Anyone with experience of Drayton Wiser?

[SH]

I'm looking at smart heating controls and have come across the Drayton Wiser

Anyone here with such a system that would not mind answering some
questions I have about the system?

1. is Geo fencing supported? I.e if we go out and we have our
smartphones on our person, the heating turns down and then comes back up
when we are on our way back home?

2. Can several different mobiles be used on access the wiser system?
i.e. my and my wife's

3. Can the smart room thermostat be replaced with a smart radiator
thermostat for the radiator in the same room that the smart thermostat
would normally be used on or is the Smart Room Thermostat a required
part of the wiser system?

The reason I ask is that the current radiator in the room with an
existing non-smart room thermostat does not have a thermostatic radiator
valve. If one of my other rads is calling for heat via a smart radiator
thermostat, the rad in the room with the existing wall thermostat would
also heat up.

4. I have 14 radiators. if say one radiator then calls for heat, will
the boiler be OK with heating just one radiator or is there a minimum
number of radiators that the boiler requires to work properly?

5. I have a Vaillant boiler that supports Ebus. Does the drayton wiser
support Ebus?

[David Wade]

On 02/02/2023 20:18, SH wrote:
> I'm looking at smart heating controls and have come across the Drayton
> Wiser
>
> Anyone here with such a system that would not mind answering some
> questions I have about the system?
>

I'll have a go.

> 1. is Geo fencing supported?   I.e if we go out and we have our
> smartphones on our person, the heating turns down and then comes back up
> when we are on our way back home?
>

Only via third party apps and IFTTT. So you need a "Life360" account,
create a group for all the people. Then use IFTTT to turn the heating off.


I don't use it because it would mean letting my wife know where I was. I
just hit the "away" button and come back to cold house because I forget
to end away mode.

> 2. Can several different mobiles be used on access the wiser system?
> i.e. my and my wife's
>

Yes, we have both mobiles plus an old Android tablet. Only issue we have
is on an iPad where it sticks in portrait mode.

> 3. Can the smart room thermostat be replaced with a smart radiator
> thermostat for the radiator in the same room that the smart thermostat
> would normally be used on or is the Smart Room Thermostat a required
> part of the wiser system?
>

its not needed. its purpose is to sample the temp in your main room away
from the radiator to ensure more even heating.

> The reason I ask is that the current radiator in the room with an
> existing non-smart room thermostat does not have a thermostatic radiator
> valve. If one of my other rads is calling for heat via a smart radiator
> thermostat, the rad in the room with the existing wall thermostat would
> also heat up.
>

yes, thats the way my hall is set up.

> 4. I have 14 radiators. if say one radiator then calls for heat, will
> the boiler be OK with heating just one radiator or is there a minimum
> number of radiators that the boiler requires to work properly?

Well that is the same as at present if the all the thermostatic valves
are closed and the room with the thermostat is closed. It might be worth
checking your pump. I note when I had my boiler updated they fitted an
adaptive pump.

>
> 5. I have a Vaillant boiler that supports Ebus. Does the drayton wiser
> support Ebus?

Ebus is vaillant proprietry and as far as I can tell no one supports it.
They make an adaptor OpenTherm which is not officially availble in the UK

https://myboiler.com/opentherm/vaillant-opentherm/

Hope this helps
Dave

[AnthonyL]

On Fri, 3 Feb 2023 12:07:29 +0000, David Wade <g4...@dave.invalid>
wrote:

>On 02/02/2023 20:18, SH wrote:
>> I'm looking at smart heating controls and have come across the Drayton
>> Wiser
>>
>> Anyone here with such a system that would not mind answering some
>> questions I have about the system?
>>
>
>I'll have a go.
>
>> 1. is Geo fencing supported?   I.e if we go out and we have our
>> smartphones on our person, the heating turns down and then comes back up
>> when we are on our way back home?
>>
>
>Only via third party apps and IFTTT. So you need a "Life360" account,
>create a group for all the people. Then use IFTTT to turn the heating off.
>
>
>I don't use it because it would mean letting my wife know where I was. I
>just hit the "away" button and come back to cold house because I forget
>to end away mode.
>

I don't think my wife would like it that the heating went off just
because I was away :)

ok, tongue-in-cheek but I'm yet to be convinced smart apps are
sufficiently robust yet for both privacy and security.

On the other hand it would be handy to have remote access. How do you
acheive that?

>
>> 2. Can several different mobiles be used on access the wiser system?
>> i.e. my and my wife's
>>
>
>Yes, we have both mobiles plus an old Android tablet. Only issue we have
>is on an iPad where it sticks in portrait mode.
>

Ditto though I'm not overly sure of the benefit. I guess that's
because we both are mainly at home. The thermostat allows for
amending the termperature.

>> 3. Can the smart room thermostat be replaced with a smart radiator
>> thermostat for the radiator in the same room that the smart thermostat
>> would normally be used on or is the Smart Room Thermostat a required
>> part of the wiser system?
>>
>
>its not needed. its purpose is to sample the temp in your main room away
>from the radiator to ensure more even heating.
>
>> The reason I ask is that the current radiator in the room with an
>> existing non-smart room thermostat does not have a thermostatic radiator
>> valve. If one of my other rads is calling for heat via a smart radiator
>> thermostat, the rad in the room with the existing wall thermostat would
>> also heat up.
>>
>
>yes, thats the way my hall is set up.
>

We only have the basic Drayton. If room thermostats are to be
controlled etc make sure you have the right device.

