Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that answer the question.
Query: Do smart thermostats require wifi connection?
Smart thermostats are thermostats that can be used with home automation and are responsible for controlling a home's heating and/or air conditioning. They perform similar functions as a Programmable thermostat as they allow the user to control the temperature of their home throughout the day using a schedule, but also contain additional features, such as sensors and WiFi connectivity[1][2], that improve upon the issues with programmable thermostats,
A similar study conducted in 2012 with the ecobee thermostat also concluded that smart thermostats are capable of saving energy. The goal of this pilot program was to determine the gas and electric savings of smart thermostats. This study provided 86 households with 123 ecobee thermostats and monitored the homes for 12 months. The study included 69 houses from Massachusetts and 17 from Rhode Island. The participants either had manual or programmable thermostats before the study was conducted. Gas and electric billing data were provided for 12 months before the study was conducted to use as a baseline. After the 12 months of observation, the study concluded that ecobee thermostats led to an average electricity savings of 16% and an average gas savings of 10%. The gas savings for manual thermostat replacements (10% per thermostat) was found to be larger than for programmable thermostat replacements (8% per thermostat). The difference in electricity savings between homes whose prior equipment was a manual thermostat or programmable thermostat was found to be minimal. [1]
A Connected thermostat is one that can be controlled through an internet connection, but will not provide analytic information. In recent years WI-FI thermostats have risen in popularity, they combine the technology of thermometers and WI-FI. So now you can have a . This technology is being developed right now so it will be available for thermostats in machinery and cars. Google are involved in this push towards technology since a Wi-Fi temperature company called Nest.The market of smart thermostats is expected to reach around 3.5 Billion USD by the end of the year 2022[18].
Smart thermostats also record internal/external temperatures, time the HVAC system has been running and can even notify you if your air filter needs to be replaced. This information is typically displayed later on an internet-connected device.
Programmable thermostats, first introduced in the 1970s, are a type of thermostat that allows the user to set a schedule for different temperatures at different times. Most programmable thermostats also have a hold feature which suspends the schedule and effectively turns the thermostat into a manual thermostat.[5] The idea of the scheduling feature is that users will set a warmer or cooler temperature when the home is unoccupied to save energy and money. Due to this assumed energy savings, some building codes and government programs began requiring the use of programmable thermostats.[6] Unfortunately, due to human error in using these devices, many programmable thermostats result in more energy use than the basic manual thermostat. [7]
Another feature offered by some smart thermostats through the internet connection is geofencing. A geofence is a perimeter boundary created around the location of a smartphone or other device, based on GPS signals. The benefit of having a smart thermostat with geofencing capabilities is that it uses a users smartphone location to determine whether the home is occupied. Instead of using a schedule or sensor to determine occupancy, the smart thermostat can rely on the location of the geofence to tell the HVAC system whether it needs to be on or off.[15] Since most people carry their phones with them, geofencing can be an accurate way to determine occupancy patterns. [16]
One study attempted to address this issue by adding more sensors throughout the house. Instead of using just one sensor in the thermostat, this team experimented with placing motion sensors and door sensors throughout the house to gain better understanding of the occupant's sleeping and occupancy patterns. These sensors communicated with each other and used an algorithm to quickly determine whether the occupants were active, sleeping, or away. The system used historical data to estimate when occupants would be returning and would begin “preheating” the home before they arrived. Additionally, the system would drift further from the set point when it was certain that no one was home. The study compared a standard ("reactive") smart thermostat and the multiple sensor system to a manual thermostat. The study concluded that a reactive smart thermostat with just on sensor saves, on average, 6.8% of energy consumption, while the multiple sensor system saved an average of 28% of energy consumption. This study again shows that, on average, smart thermostats achieve their goal of saving energy. It also shows that smart thermostats are not as well developed as they could be, and the addition of more sensors could result in better performance and energy savings. [13]
One of the main objectives of smart thermostats is to reduce the issues involved with using traditional programmable thermostats. In order to understand how smart thermostats take on this task, it is important to understand the issues regarding programmable thermostats and how they affect energy consumption. Between 2008-2009, Florida Power & Light (FPL) provided 400 home owners with programmable thermostats and monitored their heating and cooling patterns. Out of the 400 participants, 56% of users used the programming feature while the remaining participants did not program the thermostat and left it on “hold”. It was determined that the users who used the programming feature actually consumed 12% more energy than the non-programmers. This consumption increase resulted from higher overnight duty cycles associated with lower thermostat setpoints (i.e. lower temperature setting), due to confusion with setting the schedule. This study reveals that programmable thermostats will not necessarily save energy. The smart thermostat attempts to combat this issue by taking the user out of the picture and relying on sensors and computers to save energy.[7]
Some smart thermostats, such as the Nest thermostat, can learn when the house is likely to be occupied, and when it is likely to be empty. This allows automatic pre-heating or pre-cooling so the temperature is comfortable when a resident arrives. If the residents or lifestyles change, these smart thermostats will gradually adjust the schedule, maintaining energy savings and comfort.
