Virtual thermostat slow response

SmartApps & Automations
1

Hi

I have the standard multi sensor and two outlets with electric heaters in a garden room.

When i change mode to home which includes virtual thermostat it doesn’t seem to poll the sensor for the temperature. So the heaters don’t turn on. It seems to wait until the next poll of the temperature sensor which can be an hour. Not a very effective way of turning the heating on!

Is there any way of forcing virtual thermostat to look at the temperature sensor?

Pollster?

Cheers

Rob

2

That’s rather backwards, I think… try this:

  • The Temperature Sensor(s) will send Events when they detect a new temperature value.
  • So have a SmartApp subscribe() to these Temperature Sensor’s Events and, in turn, call the Virtual Thermostat’s “update virtual temperature Command”.
  • If it doesn’t have such a Command … it needs one!
3

Yes thanks. I think that is the problem.

If i change my normal heating thermostat then it will immediately check if the temperature is lower than the setting and turn the heating on.

It appears that virtual thermostat is waiting for updates from the sensor.

I am not clever enough to modify the code. Might try forcing the temp sensor to update every five minutes?!

4

I had the same type of issue when I automated my ceiling fans. No matter what the temp was in the house the fans would not turn on when I got home until the next temp report from the thermostat.

CORE would solve this problem for you as you could create a piston to check the temp when the house mode changed from away to home. I have not used CORE but given what I have read about it’s capabilities I’m sure it can do this.

What I used is an IOS app available in the app store called SmartRules. It’s very intuitive and easily addressed this very problem. When my house mode changes to home and the temp is above are certain threshold, then fans are turned on. The app is free to create one rule. Unlimited rule creating requires purchase.

5

I have seen the same problems and decided to write my own. It turned out to be quite different, but you’re free to try it out. Be aware that it’s a quite early version. It will re-evaluate everything when a mode changes. :slight_smile:

It does not handle cooling though. :slight_smile:

You can find the description here: https://github.com/anderssv/smartthings-code#heating-control

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