Disable TRV "calibration" when offset is changed [required for using external sensor]

2

Comments

  • Sorry @mperedim. I must have been writing my response when you posted yours, so I missed it.

    Looking back through the log, I had 16 offset adjustments across 6 zones on Saturday, when the outside temperature here neared double-digits below zero. (Is it reasonable to expect more adjustments when it's colder outside? I'd assume so but, again, I probably need to ponder it now.)

  • @zacchaeus I guess this is one of the thing where YMMV. Just today I've got 67 adjustments across four (4) zones, and my temperatures are nowhere near as low as yours. I for sure blame my heating setup (takes quite some to bring up temperature to where I need it to). There maybe other factors, but this seems to be the most important one for me.

  • Wow. That's a huge difference. I do agree that MMV, but are you able to tell how many of the 67 were triggered by the conditions at lines 122 onwards of your code? (Of course, those adjustments would be good if they didn't use battery, as they stop the Tado app showing crazy temperatures.)
  • Hey @zacchaeus & @mperedim

    Wow.......that's way out of my league......you might as well be talking in "tongues" 'cos I have no idea about API's etc........I guess I'm too old and almost a "tech" dinosaur in comparison to you guys.........my name is Rex.....T Rex 🤣🙃

    I'll get me coat 😎

  • @zacchaeus unfortunately my logging needs to be improved. I'll wait another three days for the cold weather to subside, not the best time for experiments, then fix this during the weekend, see what I come up with.

  • Hey

    Just came across this so thought I would post a comment to say I have been working on this too.

    I use Home Assistant so have targeted that as a solution and did a PR to PyTado and to HA Tado integration. So now the offset can be updated via automations in Home Assistant and I wrote an automation for it as a kind of template for anyone using Home Assistant to copy and paste, which manages all devices in the house (including a battery saver option).

    My Home Assistant automation write up is here: https://github.com/north3221/home-assistant-config

    It was discussed on Home Assistant here: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/tado-integration-put-offset/175964

    and here: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/battery-level-and-temperature-offset-for-tado/81068

    If you are not using Home Assistant, you could still take advantage of the PyTado library: https://github.com/wmalgadey/PyTado

  • Top man! We just need this feature activated (or limitation removed by Tado, however you wanna see it)
  • I don't really have any high hopes, but with heating season coming up in a couple of months, any chance we can get an update that addresses this issue? I'd really like to avoid changing batteries once per month in my thermostat, without having to spend $$ to buy four temperature sensors.

  • Yes, I very much agree. I'm starting to look into alternative brands. I need about 7 external sensor and buying complete new thermostats might be cheaper if they have API for external sensors.

  • How about a slightly different approach? Setting the offset to the maximum (or sufficiently large enough) and then adjusting the desired target temperature based on an external sensor and a dynamic offset. This removes the need to adjust the offset and the motor won't need to recalibrate.

    Ofcourse it makes the tado app useless because the temperature readings and desired temperatures won't make sense. But a simple web interface and/or a schedule (probably a just cron if you're techy) could replace it.
  • @jli I suspect this might be tricky to integrate with the schedule. Let's say:
    - target temperature per Tado schedule: 20
    - actual temperature (per external thermostat) 18
    - temperature measured by Tado: 22

    We need to tell Tado to increase the target temperature to 24. We can either:
    - adjust the schedule to a target temperature of 24 for the current block, in which case we need to store the user-input value of 20 and reset the schedule later on; or
    - set the room to manual mode, with a target temperature of 24, then revert to schedule mode at the time the next block kicks in.

    Both of these are more complex algorithms than we're using to tweak the offset values because you have to store and update information about the real target temperature (20).

    It gets worse as either solution would have to deal with real-time user intervention. Once the algorithm has adjusted the target temperature to 24, how do you handle the user changing the target temperature, either through setting the temperature manually or changing the schedule? Each type of user change would produce particular problems for each of the solutions described above, not least the need to identify that the user has changed something (i.e. that it's not a change our algorithm has made itself).