Like a connected thermostat, they are connected to the Internet. They allow users to adjust heating settings from other internet-connected devices, such as a laptop or smartphones. This allows users to control the thermostat remotely. This ease of use is essential for ensuring energy savings: studies have shown that households with programmable thermostats actually have higher energy consumption than those with simple thermostats, because residents program them incorrectly or disable them completely.[3][4]
Since the release of smart thermostats, a number of third party studies have been conducted to determine if smart thermostats actually save energy and how they compare to manual and programmable thermostats with regards to savings. One study conducted an experiment in which 300 standard programmable thermostats were placed in homes and 300 Nest smart thermostats were placed in other homes. It is important to note that the homeowners involved in this study received proper training on how to properly use all of the thermostat functions. This effectively eliminated the issues regarding human error with programmable thermostats. All homes were located within one region of Indiana and had previously underwent home energy assessment. After 1 year of observation, the study concluded that Nest users reduced their heating gas consumption by 12.5% while users of a standard programmable thermostat reduced consumption by 5%. Additionally, it was concluded that Nest and standard programmable thermostat users reduced their cooling electric consumption by 13.9% and 13.1%, respectively. The major factors that allowed Nest to reduce consumption more than other thermostats was its ability to further reduce human error and set more efficient temperatures. The Nest thermostat used sensors and Wi-Fi connectivity to adjust the temperature on its own and provide more savings. This study helps to suggest that smart thermostats are in fact successful in reducing energy consumption. [21]
The programmable schedule feature on the smart thermostat is similar to that on standard programmable thermostats. Users are given the option to program a custom schedule to reduce energy usage when they are away from the home. Studies have shown, though, that manually creating a schedule may lead to more energy usage than just keeping the thermostat at a set temperature.[7] To avoid this problem, smart thermostats also provide an auto schedule feature. This feature requires the use of algorithms and pattern recognition to create a schedule that results in occupant comfort and energy savings. Upon creating a schedule, the thermostat will continue monitoring occupant behavior to make changes to the auto schedule. By taking the human error out of the scheduling, smart thermostats can create smart schedules that actually save energy.[12]
In previous Tomato builds (a popular 3rd-party firmware for Linksys routers), only the 2.4 GHz radio was properly supported. However, simultaneous dual-band radio can now be achieved using Tomato RAF, Tomato Shibby and Tomato Toastman's builds.
A dual-band gigabit model. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
A dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
A dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac dual-band model with USB storage link
An 802.11ac (advertised as AC900, actually AC1200) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1200) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1200) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1600) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1750) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1750) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC1900) dual-band gigabit model with USB storage link. App enabled with Linksys Smart WiFi.
An 802.11ac (AC2400) dual-band MU-MIMO gigabit router.
An 802.11ac (AC2600) dual-band MU-MIMO gigabit router.
An 802.11ac (AC3200) tri-band MU-MIMO gigabit router.
Smart thermostats are similar to programmable thermostats in the sense that they have a scheduling feature that allows users to set different temperatures for different times of the day. In addition to this feature, smart thermostats implement other technologies to reduce the amount of human error involved with using programmable thermostats. Smart thermostats incorporate the use of sensors that determine whether or not the home is occupied and can suspend heating or cooling until the occupant returns. Additionally, smart thermostats utilize Wi-Fi connectivity to give the user access to the thermostat at all times. These additional technologies have proven to make smart thermostats successful in saving users energy and money.[5]
To show that their thermostats save energy and money, numerous smart thermostat producers have conducted models and studies to confirm their savings claims. One popular way that smart thermostat producers calculate energy usage is through energy modeling. In these models, the smart thermostat is compared to a thermostat set at a constant temperature, and savings are calculated. Using this method, ecobee calculated energy savings by correlating how long heating and cooling equipment run to local weather conditions. Energy savings were calculated relative to a constant temperature of 72°F. Upon conducting this model, ecobee determined a 23% savings on heating and cooling costs for those who switch to their smart thermostat.[19] Using a similar modeling method, Nest claimed a 20% energy savings for home owners who install a Nest Learning Thermostat. [20]
Development of the smart thermostat began in 2007 with the creation of the ecobee thermostat. The founder of ecobee, Stuart Lombard, wanted to save energy and reduce his family's carbon footprint. After realizing that heating and cooling made up most of his home's energy usage[8], Lombard purchased a programmable thermostat in an attempt to reduce total energy usage. Lombard quickly discovered that the programmable thermostat was difficult to use and unreliable. Following difficulties with the programmable thermostat, he set out to create a smart thermostat that saved energy and was easy to use. With that goal, the ecobee company was created in attempt to offer users a thermostat that could truly save energy by fixing the issues with programmable thermostats.[9]
The main devices offered include a smart thermostat, lightbulbs, motion sensors for doors and windows, and what the company refers to as a smart plug - all of which operate on an interconnected system that links to a central hub connected to the internet.
