tado smart thermostat / vokera 25he

[Deleted member 99918]

anyone know if it's possible to use a tado smart thermostat with a vokera 25he?

at the moment there is no roomstat at all. to use heating i need to go to the boiler and turn it on manually (ie turn it from hot water only to heating/hot water).

 

[AMGasServices]

Yes I’ve installed it a few times.

Tado is owned by homeserve and they were giving them away free.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

how would it install though? as my boiler currently has no roomstats at all.

i don't see anything included in the kit that connects to the boiler.
it seems to assume you already have an existing roomstat to replace.

 

[AMGasServices]

how would it install though? as my boiler currently has no roomstats at all.

i don't see anything included in the kit that connects to the boiler.
it seems to assume you already have an existing roomstat to replace.

I’ve done new installs also upgraded to a Tado.

You can’t remove the cover off the boiler. Tado/homeserve offer an installation service get them out or get a competent gas engineer to install it.

Usually you get a bridge, thermostat and/or extension kit that is optional.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

i work for a large gas maintenance company, so getting an gas safe engineer to do it for me won't be an issue.

so the bridge is supplied? or is that an optional extra?

 

[AMGasServices]

The bridge is not an optional extra (the bridge usually connects to the router)

Ask the gas engineer to install it for you it’s pretty simple.

A lot of folk I know don’t like installing them.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

ok i'm confused then.
if the bridge connects to the router, where is the connection to the boiler?

the thermostat itself is wireless, so something needs to be wired into the boiler. is that included in the kit?
remember that my boiler currently has nothing at all.

 

[AMGasServices]

The extension kit usually connects to the boiler also acts as a wireless receiver.

As I explained earlier get a gas engineer out and he’ll sort it out for you.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

no point getting a gas engineer out until i've bought the required kit.
the smart thermostat kit doesn't appear to have anything included to connect to the boiler, only has the roomstat and the bridge.

the start kit includes -
Smart Thermostat, Internet Bridge, USB cables, connectors, ethernet cable, mounting screws, adhesive pads, labeling for cables, screwdriver, 3 AAA batteries

so as i asked, i would need to buy extra kit to have this connected up or does the bridge get physically wired to the boiler and also connect to the wifi? my understanding is that the internet bridge would not physically be wired to the boiler. this suggest i'd need to buy something else on top of the starter kit. the starter kit assumes you alread have a wired connection to the boiler.

 

[sparkie30]

Nest would be my choice, made by google.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

would still have the same issue with nest though.
does the nest come with the required kit to connect to the boiler? or does it assume you already have that in place?

 

[AMGasServices]

You’ll need the extension kit.

 

[sparkie30]

Nest comes with heat link which connects to the boiler and the thermostat which can be placed anywhere but the thermosta requires e 12vdc supply either from heat link or can be plugged into usb lead which comes with nest.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

You’ll need the extension kit.

sod that then.
that would make it £199 + £89.

at that price the nest is a better product.

 

[sparkie30]

Since you have a combi boiler you need a second generation stat.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

Nest comes with heat link which connects to the boiler and the thermostat which can be placed anywhere but the thermosta requires e 12vdc supply either from heat link or can be plugged into usb lead which comes with nest.

yeah that's the down side. a stupid ugly USB cable having to hang down to a socket.

looks like neither of these are really going to be aesthetically pleasing.
with solid brick walls internally, it's not possible to do any internal wiring.

 

[sparkie30]

I see what you saying pal.

Good luck

 

[Deleted member 99918]

the tado looks like it's batter powered (the stat anyway).
shame the nest can't be batter powered.

 

[sparkie30]

To be honnest if you had a cavity wall you could buy a transformer 230v ac to 12v dc and come from a socket and that would do the trick.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

it's a 1920's stone tenement building, so the walls are like 6 inch thick stone all the way thru.

 

[Welder]

Yes I’ve installed it a few times.

Tado is owned by homeserve and they were giving them away free.

Really? Blimey, when did that happen?

 

[Welder]

ok i'm confused then.
if the bridge connects to the router, where is the connection to the boiler?

the thermostat itself is wireless, so something needs to be wired into the boiler. is that included in the kit?
remember that my boiler currently has nothing at all.

The stat can also be wired. Mine is. The bridge is wired to the boiler in place of a std stat.

 

[AMGasServices]

Really? Blimey, when did that happen?

Not too long ago. A lot of guys didn’t know what to do so I got to deal with them.

The stat can also be wired. Mine is. The bridge is wired to the boiler in place of a std stat.

Slightly incorrect the bridge always connects to the router. However you’re right the thermostat can be wired in.

 

[Welder]

What I should have said was that the bridge connects to both boiler & router but the router connection is wireless.

Then of course you have the little wireless transmitter connected 'directly' to the transmitter.

