Now that summer's heat is here, it's time to think about how to cope. Among all the options on the market, it's no surprise that air conditioning is the best. But even if you have an older model, imagine being able to control it from anywhere so that it's already at your preferred temperature when you get home. We'll explain everything you need to know to turn your old air conditioner into a smart one.
Why transform an air conditioner into a smart one?
This is probably the first question that comes to mind when reading this article. A piece of equipment that you have been using for years without having anything smart, what could turning it into intelligent bring you? If you are questioning this, it is that you do not have much contact with the term of home automation.
The "home automation" or IoT equipment are those that, in an "intelligent" way, can perform different actions without us touching them. The way to interact with these products is usually through our smartphone, or directly through voice commands. All this implies a series of very interesting advantages such as:
- Manage them from anywhere in the world: It may sound a bit fanciful but, when you have this functionality, being able to control any of these accessories from outside the home will be one of the most interesting aspects. In the case of air conditioners, as we mentioned at the beginning, having the possibility of turning it on before arriving home in summer to acclimatize the room will become your favorite benefit.
- Extreme comfort: As we mentioned, thanks to transforming these devices into smart devices, we will be able to tell Alexa or Google Assistant to interact with them by raising and lowering the temperature or, for example, turning them on or off. We can live without this, but when you're lying on the couch and you don't have to get up for the remote, you'll end up thanking it.
- Scheduling and efficiency: There are many models of air conditioners that incorporate an on and off program that we can configure. But of course, this control is not done intelligently and it will always be the same. If we make this equipment intelligent, depending on the method we use, we can make the air conditioning detect when we are at home and when we go out so that it can act accordingly or, for example, have it activate the equipment based on the external temperature. In addition, thanks to being able to do this, we will be able to detect if we have left home and leave it activated, as well as being able to turn it off remotely.
Details to be considered
These are the key benefits that a smart air conditioner can bring us, but can I do it with any model? What should I take into account? There are different important aspects that you should know before anything else:
- Air conditioning type: This is probably the most important detail of all. There are different models of air conditioning that you can have at home, such as the typical split attached to the wall, a centralized ventilation system or a portable air conditioner. Although, of the latter, we already spoke to you in another article a few days ago.
- Intelligent system model to install: an aspect that is directly affected by the previous section. Each option will be compatible with some of the air conditioning models we have on the market. It is very important that you pay attention to what the seller says in the fine print of their smart system model.
- Functionalities to control: for the same model or brand of air conditioning, we can opt for different equipment that can control it intelligently. And, depending on which one we choose, they will allow us to interact with different aspects. Some models only allow us to manage the power on and off, others add the temperature and, the best, give the possibility of managing every detail of the refrigeration unit.
Accessories to “make” a smart air conditioner
Having said all that, we now want to show you the different gadget options that allow us to convert our old air conditioner into a smart one . And, as we mentioned, there are several ways to do it.
Tado ° V3 +
One of the most popular models on the market is the Tado° V3+ . It's a climate sensor that allows you to convert your old air conditioner into a smart one and is also compatible with many brands of these products.
Its installation is extremely simple, since it will be connected via infrared, replacing the remote control that our split already has. Then we will connect it following the instructions and tell us to finally connect it to the WiFi signal and be able to manage it by voice commands (compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri) or through the mobile itself. It will allow us to know the energy consumption, the temperature or even detect if there is someone at home to reduce the temperature.
See offer on AmazonAnd, if you want something even cheaper, you can opt for the tado° V2 which reduces some of its features but is equally valid.
See offer on AmazonGoogle NestLearning
However, if you have central air conditioning at home, we recommend replacing your current unit with this Google Nest Learning Console. Installation is simple, and Google guides you through the process step by step using the included instructions.
Once the replacement is done and connected, we can control both the cold and the heating heat by turning the ring itself on the body of the Nest Learning. Or, we can manage it through voice commands with its intelligent assistant or from the phone itself. As its name suggests, it incorporates a learning system to adapt to our routines and change the temperature to our liking.
See offer on AmazonAIRZONE
Continuing with other interesting alternatives, we have AIRZONE . A WiFi thermostat that has a specific model for each manufacturer: Fujitsu, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Heavy, and several others.
This is capable of adapting to different types of air conditioners and air conditioners, giving us the possibility of managing both the cold and the heat pump. Of course, it will be connected via WiFi and we will be able to manage the product from our smartphone and with voice commands.
See offer on AmazonSensibo Sky
This is the Sensibo Sky , an air conditioning controller that connects via Wi-Fi and allows us to control the split system's power from our phones. How does it do this? By replicating the infrared signal from the remote control.
In addition to turning the air conditioning on and off, it also gives you the possibility to manage the temperature and control the humidity of the environment for a better experience. It has a mode that will detect when we leave the house to save energy by turning off the air. It is compatible with Amazon and Google smart assistants.
See offer on AmazonBroadlink RM4 Mini
Finally, there's the Broadlink RM4 Mini , which, like some of the previous options, replaces the air conditioner's remote controller using infrared pulses. However, it offers more than the others, allowing you to control multiple units with just the split air conditioner.
From its application, we will be able to interact with the television, fans, projectors, audio equipment and a very long etcetera. Of course, any of these devices will have to be in the same room as the RM4 Mini in order to be controlled.
See offer on AmazonAnd if we want to manage the temperature intelligently, that is, by setting programs to maintain it, we can add the HTS2 sensor which will tell us the temperature and humidity data.
See offer on AmazonThe links you can see in this article are part of our agreement with the Amazon Associates Program and may earn us a small commission on your sales (without ever affecting the price you pay). Even so, the decision to publish them has been made freely, without attending to suggestions or requests from the brands involved.