In 2017, Vivint announced a partnership with Airbnb. It also integrated its smart home suite with Google Home and Philips Hue smart lighting. In 2018, Vivint collaborated with Google to include two Google Home Mini devices in every starter kit. The company also integrated the Nest Thermostat E and Google Wifi to its smart-home suite.
Smart thermostats could be a solution to reducing energy consumption, as numerous studies have shown that these thermostats do in fact reduce home energy consumption.[1][19][20][21] Additionally, the technology within smart thermostats has proven to provide optimal occupant comfort, while still reducing energy consumption.[20] In addition to providing comfort, these technologies take the human out of the picture. Many sustainable devices rely heavily on how the user uses them. By relying on technology instead of human actions, smart thermostats reduce the amount of human error often experienced with other sustainable devices, such as the programmable thermostat. These factors suggest that installing a smart thermostat is one easy step than many people can take to reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, ultimately leading to a more sustainable future.
As a result of these studies and others like them, energy star suspended its labelling of programmable thermostats in December 2009. It became the goal of smart thermostats to address these issues by taking the human out of the picture and creating a thermostat that uses smart computing to truly reduce energy usage and cost. [7][6]
Another study conducted on the issue determined that the biggest problem for programmable thermostats was the human using it. The technology inside a programmable thermostat is no doubt one of the most important factors in determining whether or not the thermostat will be successful in saving energy. But an equally important factor is the human who is using the thermostat. Unfortunately, many people who own programmable thermostats do not know how to use the thermostat or are not using all of the features that are offered. One study conducted a number of interviews, surveys, and observations to determine that the vast majority of programmable thermostat owners are not using the thermostats for their intended purpose. An online survey showed that 89% of respondents do not use the schedule feature on their programmable thermostat. Other results from the interviews and surveys show that a large number of people have misconceptions about heating/cooling and the use of programmable thermostats. One misconceptions is people believing that heating all of the time is more efficient than scheduling the heat to turn off. Another misconception noted in the study is that turning down the thermostat does not substantially reduce energy consumption. These misconceptions reaffirm the idea that the programmable thermostat itself could have all of the necessary tools, but if the user does not use them or uses them incorrectly, then these thermostats will fail at saving energy.[6]
One of the issues with programmable thermostats that smart thermostats try to fix is the confusing user interface. Many owners of programmable thermostats found the controls and directions to be too confusing and opted out of using the scheduling feature completely. Others who used the feature used it incorrectly, due to the confusing directions, and saw an increase in energy usage.[6] Developers of smart thermostats have attempted to fix this issue by creating simple to use thermostats and providing proper direction. While this is an improvement on programmable thermostats, studies have shown that users desire more intense training from the installer of the thermostat on how to use the technical features. Additionally, many smart thermostats use a web portal where users can adjust the thermostat settings and look at their energy usage history. Again, studies have shown that users want this feature to be improved. Some complain that the web portal is not user friendly and they desire more training on how to use the web features during installation. [1]
In early 2014, Direct Energy partnered with Nest Labs to create a plan that would include a smart thermostat. The Nest smart thermostat will increase home owners and renters ability to monitor the temperature of their homes for increased energy efficiency. In August 2014, Direct Energy increased their ability to provide services that increase the efficiency of the American and Canadian home when its announced its partnership with SmartThings. A SmartThing's Hub allows the user to connect with smart device, secure the home with sensors, and control certain electrical devices.
Home automation List of home automation topics Internet of Things Web of Things Smart device Connected Device
Crossing different administrative connectivity domains will require agreements among different network operators. Currently, such agreements are still not in place. In smart phones today, a user can manually select to use WiFi or cellular LTE, but the connections are not automatically maintained should a 
disconnection of one network occurs. 