[RELEASE] Mode Based Thermostat - Control Multiple Thermostats Temperature / Remote Temperature Sensors when Changing Modes

Does anything dictate a mode change for Heat to Cool Automatically for the Ultimate Mode Based Thermostat Temperature Management? Or s this a manual change on each device? @RBoy

Also it doesn’t seem to be functioning correctly. Its getting null error in notifications and setting my cool levels to 90!

  1. Are you on the latest version
  2. 90 is normal when you’re using remote temperate sensors. See the posts above on how it works when using remote temperature sensors. It uses 45 and 90 for heat and cool respectively when using remote temperate sensors to control heating, cooling and idle to adjust until the remote temperature is at the desired temperature.

Yes, latest’s version form your site. I must of miss-interpenetrated what Remote Sensors were used for. Ill go back and read it.

Hi @RBoy. I am new to SmartThings and even newer to your various apps. Please forgive my ignorance, but I’m a bit bewildered by all the different apps you offer and was hoping you might be able to direct me to the right solution.

  • I have four Trane Z-Wave TStats in parts of the house that are often unoccupied (guest room, etc.). I want them at a comfortable temp when occupied, and energy saving temp when not occupied.
  • I have two Ecobee 4 TStats (each with an additional sensor) both in parts of the house that are often occupied (first floor, master bedroom). I want these on a 5/2 (M-F, S-S) schedule with Home, Sleep, and Away temps.

My two questions are:

  1. Should I bother using SmartThings at all for programming the Ecobees? The Ecobee native programming seems like it would be more sophisticated (and simple to use) than tying it into ST, but perhaps I’m missing something?
  2. Which of your programs do you recommend for me? Just for the “unoccupied” TStats or for all of the TStats?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

-David

Completely depends on what features you need. If what you need is being met by the Tstats then you’re good. SmartThings integration has it’s own quirks and you should always look at the weakest link in the chain for any setup.

For your unoccupied or semi occupied rooms/floors I would recommend using the motion sensor based thermostat, you can define a timeout after motion is detected and use remote sensors. This should be the most efficient way to infrequently used thermostats.

You can also combine it with a regular 5-2 thermostat with a schedule or mode

[RELEASE] 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat Scheduler (Weekday, Weekend) with Remote Temperature Sensor for each Schedule

The beauty of ST is the ability to combine smart apps to create custom scenarios. For e.g. you can use both the Motion and 5-2 day thermostat smart apps together like this:

  • When in mode home, use the 5-2 day thermostat (this is when you’re around the house/rooms and want it always temperature controlled) and have the motion based thermostat inactive
  • When in mode night (or any other mode, say weekend) the motion based thermostat is active and 5-2 day inactive, this way it only turns on when someone walk into the room

Thanks so much! I purchased a lifetime license and installed them in about 2 minutes. I’m looking forward to checking out the rest of your stuff!

-David

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Everything is working fine for me with 2 ecobee 3 lite thermostats. However, my message feed says “Null” for the temperatures it’s setting every time. I’m on the latest version. I saw above that a couple other people were having the same issue.

That’s just a misprinted message, will patch it up in the next release. Purely cosmetic

Ultimate Mode Change Thermostat Temperature - Version 02.05.04

  • Patch displayed message showing temperature settings

Mode Change Thermostat Single Temperature - Version 01.01.00

  • < no change >

Works perfect now, awesome. Thanks for the quick reply and fix.

1 Like

I sent you an email on at your support email but wanted to message here as well.

The issue I’m having is that it doesnt shut the heat off when it reaches temperature. I’m using an external temp sensor on two different thermostats and I have it set to 68. However, right now, the temps are 70+ and its still trying to heat my house. Any suggestions?

Just checked my log and found this.
7:33:52 AM: trace Thermostat Living Room Thermostat is in hold temperature mode, not making any changes to thermostat based on remote temp sensor

Maddie responded to you, the SmartApp automatically goes into temporary hold mode if it detects that someone manually changed the temperature at the thermostat. In the next release we’ll add an option to the SmartApp to enable/disable the temporary hold feature.

Ultimate Mode Change Thermostat Temperature - Version 02.06.00

  • Added option to enable/disable the thermostat temporary hold feature when using remote temperature sensors
  • Fixed an issue when selecting multiple thermostats without custom settings for individual thermostats

Mode Change Thermostat Single Temperature - Version 01.01.00

  • < no change >

I like the option to disable the temporary hold support. Is there any way this can be configured per mode? Some of my modes I’d like to be able to use temporary hold. Others, I don’t because it fails too often.

1 Like

We can definitely look into it, please send your feature requests to our support desk so we can prioritize them.

Ultimate Mode Change Thermostat Temperature - Version 02.07.02

  • Added support for shutting down thermostat if doors/windows are left open
  • Added advanced settings option to enable battery saver mode (reduces verification communications, only enable if you have a strong mesh with repeaters especially while using remote temperature sensors)

© RBoy Apps


Mode Change Thermostat Single Temperature - Version 01.01.00

  • < no change >
1 Like

Never noticed this smart app before. So i am just now starting with it and so far it looks great. Is there no presence override schedule ? My current thermostat has schedules but one of the flaws is it sets the “away” temps regardless if you are home or not and have been looking for a way to get around that.

Not sure why you would need a presence override if the modes are linked to presence.
Easily set via routines like:

  • If any of these folks arrive set mode to Home
  • If everyone leaves set mode to Away

The only reason I was asking about the presence override is I did not see a way to separate the modes into different schedules. As for example even though we are home I want the heat to decrease from 70 to 68 at 10 pm and then back to 70 at 6 am. But the way it looks I can only set it so that there is no temp control for a certain mode or have every mode run the same schedule

Have you looked at the 5-2 day thermostat?

You can set a schedule with this like you mentioned and it also has a mode restriction. So when you’re home, the mode is set to Home and it will adjust the temp as per the schedule, but when you’re away it won’t kick in and then you can use this app to set a temperature for mode away (but none for home).