Max! Thermostat & TRV linking

English Forums Devices
#21

Great, I didn’t know there was a difference between Homematic and Homematic IP until @pmayer informed me. I will go with Homematic as I also use OpenHAB a lot in my house. So, this is my list to start:

ELV Homematic ARR kit Central CCU2 - 1
ELV Homematic ARR Kit Radio Radiator Thermostat - 4
ELV Homematic ARR kit Radio wall thermostat - 2
ELV Homematic kit radio switch actuator 4-way - 1

I will start with the CCU2 so I can get the system up and running quickly, and then look at moving back to Homegear. The 4 Way switch I will use to control the pumps for the different zones in my house. If you have any other comments or suggestions,they are most welcome. Thanks!

#22

Nooooo! Don’t buy the CCU2! Homegear is the better replacement!

1 Like
#23

Hey @sota, @job is right. Homegear is a complete Replacement for the CCU2 (excluding Homematic IP).

Keep in mind, that homematic uses AES signing. So if a device is paired to a central you can’t easily - without knowing the AES key - switch them to another central.

See here: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=de&sl=de&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwiki.fhem.de%2Fwiki%2FAES_Encryption
I hope google translate helps out.

#24

Yes @job, @pmayer , I understand that, thanks and I’m not giving up on Homegear after all the work I put into it. But in order to avoid divorce I have to get it up and running now and once the weather is warmer I will change to Homegear. Also, I will need to do some wiring to connect the pumps to the 4 way switch, which will take time.

What I did not mention is that I am also testing this for a friend who does not use OpenHAB, so I will sell the CCU2 to him once I am finished.

I had read about the AES key and having to pay to get devices unlocked, if I understand correctly, as long as I do not forget the key there should be no problem.

Patrik, I forgot to ask if I need to flash firmware onto your CUL, or is that just for USB devices?

1 Like
#25

No need for a firmware as you hook it up directly to the SPI of the RaspberryPi. There’s no microcontroller involved. Homegear will do the heavy lifting. It’s not a CUL but simply the communication module with an antenna jack for direkt SPI usage.

#26

OK, i can understand that. Although from my point of view, Homegear is no more difficult to set up. But this may be different for everybody.

And it always looks easier from a “solved problem” point of view than from the “problem to solve” point of view. :wink:

Are you are aware, that this “ELV Homematic kit radio switch actuator 4-way - 1” is no ARR (Almost Ready to Run) kit and requires more work?

#27

Yes, my friend does not have any home automation or technical skills so he will be happy with the CCU solution.

I presume you mean that I will have to mount the 4-way switch in a DIN box and wire it to the pumps myself - that is not a problem, I have already re-wired most of my house recently. Or is there anything else I need to be aware of about it? I have read the installation guide and it seems fairly OK.

1 Like
#28

You will most likely need to solder some of the parts. That’s the difference between ARR and other kits.

All stuff is packaged in a box and the parts are additionally packaged in plastic bags. Be aware, you can’t return the kit easily, if you opened the bags.

#29

I had exactly the same problem, even filed a feature request at eq-3, the solution was to use groups for that stuff. (Groups & virtual devices are not supportet currently by Homegear)

You can achieve the same by creating the neccessary items for the room instead of for the device, just add another channel to the item definition:

Switch FEH_AUTO_MODE "Auto FE" (gAllRadiatorAuto,gSetModes) { channel = "homematic:HG-HM-TC-IT-WM-W-EU:homegear:NEQ0939649:2#AUTO_MODE,homematic:HG-HM-CC-RT-DN:homegear:MEQ1585288:4#AUTO_MODE,homematic:HG-HM-CC-RT-DN:homegear:NEQ0875801:4#AUTO_MODE" }
Switch FEH_BOOST_MODE "Boost FE" (gAllRadiatorBoost,gSetModes) { channel = "homematic:HG-HM-TC-IT-WM-W-EU:homegear:NEQ0939649:2#BOOST_MODE,homematic:HG-HM-CC-RT-DN:homegear:MEQ1585288:4#BOOST_MODE,homematic:HG-HM-CC-RT-DN:homegear:NEQ0875801:4#BOOST_MODE" }
Switch FEH_LOWERING_MODE "Eco FE" (gRoomRadiatorEco,gSetModes) { channel = "homematic:HG-HM-TC-IT-WM-W-EU:homegear:NEQ0939649:2#LOWERING_MODE,homematic:HG-HM-CC-RT-DN:homegear:MEQ1585288:4#LOWERING_MODE,homematic:HG-HM-CC-RT-DN:homegear:NEQ0875801:4#LOWERING_MODE" }
Switch FEH_COMFORT_MODE "Comfort FE" (gRoomRadiatorComfort,gSetModes) { channel = "homematic:HG-HM-TC-IT-WM-W-EU:homegear:NEQ0939649:2#COMFORT_MODE,homematic:HG-HM-CC-RT-DN:homegear:MEQ1585288:4#COMFORT_MODE,homematic:HG-HM-CC-RT-DN:homegear:NEQ0875801:4#COMFORT_MODE" }

I don’t use manual temperature settings, all is stored in the heating profiles. If i need some room warmer than usual, i switch to Comfort mode, Eco mode otherwise. If i need more heat, i turn on Boost, which is a 15 minute period in my configuration. Setting the heat profiles by script (instead of clicking the UI) was the most important reason to switch to homegear for me

If you you want to use the set temperature for multiple devices, you may redefine that item definition accordingly.

My Homematic devices (15 radiator/8 wall thermostats) did never let me down. Running since 1.5 years flawlessly with the first set of batteries. :wink:

1 Like
#30

Well, my Max! devices are boxed up and waiting for the courier tomorrow, but I should have the Homematic kit next week so I will try that. I had grouped the valves and wall thermostat in Paper UI but it only partially worked. Your solution makes sense to me now, I never thought of using a group in my item definitions.

It’s good to hear that you are happy with Homematic devices, I plan on having about 16 valves and 9 thermostats along with a few other devices. Currently, I have about 30 Z-Wave sensors, switches and dimmers working well with OpenHAB and Node-Red.