>> 4. I have 14 radiators. if say one radiator then calls for heat, will
>> the boiler be OK with heating just one radiator or is there a minimum
>> number of radiators that the boiler requires to work properly?
>
>Well that is the same as at present if the all the thermostatic valves
>are closed and the room with the thermostat is closed. It might be worth
>checking your pump. I note when I had my boiler updated they fitted an
>adaptive pump.
>

Sounds like a lot of radiators on one circuit. We've just got TRVs so
a bit of manual effort required.

>>
>> 5. I have a Vaillant boiler that supports Ebus. Does the drayton wiser
>> support Ebus?
>
>Ebus is vaillant proprietry and as far as I can tell no one supports it.
>They make an adaptor OpenTherm which is not officially availble in the UK
>
>https://myboiler.com/opentherm/vaillant-opentherm/
>
>Hope this helps

Helpful for me. I'm looking at replacing our Baxi 105HE boiler this
year, leaning towards Worcester-Bosch. Probably find my new Drayton
won't fit the warranty terms.

Only just got the Drayton Wiser Thermostat Kit 1 in the autumn, didn't
have any room thermostat before that. Chose Drayton as it seemed the
most flexible in terms of ownership compared to others, and a good
price. Been reasonably happy thus far. Still experimenting with the
Smart Eco and Comfort modes.




--
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

[David Wade]

On 03/02/2023 12:50, AnthonyL wrote:
> On Fri, 3 Feb 2023 12:07:29 +0000, David Wade <g4...@dave.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> On 02/02/2023 20:18, SH wrote:
>>> I'm looking at smart heating controls and have come across the Drayton
>>> Wiser
>>>
>>> Anyone here with such a system that would not mind answering some
>>> questions I have about the system?
>>>
>>
>> I'll have a go.
>>
>>> 1. is Geo fencing supported?   I.e if we go out and we have our
>>> smartphones on our person, the heating turns down and then comes back up
>>> when we are on our way back home?
>>>
>>
>> Only via third party apps and IFTTT. So you need a "Life360" account,
>> create a group for all the people. Then use IFTTT to turn the heating off.
>>
>>
>> I don't use it because it would mean letting my wife know where I was. I
>> just hit the "away" button and come back to cold house because I forget
>> to end away mode.
>>
>
> I don't think my wife would like it that the heating went off just
> because I was away :)

Well I only hit "away" if she is with me...

>
> ok, tongue-in-cheek but I'm yet to be convinced smart apps are
> sufficiently robust yet for both privacy and security.
>
> On the other hand it would be handy to have remote access. How do you
> acheive that?
>

It just works (usually) via mobile anywhere.

>>
>>> 2. Can several different mobiles be used on access the wiser system?
>>> i.e. my and my wife's
>>>
>>
>> Yes, we have both mobiles plus an old Android tablet. Only issue we have
>> is on an iPad where it sticks in portrait mode.
>>
>
> Ditto though I'm not overly sure of the benefit. I guess that's
> because we both are mainly at home. The thermostat allows for
> amending the termperature.
>

The thermostat does not allow over-riding the schedule. It sets a
temporary boost. You can also boost from the radiator valves.

Dave

[SH]

On 03/02/2023 12:50, AnthonyL wrote:

> On Fri, 3 Feb 2023 12:07:29 +0000, David Wade <g4...@dave.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> On 02/02/2023 20:18, SH wrote:
>>> I'm looking at smart heating controls and have come across the Drayton
>>> Wiser
>>>
>>> Anyone here with such a system that would not mind answering some
>>> questions I have about the system?
>>>
>>
>> I'll have a go.
>>
>>> 1. is Geo fencing supported?   I.e if we go out and we have our
>>> smartphones on our person, the heating turns down and then comes back up
>>> when we are on our way back home?
>>>
>>
>> Only via third party apps and IFTTT. So you need a "Life360" account,
>> create a group for all the people. Then use IFTTT to turn the heating off.
>>
>>
>> I don't use it because it would mean letting my wife know where I was. I
>> just hit the "away" button and come back to cold house because I forget
>> to end away mode.
>>
>
> I don't think my wife would like it that the heating went off just
> because I was away :)
>
> ok, tongue-in-cheek but I'm yet to be convinced smart apps are
> sufficiently robust yet for both privacy and security.
>
> On the other hand it would be handy to have remote access. How do you
> acheive that?

This bit is easy. Install Wireguard on the smartphone, set up a
wireguard server on a raspberry pi.

Set the smart phone to then have an always on VPN back to home. To all
intents and purposes, your smartphone is still part of your hone network....

Then use the Wiser app...

(this is how I access my CCTV system from anywhere in the world.....)

[David Wade]

.
>
> Set the smart phone to then have an always on VPN back to home. To all
> intents and purposes, your smartphone is still part of your hone
> network....
>
> Then use the Wiser app...
>
> (this is how I access my CCTV system from anywhere in the world.....)
>
>

> That doesn't appear to work, or rather you don't need to, well unless
you firewall the hub from the internet.

Wiser provide a cloud based application so the app just works....

Dave

[SH]

I had understood that if teh Smartphone with the Wiser App and the
Drayton Wiser Hub were on the same Wi Fi network, the App could talk
directly to the hub without going via the Cloud?

I would rather not rely on the internet for heating to be working...

I don#t want house freezing and having burst pipes if some one has
driven into the fibre roadside cabinet or if some hacker has brought the
internet down....

[David Wade]

That is the case, if you are on the same WiFi the system goes direct to
hub, if you are away it goes via the cloud.

So if you are going out you can set away mode from home just before you
go, and then when you are having your dessert course, set the system
back to normal mode so the place warms while you are out.

Dave.

[SH]

but you can avoid the cloud completely if you VPN your smartphone back
to your home network.... its as if your smartphone was still at home
even though you might physically be in Thailand say.