First move into smart home device

dhughes

I've not taken the plunge with smart devices for home automation, but I am hoping that will change soon!

I am in the UK, and have a Vaillant ecotec Pro 24 (combi), with a single thermostat (programmable) for heating.

I'm initially just looking at tado (wired) as a straight swap, literally to turn on/off on demand, just giving me the ability to use my phone to remotely control the heating.

I'm a bit confused though - if I use the wired thermostat, is there any need for the extension kit or the relay? If not, can I use the thermostat in the future with opentherm boiler, or would that require further kit? (I have read about the potential to add a VR33 module to my current boiler, though its not supported in the UK market)

I don't think I'm asking a particularly difficult question, but if anyone can give me a simple response, that'd be much appreciated.

Edit: I am considering the rad TRV's as an addition in the future too - is there anything else I need to be aware of before I jump in?!

gfkw47

Not sure if this answers your question but here get! The Tado system works like this:

You need the Extension kit (EK), wired to the relay on the boiler. The Extension Kit receives a signal from thermostats and responds by turning the boiler & pump on or off as demanded. The setup for the thermostats can vary. The simplest is that you just add a radiator thermostat (RT) to each radiator where you want to control them by phone remotely. When the room or rooms where the Tado RTs are installed get up to the set temperature they shut off the flow of hot water totally and also turn off the boiler & pump. When the room temperature drops it does the reverse so the valve is either totally open or totally closed. The room temperature is set in the App, not by the valve itself and each RT can demand or stop hot water independently.

If some rooms still have manually operated TRVs this will confuse things because they may not get heat when needed if the Tado system has turned off the boiler!

There are also Tado smart room thermostats available (SRTs) which override & control the temperature of the room by sending signal both to the EK and the RT. For example, I have a large sitting room with both a RT and a SRT. The advantage of this is that the temperature is checked wherever in the room the SRT is placed, and not right next to the radiator which can give an inaccurate reading. The SRT can also be set to one tenth of a degree rather than a full degree as on the RTs. If you have a SRT you still need the RT otherwise if another room calls for heat it will pump hot water around those rooms that may not need it.

You can also set up a group of rooms to all keep to the same temperature. So I have three rooms all controlled by one SRT and with a RT on each of the three rads in the rooms. In any group of rooms, one of the thermostats has to be set to control the others, which would be the SRT if there is one but any single RT can be set to do this.

I hope this helps but let me know if you need more input. Its a great set up and I have been delighted both with the hardware and the occasional back-up when I've needed it. I also have to sell my Tado system (very reluctantly) because I am installing an Air Source Heat Pump which incorporates its own electronic control system. Ive got 9 RTs, 4 SRT, an Extension kit and the Bridge. I would be interested in any offers for some or all of it. All in good working condition.