 

[Deleted member 99918]

so the bridge can be hard wired to the boiler?, and the stat can be placed anywhere.

the bridge would then do the job of both connecting to the router via WIFI and connecting to the stat via RF ?

 

[Welder]

so the bridge can be hard wired to the boiler?, and the stat can be placed anywhere.

the bridge would then do the job of both connecting to the router via WIFI and connecting to the stat via RF ?

That is exactly how mine works, but I've no idea if things have changed. Mine has been in nearly three years now. Personally I'd not buy another but it's ok.

 

[Gasmk1]

interesting reading tado° is rated "Bad" with 2.4 / 10 on Trustpilot

 

[Welder]

interesting reading tado° is rated "Bad" with 2.4 / 10 on Trustpilot

Hmm. To be honest, I had a load of issues with the guys early on. I tried communicating with them about how it worked and what it did and what it could do but was given very short shrift - aka the German middle finger.

The 10 year olds developing it had literally no idea what I was talking about! I had to explain basic controls concepts. However, subsequently they have been convinced by someone else (I don't do lederhosen) to 'try' to effect in 11 out of 16 points I raised.

Arrogance always has been their watch word and this approach only further reinforces that.

The energy consumption savings numbers they produce are funnier than Russell Kane's rant son Twitter. A literal joke. I'll not go on, but if you want to see more my reviews are on Amazon where I sincerely hope they have harmed sales simply because they do not deserve to succeed.

 

[AMGasServices]

That is exactly how mine works, but I've no idea if things have changed. Mine has been in nearly three years now. Personally I'd not buy another but it's ok.

so the bridge can be hard wired to the boiler?, and the stat can be placed anywhere.

the bridge would then do the job of both connecting to the router via WIFI and connecting to the stat via RF ?

In Yorkshire daves case i think the thermostat is wired to the boiler, the bridge is connected to the router and the thermostat is wirelessly connected to the bridge.

 

[Welder]

In Yorkshire daves case i think the thermostat is wired to the boiler, the bridge is connected to the router and the thermostat is wirelessly connected to the bridge.

I'm pretty sure its not done that way. Otherwise I'd be able to override the boiler when the bridge goes down - and I can't. I darn sure the stat is wired to the bridge, the bridge to the boiler & also the bridge to tinterweb.

Still would never have another. That said, having installed quite a few Nests, I'd not install those either. Closest I can find to worth anything is the Honeywell Evo but that's still not as good as a 1990 Omintrol...

 

[gpbeck]

Current Tado hardware allows control when internet goes down.
The Bridge (a small white box with 3 LEDs) has no connections other than power in and Ethernet socket. It connects wirelessly to the Thermostat to allow data interchange between the Thermostat and their Internet Servers.

The Thermostat can be hard wired to the Boiler as any normal stat but still need it's battery. To use the Thermostat wirelessly it has to wirelessly connect to the Extension Kit (a larger white box). The Extension Kit is hard wired to controls to switch both heating and hot water. It has to also connect wirelessly to the Bridge to allow Servers to control it.

I found the online installation instructions a dream to use if you tell it what your previous setup was. Extension kit just swaps onto a standard controller backplate.

Once installed Tado works really well, particularly the location detection using mobile phones to turn system off when we're out. I can also use my phone or Alexa to control it remotely.

Tado is a very German company, owned largely by Venture Capitalists.

The Trustpilot thread referenced to above is factually wrong. Tado v2 devices purchased outright are still fully supported by current and future Apps without subscription.

I have no connections to Tado - bought mine cheap on a well known auction site.

 

[Welder]

Current Tado hardware allows control when internet goes down.
The Bridge (a small white box with 3 LEDs) has no connections other than power in and Ethernet socket. It connects wirelessly to the Thermostat to allow data interchange between the Thermostat and their Internet Servers.

The Thermostat can be hard wired to the Boiler as any normal stat but still need it's battery. To use the Thermostat wirelessly it has to wirelessly connect to the Extension Kit (a larger white box). The Extension Kit is hard wired to controls to switch both heating and hot water. It has to also connect wirelessly to the Bridge to allow Servers to control it.

I found the online installation instructions a dream to use if you tell it what your previous setup was. Extension kit just swaps onto a standard controller backplate.

Once installed Tado works really well, particularly the location detection using mobile phones to turn system off when we're out. I can also use my phone or Alexa to control it remotely.

Tado is a very German company, owned largely by Venture Capitalists.

The Trustpilot thread referenced to above is factually wrong. Tado v2 devices purchased outright are still fully supported by current and future Apps without subscription.

I have no connections to Tado - bought mine cheap on a well known auction site.

My apologies. I was WRONG. I'd forgotten about the little thing connected to the router as its tucked away. Yes I have the extension and the stat's wired to it.

GOES AWAY AND PUTS HIS COAT OVER HIS HEAD IN THE CORNER...