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Our New 2017 24' SSBXP Build

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Jack M said:
I had been thinking about a WIFI thermostat .My question is ,How does the wifi  work if your power is out ? Are they also cellular ,or 4g ? Or is it just a standard notification that it is not connected ?


Thanks 
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I've thought the same thing. We don't even have full time wifi/internet at the lake house. We just use our iPhone hotspot for computer or Netflix when we are there - if we want it. 
 
swiftm said:
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I've thought the same thing. We don't even have full time wifi/internet at the lake house. We just use our iPhone hotspot for computer or Netflix when we are there - if we want it. 
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We have a Nest thermostat at home and at the lake house. It works on wifi only. If your wifi goes down, the thermostat maintains the last set temperature. When wifi comes back up, it logs itself back in. We've had the one at home for over a year and we love it.
 
How or when ,does it notify you when your power is out ?
 
Jack M said:
How or when ,does it notify you when your power is out ?
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We have a Honeywell. When the power goes out, our thermostat's connection to their system is interrupted, generating an email to me that indicates the connection is lost. When the power goes back on, you get another email indicating the connection has been restored. You also get an alert if the temperature drops below a certain level that you select, or gets warmer than a certain temperature. We used to rely on a neighbor to make sure we had heat all winter but obviously that can only work so well. We've had the system for three years now and it has worked great. Another nice feature is that we can turn up the heat on our way to the cottage so when we arrive it's nice and toasty. I highly recommend getting one and there are plenty of them on the market.
 
Yes, it does require that you have wifi service, but you can get special deals for seasonal use. IMO, it is worth the small amount of money you'll spend on wifi to have a high level of confidence that your pipes are not freezing, not to mention the convenience of being able to remotely control your temperature.
 
Now that makes sense . Is Honeywell the only company that works that way and is there a fee for that service ?


We only have the one location ,but I would like to turn it down when we are not home ,turn it up when we are on  the way home .
 
No, there are others (Nest) but I think the Honeywell's are a bit cheaper. No fees or subscription is required. You can access via your computer and/or a phone app. It works really slick! Plus, it also qualifies for an energy rebate here in Michigan.
 
Jack M said:
Now that makes sense . Is Honeywell the only company that works that way and is there a fee for that service ?


We only have the one location ,but I would like to turn it down when we are not home ,turn it up when we are on  the way home .
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We have a Lennox iComfort system at our house - going on 3 years now.  It is a wifi based system too, with apps, etc..  It is like Michiman's Honeywell system, or av8rdave's NEST system.  I like ours too.  CNET.com has run different reviews and comparisons on wifi based thermostats as well.


With our iComfort system we have total control of our homes heating and cooling system via our app, and get notifications.  I think I'd prefer a NEST system, but at our house the iComfort was what we had to get in conjunction with a huge upgrade to our entire heating/cooling system when the old furnace died.


For our cottage, I would be temped to look into the Honeywell due to it being more economical, or potentially a NEST because I've heard wonderful things about them - and superficially find it very sharp looking.  For me, the only draw back with the NEST is its price, otherwise, that's the one I'd go with.  
 
Actually, I went with the cheaper version which is not touch-screen. I think I got it for $109 at Menard's.
 
Just did a quick search and Home Depot has it for $99.98 and free shipping. Model#  RTH6580WF
 
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Our power just came back on after being out since 11 on Wednesday. That sucked. 
 
I've got to chime in about the Nest system. We also have the nest thermostats in two houses at OC Md. I ended up using the Nest because the less expensive Honeywell was not compatible with the geo hvac systems in the houses. Geothermal system are a three stage heating system and the Honeywell could only handle the two stage system.


The other nice thing about the nest is that I can combine cameras to my system. One cam is directed toward the boat so that I can keep an eye on the boat at all times. Really nice when the storms come up the coast. 


Lastly, are primary home has the Water Furnace Symphany WiFi system. That system does all the same things,but I can control the four heating zones through the app. I even can check on how many watts are being used at any time.That allows me to control the energy usage by the system.


WiFi thermostats are the only way to go.
 
Thanks ,time to go shopping .
 
Hahaha .... I can remember when getting a remote control tv was the sh** ...  :)


Now electronics control everything   . We hold the entire knowledge of the world in our hand. Amazing, if you think about it. 
 
cwag911 said:
No generator?
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We borrowed the father in laws but the house isn't setup for a whole house plug in. I hot wired the furnace to run off an extension cord. The issue was the hot tub. I picked up a propane heater and kept the cavity heated. 
 
cwag911 said:
No generator?
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Actually,guilty as charged. We installed a 20k Onan in 1999. Wife was obsessed with the idea that nothing was going to ruin her big New Year party. If you remember, the whole electrical grid was suppose to stop working because the computers might stop working. LOL,the joke was on me!
 
1Blderbob said:
Actually,guilty as charged. We installed a 20k Onan in 1999. Wife was obsessed with the idea that nothing was going to ruin her big New Year party. If you remember, the whole electrical grid was suppose to stop working because the computers might stop working. LOL,the joke was on me!
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So, I take it you've never had the opportunity to use it? 
 
Michiman said:
So, I take it you've never had the opportunity to use it? 
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Wish I could say that, looks like Stella might give it some run time tomorrow. The generator probably was one of the best things we installed. It's logged over 1000 hrs since it was installed and has been responsible for keeping the water flowing and refrigerators cooling on the street.A few years ago,Sandy knocked the power out for a week and a half. OOF.
 
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