My Newest Gadget: 3M-50 Wifi Thermostat

I like that one for $38+ - who need touch screen if you expect to control and monitor it thru PC/tablet/phone ?

I've had one for a year and haven't ever gotten around to installing it.
$75 Paypal

RasputinAXP said:

So I wanted a Nest, but I couldn't stomach spending $249 on it. I Googled around a big and ran across the Radio Thermostat CT30 and found out it's a nerd's dream: documented API, Android app, and capable of everything.

Then I found out that for $30 less than on their website, 3M made a deal with them to sell them at Home Depot.

So...it seems I may wind up getting into home automation with this...anybody else have experience with those X10 server applications? If I can have a home automation server and be able to tell when my doors open and close...phew, that'd be a lot of fun.

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I have had one of the thermostats since Jan when I thought my thermostat was broken. They are a little bit of a pain to setup the first time, but I am totally in love and would never downgrade to a "dumb" thermostat again. for your buck they are a total win in my opinion. as for the server I cant say. They do have an open source API but this isnt my realm, I have used some open source apps for windows, one that shows temp in your task bar next to clock and lets you change about any setting from it. cool stuff. Ive also been looking at open source sprinkler timer that looks promising, but doesnt come with a display to speak of so i havent quite jumped in to that project yet.

Good luck, they are fun things to have if your a gadget person.

The only thing I'm surprised about is it doesn't learn how to get the temp where I want it when I want it. I said "74 at 7AM" and my old thermostat would kick in at 5:30ish to drop it from the overnight 80.

"RasputinAXP" said:

The only thing I'm surprised about is it doesn't learn how to get the temp where I want it when I want it. I said "74 at 7AM" and my old thermostat would kick in at 5:30ish to drop it from the overnight 80.

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Yea I know what your talking about there. It looks at the schedule very simply and just changes the target temp at the scheduled time. But since it allows for multiple away/home schedules in single day you could set it up to go like half way up before then. And as I mentioned before since it is open source there are other apps you can get that allow you customize way beyond what stock apps allow. There is another couple settings that are harder to find that may help you out too. One deals with the temp variance before the hvac kicks on. You can change it from .5° to 2°. This can be helpful to keep ur temp at that perfect point. The other is more of an efficiency setting if your hvac has the feature, but it defines how fast a temp change happens. So it cools faster/slower. Look into it if interested. Just some constructive ideas.

I read one of the reviews that said these thermostats require 4 wires coming from the heating/cooling unit? True? If so, can anyone tell me what they're for?

I believe I have 2 currently.

Requires 2 wires, 3 if you're going to hard wire the Wifi module's power.

http://www.radiothermostat.com/documents/CT-30-Installation-16apr10.pdf

I have the 3M version and to use the remote control features you need constant 24v power. This may require an additional wire from hvac to thermostat. Lucky for me, The cable had extra wires and was able to connect to the hvac power supply.

Also, the wireless connection to your wireless router is a bit tricky.

Once it is setup, it is well worth the remote control via iPhone/iPad/Android and schedule configuration via PC.

"northrk" said:

I have the 3M version and to use the remote control features you need constant 24v power. This may require an additional wire from hvac to thermostat. Lucky for me, The cable had extra wires and was able to connect to the hvac power supply.

Also, the wireless connection to your wireless router is a bit tricky.

Once it is setup, it is well worth the remote control via iPhone/iPad/Android and schedule configuration via PC.

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Yea what he said. My brown wire bundle had the required extras. 3rd wire is for cooling. 4th is for constant power for wifi module. I think green if my memory serves. And your hvac should have a similar connector on it to the one on the thermostat. Its really pretty simple to install if you have the extra wires in the brown wire bundle.

For point of reference. Im 26 and had never lived in a house with central hvac till I bought my house in jan. Also installed thermostat in jan. Didn't use google either. So check for the extra wires. If u have em I think its a home run. Love my remote thermostat.

Ps my sister has a Honeywell version at her cabin. We compared notes and she wishes she had mine. There are more "pro" models out there but this is probably the most diy/home owner friendly model I've seen.

All wires/colors/etc for all variants(2/3/4/5/more wires) you'll find in that PDF file. Why not just read it ?

My problem with those is I do not have the 24v wire, nor the ability to [easily] run it.

P Smith said:

I like that one for $38+ - who need touch screen if you expect to control and monitor it thru PC/tablet/phone ?

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The $38 one cannot be controlled through PC/tablet/phone.

hilmar2k said:

My problem with those is I do not have the 24v wire, nor the ability to [easily] run it.

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After I look under my old 4 wires thermostat, I found two more wires coming in the bundle - blue and brown, not connected.
When I checked around HVAC, I discovered these two wires came from small transformer - measured the voltage: 17 VAC. Exactly what need for powering the new box.

hilmar2k said:

The $38 one cannot be controlled through PC/tablet/phone.

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According PDF, it missing touch screen only. WiFi should still there.

Argh ! Didn't read Home Depot all models' info.. Another for $68 : no WiFi but Touch screen. Where is no Touch, but WiFi ?