Proliphix NT20e IP Thermostat

[Bwired]

Deploying the IP thermostat type Proliphix NT20E on Bwired

Lcd is much better the the image show!http://www.proliphix.com/products-network-basic.htm

I have made a (Dutch) blog about it http://www.bwired.nl/weblog.asp?id=344

Digit will also make some more postings on the forum today,
check his (English) blog and extensive findings on http://blog.hekkers.net

Here you can check the webserver of the thermostat, i have put it online http://www.bwired.nl:82/

The nicest thing about it that the NT20e has an extensive HTTP API interface within 10 minutes I was able to integrate some of the commands in to my own Bwired Home Automation software.
More to follow the next coming day's

[Bwired]

Next phase in the Bwired Proliphix Ethernet Thermostat:
I Really had some troubles putting in the new Ethernet cable which is required.
For the proliphix thermostat you need at least 1 full Ethernet cable cable, incl the Power over Ethernet(POE),
and another 2 pair cable for switching your HVAC House Heating system.
But the Proliphix has more outputs and you can also connect two extra temperature sensors to it.
So 2 Ethernet cables was my goal, and it finally paid off I got the cables in (2x 10 meters)
See also the yellow lifeline wire [:D]



After the cables where in place I mounted the frame plate,
I wanted to use the existing screw holes so I adjusted the frame to fit the holes.



After this It was time to connect the UTP cables,
Within the frame plate there is a picture of how this should be done,
all very easy. Because the Proliphix NT20E comes with a POE adapter 4 wires of the UTP are used for
communicating with the Proliphix and the other 4 are for the power over Ethernet (POE).
2 pairs of the other Ethernet cable I connected to relay output RH and W1, this relay controls your Hvac system,
on my NEMEF Hvac system I connect these wires to the potential free input.
Connecting them on the normal original Thermostat input the Hvac system was not working?



See on the below image the many connection there are available,
the proliphix has a total off 5 relays. All the electronics is very well taken care off, the proliphix is very solid.



Clicking on the Front panel is very easy and there is only one way to do it.



After that connecting the Ethernet cable to the POE unit is very well explained in the manual.
The POE unit has possibility to connect 2 devices which need Power over Ethernet.
The POE comes with a small switched European power supply (24 volt).
after measuring the power consumption with a Conrad power meter it was 0, so probably < 1 Watt.



Hooked up the power and lucky me the Proliphix thermostat was running.
It comes with a built in Webserver with DHCP and it directly took an IP number of my router.
Opened my webbrowser, type in the IP address.
check it out in real-time
online http://www.bwired.nl:82

[Foxtastic]

Great topic! Seems to be a nifty device!

But is the Proliphix NT20E also available at a webshop in Europe? or do you have to order it from the US? and does it come standard with a european power adapter? Thanks!

[Bwired]

Looks like for now you are stuck on US suppliers.
http://www.proliphix.com/how-to-buy-commercial.htm
I got this one from Proliphix.

You can see that the Proliphix is initially for the US market, you can also control your cooling system with it (airco).
Together with Digit I'm making a list of wishes for Proliphix to make the firmware even better for European market.
For example: There is no 24H time format in the firmware available.

More info to come on this topic in the next couple of weeks.

[Foxtastic]

Thanks for your quick response! Would indeed be great to have more EU features integrated. Keep up the great work! I guess I'll place an order for one soon...

Hopefully the homeseer plugin will support celcius as well

[Tozz]

If I read your post correctly it uses simple (old) on/off relay to control the boiler. With today's modulating boilers this is a steep step back. modulating boilers are more energy efficient then on/off boilers. Besides that it also prolongs the lifetime expectancy of the burner. Also, it doesnt have real PoE. It just runs power over your ethernet wire but I'm guessing it wont work if I hook it up an PoE enabled switch?

It's a cool gadget but I think it uses outdated technology both for HVAC/boiler control and PoE.

[Bwired]

Hi Tozz,
I agree partly, Yes you are right that the Opentherm thermostat is replaced with a simple relay version.
And yes perhaps its not totally using modulation anymore.
But I don't like modulation regarding my HVAC system, I have been watching this for years and the result is that its not heating up my house the way I want. There is bin a lot of tuning and still no good result, heating up goes to slow etc.
The way I now control my heating system is giving the result that my family wants and perhaps its not efficient but much better result.

Then about efficiency, my gas usages is not more the usual, I think its even lower!
Modern Hvac systems are doing efficient stuff even controlled with a relay it seems.
There are more members on this forum that have the same experience.

[Tozz]

mm, thats odd. I have a modulating boiler since a year now and haven't noticed any chances really. But if you're going to use a simple relay thermostat.. why use a thermostat at all? Why not use a simple Oregon (or 1-wire) temperature sensor and control a relay connected to your HVAC using the information the temp. sensor gives you?

[Digit]

Tozz,

I share Pieter's experiences. And you may think using on/off is all wrong, but comfort is more important to me then using 'the latest', which in my case led to dissatisfied customers (my family [:)]).

Furthermore, the number of starts that a modulating boiler does compared to an on/off is large. So maybe the burner life will be prolonged, but i guess other equipment will probably suffer from the numerous starts. But I'm no expert so correct me if i am wrong.

Regarding the 'fake' PoE: i just saw it as a way to combine the 2 wires running to the thermostat into a single wire, nothing more. I could have done without the power injector, but i chose not to for the sake of simplicity of installing. The power injector is sold separately as an accessory, so it's your own choice. It worked for me.

[CaptNemo]

This thermostat can support external temperature sensors right? Can you use one of those to override the internal temp sensor, potentially placing the thermostat in your basement with the temp sensor in the living room?

Downside: no local panel, so maybe the 'basement' is not the best location, but
Upside: no need to replace in-wall wiring with ethernet cables (tear down a wall)

Anyone experience with the Ecobee wireless thermostat? http://www.ecobee.com/products/smartoverview.html

[Post-IT]

This could be an option if you have enough wires, because your original wiring should also be rerouted to the thermostat unless you place it next to the boiler/heater/fuelpump (power + sensor).

I have no experience with the extra sensor, but I did have contact with Proliphix about this. To get a valid reading you can only use the Proliphix sensor because they use a custom NTC which I could not map to values of available NTCs here in The Netherlands. Unfortunately the sensor is not cheap, especially when you include shipping.

Unless there is a group of people interested and willing to do a group buy, I'll keep my bulky thermostat in the livingroom.

About the Ecobee... it's closed, no API documentation available and hard to get. Tried to arrange a domotica test for 2 or 3 people but they are not focussing on the European market yet.

At this time we do not have any documentation on the API for integration. This may be something we will release at a later date.

On 6 Jan, 2010, at 0:29 , ecobee ts wrote:
Thank you for your interest in the ecobee Smart Thermostat. We are currently reviewing our international strategy and will be happy to add you to our database so that when we have further details on timing we will get back in touch. In all likelihood the timing for expansion is 6-12 months away. Because we only sell in North America at this time the iPhone app is only available in that region.

Regards,

As soon as I hear from them I'll post it on the forum.