    A particular problem is what to do if the user wants to manually change the temperature to 24 in our example? The app and TRS will both show that that's already the target, so I'm not sure how the user would actually make the change.

    These problems might be soluble, but they're almost certainly beyond me....
  • Somewhat off-topic but amazon.de currently has a temperature sensor discount at 51€. It's probably been cheaper at times, but it's a decent enough deal (I snatched one; if it does the trick I'll probably snatch a second one on Black Friday or next time there is an offer and stop worrying about this)

  • +1 for requesting this as a fw update for the TRV
  • +1 for me. I can't believe this issue is standing this long. Just got a starter kit from my energy provider and trying to decide if i will go with tado. But honestly didn't expect something like this being an issue...
  • Yes, it is unbelievable. It should be easy to fix and yet they don't want to.

    I have been running with Tado TRVs and a script updating the offset for 2 years. It works, but not smoothly and they are using a lot of batteries. Also, recently I have noted weird sounds coming from them when calibrating. Maybe they starts to get worn out after calibrating this many times.

    I hope they will listen one day and make it possible to set an offset without calibration or PUT a temperature from an external 3 party sensor.

  • Its not only about money.

    I have three external sensors from Tado to avoid the calibration noise on offset change in bedrooms. But the official Tado sensors are so big that my wife just doesn't want them in any room. I would buy a tado sensor for every room if they weren't that huge. If you compare an Aqara Sensor (3.61x3.61x0.89cm) with the one from tado (10x10x1.8cm) it's just insane. Especially if you want to place/hide them anywhere in the middle of each room.

  • Please implement this

  • Bump, please implement this.
  • Bump again for this.
  • Yes! This is absolutely still top on my wish Tado wishlist!

  • This would be nice, but messing with the offset is just a hack around not being able to either take control of the actuators directly, or being allowed to feed the 3rd party sensordata into the system as if it were coming from a tado sensor. I'd still prefer that.

    (furthermore I am of the opinion that direct full local control of the hardware should be allowed...)
  • Yet another bump....
  • Up, please implement this feature.
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  • It's disappointing to see this this issue is still open since 2020. I don't think Tado will see a great motivation to fix this since they clearly want every single user to buy their expensive add-on temperature sensors.

    I bought into this system believing that I could apply these offsets to be able to use existing sensors, this is not only a cost issue, which is an obvious gouge, but also related to installation and reduction of battery operated devices.


    • Why does changing the software level offset result in an unrelated calibration of the actuator movement of the TRV.
    • Tado don't appear to have commented on this thread, one of the highest viewed open issues.

    Tbh, for me this just further points to it being an intentional and petty restriction for anyone wishing to do this.

  • The disappointing thing is that people would buy an add-on sensor from Tado if it made sense. One can get WiFi eInk temperature sensors that can go on a battery charge for months that cost 30€ instead of 70€ [*]. They come with a small "leg" too, so that they can stand on a desk / furniture by themselves, without having to spend another 25€ for the silver-plated special Tado stand (I mean it has to be silver-plated to cost that much).

    Between this thread and another one (which asks for SRT to emulate a manual TRV behavior) that ask for seemingly straightforward enhancements, I am personally convinced that Tado has given up on any new feature development for their current gen SRTs. I won't call them petty per se, more of short-sighted. Maybe they'll prove me wrong eventually, but I've given up on waiting.


    [*] I'll stop short of calling out vendor/model. While I don't like Tado's treatment, I can remain civil and not promote 3rd party products in their forums.

  • Hmm I just ordered 2 TRVs because a really nice guy build a function for Node Red to set the off-set for the devices. The idea was to do the exact same thing, that you guys have in mind.
    But since the off-set is still causing pointless noise from the TRV, I will return the ordered and find another product. It is only a lot of restrictions and time consuming integration possibilities with these products. Too bad.
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