Re: Remote Control of My Home Thermostat

["Bill Kearney" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

<David> wrote in message news:td5gp5dikjpf3d9h42g9tioipbj7svducc@xxxxxxxxxx
>I would like to install a thermostat on my home furnace that con be
> programmed for various temperatures at various times of the day.  This
> part of my project is easy.
>
> But, I also want to be able to control the thermostat remotely.  That
> is, when I'm not at home, I'd like to be able to change the
> thermostat's programming.  Is something like this possible?  Control
> via telephone would be the most convenient.

Proliphix makes ethernet connectable thermostats.  I've got one of their
NT20E units.  Works as expected.  I can connect either directly to it
(through the firewall at home) or through their website service.  Either way
works well.

The trouble with anything that connects by the phone is using the phone for
anything else.  You end up tying up the phone on that one task.  Or you end
up with a serious mess of a hack using some of the few pieces of software
for consumer voice response applications.  Most are a pain in the ass to set
up and only work with one or two rather expensive phone interfaces.  Seems
like it ought to be an easy solution, it ain't.

Truth be told, once you set up a decent schedule most thermostats never need
to be changed.  Except for seasonal changes, of course.  But for regular day
to day stuff there's not much point to it.   There's a high likelihood that
efforts to "save money" are going to end up costing more in the long run.
There are always going to be exceptions, of course, but those edge cases
don't come close to justifying it for the majority of situations.

That said as someone that's squandered more than his fair share of pennies
trying to automate crap.

-Bill Kearney