seem to be front runners, one very cheap and not very useful without the veralite running scenes
GE Z-Wave ($65 including shipping)
Doesn’t look like it does much more than min low max high temp at the unit itself, does 24V and has battery backup.
So I could get 2 of the GE ones for the price of 1 Trane, not sure if that is worth it if it doesn’t work well.
Thanks in advance.[/quote]
I have been using the CT30 for a while now. I would suggest going with the Trane. While I like the design of the CT30 and the Touchscreen better, I have to set up an automatic Poll via Vera in LUUP in order for the CT30 to work properly (VeraLight and UI5). Otherwise the CT30 will just stop talking to Vera after a couple of hours (which I think is caused by the Z-wave dongle in the CT30). Anyways… still like my CT30
I originally bought the Honeywell when I bought my Vera II but when I hooked it up it did not work correctly. I could pair it with Vera and everything, but it actually didn’t control my system correctly. Turned on the furnace when in “Cool” mode. I tried contacting Honeywell for help but since I’m not a dealer they wouldn’t even talk to me. Returned the Honeywell, bought the Trane, paired it with the Vera and it’s been working great ever since (about 6 months or so now).
I highly recommend the Trane (from the available Z-wave choices).
[quote=“smilligan, post:20, topic:169063”]I guess i am spoiled by the performance of the TRANE EMS…
So i am sure the next question is “Well, then why are you using CT30 instead of Trane”
And the reason is because the CT30 is more versatile . It has dry contacts or 24vAC capability on “Y” thereby making it a great thermostat for controlling “mini splits” that accept dry contact to “call for cool”. Also, the CT30 can be used with 24vAC, 24vDC or Battery. Making it a “one thermostat” fits all of our hotel applications. Yes, we could use relays with TRANE but this drives up the integration and support costs.[/quote]
[quote=“smilligan, post:39, topic:169063”]After two+ months of testing the CT30 with zWave uSnap module we continue to experience problems. […]
Here are the results of our tests:
zWave communication stops: This requires a physical visit to the t-stat to reset (button or power recycle; but power recycle will only work if not using battery). This seems to happen at least once every two weeks.[/quote]
I bought the Trane thermostats, I haven’t hooked them up yet, I’ll post results when I do. From all the research I did the only negative thing I saw about the Trane thermostats was something about a 55 degree minimum temperature.
I really hope you have better success than I did with the Trane. A lot of people have success.
However, my two BB32 thermostats have been terrible on the zwave side. They work fine as thermostats, however I have been having serious problems on the control side with both of my thermostats falling off the network within a couple of days and requiring a reboot.
I can handle bugs sometimes. However, Trane’s support is completely non-existent. If you can find their support number and eventually call, the very friendly but non-helpful support representative cheerfully refers you to a Trane dealer that “can support and fix the firmware” … When you call a dealer, they expect you to authorize an expensive service call to look at your thermostat for warranty support.
I will eventually just move to the Nest. It is more expensive, Wifi only, and the plugin is a bit of a hack. However, even if Vera support eventually fails because they change their API, I still end up a with a great device, good community, and a high WAF for the home. I may lose the zwave repeater functionality, but I can work around it with other devices.
Vera 2 is running a Trane TZEMT400BB3 just fine. I just bought an elusive TZEMT500BB3 today to replace it. I have a dual fuel hvac and the 400’s wont work with it. I have to swap it out before heating season.
I have a Vera3 and a Trane thermostat. Works like a charm. I had it professionally installed. It has been running for about a year and not a single problem.
I am trying to decide between a Trane (on sale at amazon for $84 or the Nest, considerably more expensive at $250. Any opinions? Also is installing either equally easy/complicated. Also any features Ill miss on on or the other ? Ill appreciate any input , thanks
There is nothing on the unit that I see that has firmware listed.