I’ve had a CT-80 thermostat with a Wi-Fi USNAP module operating with my Vera system for the last few years without issue, minus a rare disconnect due to loss of power. As it’s running on a wifi module, I use the Radio Thermostat plugin through Vera to sync it to my set-up.
Lately, my CT-80 has been disconnecting more frequently from my Vera network. What I mean by that is that although the thermostat will continue to function manually, and even over wifi (via the radio thermostat app or website) it looses it’s connection to the rest of my Vera system in that the ambient temperature, set-points, etc. will not update or change in the Vera UI or over my home automation apps.
Unfortunately getting the CT-80 back in sync with Vera is not easy, and for some reason seems to becoming more and more difficult. I basically have to start the set-up process for the CT-80 all over again from scratch (hit the reset button, log in to the wifi network from the thermostat, enter the PIN, and let it finish the set-up process…). But no matter how many times I do this now, again my CT-80 will work via the Radio Thermostat app or Radiothermostat.com but I can’t do anything with it over Vera. The last time the thermostat lost functionality with Vera about two weeks ago (again for no apparent reason), I re-did the set-up, let the unit sit overnight, and then for no reason in the morning hours later, it again functioned with Vera on its own.
Has anyone else had any issues with a CT-80 operating in a similar set-up? I’m beginning to think that for whatever reason the wifi USNAP module operating with the Radio Thermostat plugin in Vera isn’t working well with my system anymore for some reason (maybe due to a Vera UI7 firmware update?). Would a z-wave USNAP module for my CT-80 be a better option as it would add z-wave functionality without the Radio Thermostat plugin work-around? I utilize my CT-80 to work with several Everspring ST8-14 temperature sensors in that I can remotely force the CT-80 to read the ambient temperature of those sensors rather than it’s own reading to help off-set the fact that my home only has single-zone heating/cooling. Would I still be able to utilize the CT-80 like this with a z-wave module installed vs my currently installed wifi USNAP module?
I have a CT80 and it works very well with the plugin. I have a fair amount of lua talking with it. You could call Radio Thermostat support. I had a little trouble when I first tried to install mine and they got me going quickly. The first thought I had was can you connect to the thermostat with a browser using the known IP? By chance is your router assigning a different IP to the thermostat?
Mark
When it fails to connect, try running the curl commands that are listed in https://radiothermostat.desk.com/customer/portal/kb_article_attachments/38350/original.pdf?1411231951
That’s how the plugin is communicating with the thermostat. Here’s one example:
$ curl http://192.168.1.101/tstat
{“temp”:76.50,“tmode”:2,“fmode”:0,“override”:0,“hold”:0,“t_cool”:85.00,“time”:{“day”:6,“hour”:12,“minute”:54}}
I run this on a Raspberry Pi. There is probably curl available for Windows?
[quote=“MarkAgain, post:2, topic:195125”]I have a CT80 and it works very well with the plugin. I have a fair amount of lua talking with it. You could call Radio Thermostat support. I had a little trouble when I first tried to install mine and they got me going quickly. The first thought I had was can you connect to the thermostat with a browser using the known IP? By chance is your router assigning a different IP to the thermostat?
Mark[/quote]
MarkAgain, I could try giving them a call but as my CT-80 is years old I don’t know if they’ll even provide me with any support. I always figured based upon the fact that my thermostat functions fine manually and over wifi via the RadioThermostat app they wouldn’t provide me with any additional support simply because I can’t get the tstat to talk to my VeraEdge.
This is the first time I’m unable to re-establish any contact between the CT-80 and Vera. Nothing I’ve tried works from attempting to re-provision the thermostat again, resetting my router, Vera, etc. Every time I go over the re-provisioning of the thermostat and do it successfully, the PIN number in the upper right hand corner of the thermostat now never disappears (I have lua code that pushes outdoor temp and humidity readings in that box normally) and the green indicator light that is normally on is now off on the left side of the tstat. I am able to access my thermostat via its static IP address (my router has always assigned it the same IP) and even though there is an “X” as you can see next to “Internet Connectivity”, that was always like that, even when my CT-80 had an established connection with Vera…although I’m not sure if it is supposed to look like that as I remember initially it always had a green check mark.
Not too sure what to do at this point… I love the thermostat but I hate the connection issues. If I bought a z-wave USNAP module would the connection with Vera be easier as the thermostat would then just show up as a z-wave device?? Not being able to use my CT-80 with Vera right now completely defeats the purpose of it being able to operate over WiFi.
Sorry, I’m out of ideas. Do you have an old Vera backup to try? Maybe reinstall the plugin? Maybe disable scenes or unplug Vera when you try to re-provision?
Sorry, I can’t help more.
Mark
Thanks anyway, Mark. Yesterday for no apparent reason (again), the thermostat re-established a connection with Vera. I re-booted my VeraEdge again because of an un-related issue where it wouldn’t disable a scene, and upon rebooting Vera pushed the lua code for the outdoor temp/humidity readings to the thermostat and it was functioning normally again.
If it ends up happening again I’m going to order a Z-Wave USNAP module for the tstat which will hopefully resolve any further connection issues with Vera.
I don’t think the plugin works with the Zwave module. That’s assuming you were thinking of replacing the Wifi with a Zwave USNAP and still using the plugin.
Mark
Connection between my wifi USNAP module and Vera is still holding now for the last few weeks, but I went ahead and bough a z-wave USNAP module anyway as they’re only $30 and I wanted to see its limitations.
The pros of the z-wave module is that it was effortless to pair with Vera and works with my current iOS home automation app.
The cons are no control over the text display area where I have a scene push outside temperature and humidity data to, no control over remote temperature control so I can’t use my Everspring ST814’s to push remote temperature readings to the thermostat and no control over the green/red/amber LEDs.
So the wifi module with the radio thermostat plugin takes far more advantage of the CT-80’s features than the z-wave module can. But the plus is that the CT-80 can work with both modules simultaneously installed… I have the z-wave thermostat device created set as a backup. In case the wifi module loses its connection again for some reason at least I’ll still be able to control the basic functions of the thermostat in the meantime via the z-wave module .