Thermostats have manual controllers that we can use to adjust the temperature of the room in our house. Also, it is a bit hard to adjust the temperature exactly the way we want. It can also be a hassle to get out of bed just to turn the controller for the temperature adjustments. If you own an old house with an old thermostat controller, you might want to convert your old thermostat to a smart one. But how to make my thermostat smart and easy to control? There are cheap and easy ways for you to convert your old thermostat into a smart one. It will be more convenient for everyone at home to adjust the thermostat with the use of our phones.
What You Need for an Easy Install Smart Thermostat
Learning how to make my thermostat smart requires reading and research to know what to do. If you are planning to do this, there are some things that you need to buy. Here are some things that you need to shop for:
- Sanoff Basic Home Automation Device
- DHT11 Temperature and Humidity Sensor
- Node-Red in IBM Cloud
- Tasmota Firmware
How to Make My Thermostat Smart
Making your thermostat smart takes some time for it to be running well. You will also need a computer to program your smart thermometer and have it connected to your phone.
- Remove and check your old thermostat wirings. Thermostats usually have three wirings; one for the ground, mains power, and signal.
- Open the Sanoff device and take the board out. Connect the wires to the board and the DHt11 Temperature and Humidity Sensor—Violet for signal, red for live wire, and black for ground. Secure the cables by attaching the case and screw it properly. It can help prevent the cables from falling apart.
- Connect the wires from the old thermostat to the Sanof Basic Home Automation Device.
- Secure the Sanoff Basic home Automation Device using a tape.
- Set up the Sanoff Basic Module. You can do this by going to the website that Sanoff provides. What you can do with the module is that you can set some codes to customize the temperature you want. Also, you can customize the control setting of your entire thermostat in this module. Another great thing about this customization of your controls is that you can connect Alexa. This way, you can do a voice control to set the temperature in your room.
- Test. Once you have everything set up, you can test the thermostat by controlling it using your phone or computer.
If you are having troubles with setting up the codes, here is a link that has the codes that you can use: https://codepen.io/dalhundal/pen/KpabZB
Things to Avoid when Making your Thermostat Smart
- Setting the wrong temperature. There are times when setting the right temperature is not correct. It will cause the room to be too hot or too cold, making you feel uncomfortable. It is advisable to set the hallways to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Because it will distribute the right temperature around the house without making you feel uncomfortable.
- Turning up the thermostat temperature quickly. Abruptly turning up the temperature can damage the smart thermostat. It will also make the room uncomfortably warm and can eventually overheat the room. This will result in a waste of energy because of the sudden exertion of heating the rooms.
- Not using a setback temperature for cooling. If you instantly drop the temperature of your room, there will be moisture build-up. It will be a result of mold growth and sometimes burst pipes. Gradually decrease the temperature of your room with the use of a setback temperature can prevent this from happening.
- Not making use of the Smart features. There are a lot of people who only set the on and off feature of a smart thermometer. But there are other features that you can use to make your room temperature just right. Programming the correct codes to set the right temperature can help you have a room with the exact temperature that you prefer.
Why Convert Old Thermostat to Smart One?
Technology is advancing by the day. Most of the appliances that we have at home allow us to control them whenever we want remotely. And this is why knowing how to make my thermostat smart can upgrade the way to control the temperature at home. Here are the reasons why to make a DIY smart thermostat in your place:
- Convenience – We are all carrying our smartphones with us wherever we go. Using it to control the temperature at home will make everything more convenient. Because you don’t have to go to where the temperature controller and adjust the temperature manually.
- Customized Setting – Since you are converting your thermostat to a smart one, you can always program the settings to the way you want. You can have it connected with Alexa, set a timer, automatic adjustments, and many more.
- Save energy and your bill – Since you get to customize your smart thermostat settings, you also save the amount of energy consumed. The lesser energy consumed, the lower your electricity bill will become.
Conclusion
Smart gadgets are in demand these days. Because every day, technology is improving and developing new items to make our lives easier. A smart thermostat is one of the smart technologies that we can have and control with the use of our mobile devices. There is no need to purchase a smart thermostat because learning how to make my thermostat smart is cheaper and more practical. All we need are the right codes and equipment to use to set everything right. And once it is all set, we can easily control the thermostat either by voice command or with the swipe of our finger. Know more about Smart Thermostats.