Before we got this new air & heating unit, and the new thermostat almost two years ago, I would have laughed at someone complaining about their thermostat not connecting to the internet so . . you can laugh at me if you’d like. But, we got used to it and, we paid for it as part of the system and, dang it .. I wanted it to work!
We are so used to waking up in the middle of the night hot and turning the a/c down with a phone or tablet, or sitting here and saying “Are you hot?” Yes . . and turning it down with a phone or whatever is within reach, and not having to get our lazy butts up. Yes, we could get up and walk 15 steps to the thermostat but let’s not talk about that! Half the time I have knitting on my lap and I’m comfy in my chair. I suppose if having to get up and walk to the thermostat is the greatest of my problems, I have few problems, right?
A couple of months ago Carrier updated the thermostat . . I don’t even know what part of it but after that, we could not connect to Carrier and without being able to connect to Carrier, we couldn’t change our thermostat. They (Carrier, not our installer) were not terribly helpful and kept telling us that (1) we needed a different type router and (2) we had too much connected to the router. Vince kept saying “Why has it worked flawlessly for 1-1/2 years?” The only response we got was (1) you need a different type router or (2) you have too much connected to the router. We tried disconnecting a few things .. no change. Vince called the guy at our internet service provider and he basically said “hogwash!”
Every now and then we’d walk by the thermostat and . . lo and behold, it was connected. That would last a few days and then it wasn’t connected for two weeks.
A week or so ago, Vince called Carrier and he wasn’t taking NO for an answer. They told him we needed to update the thermostat. He did. That didn’t make a difference. He asked them if they had a newer thermostat for our a/c. Yes. OK . . he wanted that.
Thermostat
It got installed today. The installer couldn’t get it to connect to the internet. He connected using the phone as a hot spot so he said “It’s the router!” No! Don’t say that! But, honestly . . if it connects through the hot spot, it had to be the router.
Vince called our ISP. Those guys are pretty amazing. There are two that we talk to often – Chris and Chad. We have a new router (but we had it for several months before the thermostat quit working). The guys at our ISP have our password and they can see everything we’re doing online. They can see which devices are on it and which ones are using how much bandwidth each one is using. That’s kinda scary . . if you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing. I’m not . . but that depends on whose rules we’re playing by. I said to Vince: “Just theoretically speaking, could they tell you how many times I’ve been to the Eat, Sleep, Knit website?” Yes! “Also theoretically speaking . . can they tell you how much money I’ve spent there?” Yes! He’s just trying to scare me . . they cannot. Maybe I’ll call Chris or Chad just to verify that! Or, maybe, instead of having to find a secret place to get my yarn delivered, I’ll also have to have a secret place where I can order online!
So, Vince called and talked to Chad. He could see that the thermostat was trying to connect. He changed some portal on his end and . . voila . . our thermostat is now connected to the internet. I suppose the thermostat (old and new) was not connecting because of our router but it was the Carrier update that caused our router to no longer work with the thermostat.
Settings
The new thermostat is a bit different but it’s easier to program. I am so glad it is fixed!
Linda in NE says
That’s the whole problem with getting anything involving the Internet fixed…everyone want’s to pass the buck to someone else. It’s good to have the problem solved.
Tee says
Our security system connects through the internet and with an update from either the security system or our ISP, we lose connectivity. Both say each other is causing the problem. The first time it happened, we had a guy from the security people out here and he sat in his truck for several hours, fiddling with his laptop or on the phone. He had never seen a set up such as ours, so he was basically learning (I am sure he was on google, looking things up!). They charged us $$$$ for the repairs and when I complained that they should have sent a repair man that knew our system, instead of using google and she cut the bill in half. I am not sure it was even worth that, because it still goes out at least once a month and stays off for a few days and then miraculously, comes back on.
dezertsuz says
I’m convinced. I’m not connecting anything in my house that has to use the internet. LOL I don’t really want Sarah, the smart house, though it seems as if it would be an advantage. Just give me George, the dumb house. LOL
Nelle Coursey says
YEA!! So glad it works! You are always welcome to have your yarn sent here if you want to!