Hive components advice (for adding to HomeAssistant)

[elsmandino]

Hi all.

I am looking to integrate my heating and hot water control into my HomeAssistant network, the majority of which is using Zigbee - by all accounts, it works fantastically.

However, I need to be a bit careful about exactly what hardware I buy (I have a Y-Plan system, so I need Hive with hot water control).

According to this:

Database of Zigbee devices compatible with ZHA, Tasmota, Zigbee2MQTT, deCONZ, ZiGate and ioBroker

Database of Zigbee devices compatible with ZHA, Tasmota, Zigbee2MQTT, deCONZ, ZiGate and ioBroker

zigbee.blakadder.com

There are two dual channel receives that I can choose from - SLR2b and SLR2c

There also seem to be at least three thermostats that I can use as well - SLT6, SLT3 and SLT3C.

What are the main differences between the various models?

I could just buy something brand new from Amazon or Screwfix but I have seen some really great used deals on parts being sold separately on Ebay.

 

[stem]

From a wiring point of view, to control a Y-Plan with stored hot water and central heating you will need a Hive Dual Channel Receiver. This would replace your existing programmer, and depending on the make / model it may be a straight swap. The Hive kit comes with a room thermostat which will communicate wirelessly with the Hive receiver.

The receiver has changed slightly during its production run, the current one V3 is shown below and the specification found here. lists its 'network standards' as Zigbee. This is on the Screwfix site, but it is a standard product wherever you buy it from. Whether they would pair together or not if bought separately I don't know, I've only ever installed parts that come as a kit.

Usually any old wired room thermostat can either be left in position and set to maximum, or if it's removed a small wiring mod will be required to bridge the 'open circuit' left by its removal.

Systems with combi boilers don't need the hot water control so standalone room thermostats or single channel receivers will be ok for them.

 

[RandomGrinch]

There are two dual channel receives that I can choose from - SLR2b and SLR2c

There also seem to be at least three thermostats that I can use as well - SLT6, SLT3 and SLT3C.

What are the main differences between the various models?

As far as I know, there is little difference between the receivers, one is simply an update of the other.
Whether this has any impact on Zigbee compatibility, I'm afraid I don't know.

Similarly, there isn't much difference between the SLT3 and SLT3C - some cosmetic changes, a silver knob instead of black and updates beneath the surface.

The SLT6 is the Hive mini - this lacks the facility to program schedules on the thermostat itself and hasn't got a boost button - although these functions are still available via the app.

 

[ericmark]

Interested as this summer want to add a second thermostat, likely Hive or Drayton Wiser, it needs to be wireless and I already have zigbee.

From what I read Hive will only activate with a demand for heat if the thermostat is below 22ºC, there was talk about making this user selectable, but not heard anything about it being done.

I don't have a modulating boiler, so don't need any of the ebus connections, but do want at least one TRV to link to the wall thermostat, it seems so daft to me that my Nest Gen 3 connects to same app as my Energenie Mihome TRV's but there is no way for the TRV to turn on the boiler. It says they connect, but in practice they don't.

The problem with Y Plan is it needs to be connected correctly, which means a N/C contact as well and N/O are used with both programmer and tank thermostat for the domestic hot water (DHW) not to be heated at the same time as the central heating. It will work without the N/C but the DHW will get too hot.

I have seen the N/C contact wire missing so many times. Also seen where the green/yellow earth wire used as a live due to lack of cores in the cable. The time to know some thing is wrong is before fitting not after.

Don't know what the "HomeAssistant network" does, to be frank I was disappointed in how my central heating has worked so far, the Nest Gen 3 has geofencing, however one can't set the distance, only the eco and comfort settings, and the unit does switch to comfort when one is at home, but not worked out at what point it changes from eco to comfort, it could be 100 yards from home, or 10 miles from home. But home was not hot on return. It clearly did turn off heating when we left, but did not turn it back on.

I have given up with geofencing, and use simple times now. Yes can if I forget turn off heating with phone, and turn it back on with phone, but this year is the first time for a load of years where we have gone away in the winter, so geofencing not really required.

As far as room to room control, I do want to improve it, but not sure if I can trust Google to turn heat to 20ºC in living room? Getting the lights wrong we know error made, but heating one may be unaware of error for some time, when the EE mast went down in high winds, it took 2 days to realise why cold, each time we walked past thermostat the built in PIR would turn heat to comfort setting, so glancing at the thermostat all seemed well, it was not until I looked at it with PC did I realise it was turning heating off as it thought I was not home.

And some times Google Mini's are like mischievous little boys, turning lights off, then saying they can't turn them on again, not so often now, but not sure want to trust it to work central heating.

The other point is in a power cut my router, and all the hubs stop working, central heating will still work, but UPS does not cover internet, so don't want to rely on zigbee as that hub will be down. Want a thermostat which will still work without any hubs.