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What is it? The HestiaPi is an open source smart thermostat that can be connected to your wifi and controlled with your smart phone. It can also operate in a completely standalone mode with its touc…
Read More…The HestiaPi is an open source smart thermostat that can be connected to your wifi and controlled with your smart phone. It can also operate in a completely standalone mode with its touch screen.
Note: This model is completely silent. There was clicky edition available, which, as the name implies clicked when the heat/cooling/fan turns on or off. The clicky version has been discontinued on account of difficulties snapping the case together, being more difficult assembly, and we found a replacement part for the silent version so production can continue, obviating the need for the clicky edition.
I wanted a thermostat that could be remotely controlled by me, but not by a big corporation like Google. With my background in information security, I also want to have visibility into how the products I use function, and know that they can be trusted. The HestiaPi fits the bill.
It respects your privacy. It doesn't collect your data and send it off to anyone. All information is stored locally on the thermostat itself, and the only one with access to it is you.
It's open source, which has a number of implications. - Transparent: This means you (or a friend) can see how it works so you know it's not doing things that it shouldn't be doing - Tinkerer friendly: You can add onto it if you want, and make it do even more cool stuff! - Supported: There's an entire community that helps support the product
When I say it's open source, I do not just mean that it runs some open source software. The hardware, documentation, and all the software is freely available. You can download it all, get your own printed circuit boards (PCBs) made, order the components, solder them on and have your own, home made HestiaPi.
If you get the assembled version, this product is a ready to use thermostat, including:
The annotated picture shows the following:
Please check to make sure the unit you're ordering is compatible with your Heating Venting and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.
The default option will work with standard 5-wire 24V US HVAC systems. These are typically labeled R, C, G, W, Y and are Red, Blue, Green, White, and Yellow (respectively). This model uses the power from the HVAC system so it does not need external power. This makes it look much nicer, as there are no visible wires. If your HVAC system can support this, it would be a recommended upgrade from the base model of HestiaPi.
If your system does not have 5 wires, you should select option for a wall powered unit, or the option to provide your own power supply (5V at 3A, via micro-USB).
As a general rule, if you are replacing thermostat that runs on batteries, you will likely need the option which uses external power (5V). If you are not sure what is the best option, feel free to send me info about your current thermostat and I'll help guide you.
As for Europe, the 240V A/C power supply option can be chosen if your HVAC runs on 240V (this is typical in Europe).
In addition to choosing how to power your HestiaPi (see Compatibility section above for details on that), there are also a few other options to choose from.
There's an option to get a humidity sensor so you can see the humidity level in the room. This will not affect the operation of your HVAC system. While European systems sometimes have an independently controlled humidity system, US systems typically do not.
The HestiaPi requires a Raspberry Pi Zero W or Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. By default, it now ships with the Zero 2 W, which are currently generally available. The original design used a Zero W, which will go significantly slower, but sometimes there are supply line problems and the original Zero W is all that is available.
If you already have Raspberry Pi Zero/Zero 2 W (WITHOUT headers soldered on) and want to use that, you can select None for this option. Do note that using your own Pi this will require soldering, so make sure you (or a friend) can do that. The headers have to be soldered onto the bottom of the board, and all the pre-soldered headers are on the top, which is why you need to have the model without headers. It's possible to remove the pre-soldered headers, but having done this once myself, I certainly would not recommend it!
If you have a 8+ GB SD card lying around and are comfortable flashing the HestiaPi image onto it, you can omit the SD card. By default, units are shipped with a pre-flashed SD card that is ready to use.
If you already have a compatible LCD touchscreen and want to use that, there's the option to omit the screen. Screen compatibility has been an issue, so use caution if going this route. Touchscreens must be 3.5 inches, 480x320 pixels, and use the XPT2046 chip, but even this does not guarantee compatibility! We have seen screens have issues even when they look like they should be compatible. Every screen that is shipped from me will be tested to ensure compatibility and I highly recommend just getting the screen from me for this reason. If you still want to try using your own screen, the Kuman SC06 seems to be a fairly reliable option.
If you want to put everything together yourself, there's an option to buy a kit. Anything that I assemble is fully tested, even if you will be using your own SD card, screen, or raspberry pi. Kits are not tested, as I'm just sending you the parts for you to assemble.
If you live in a country that imposes import taxes (sales, goods & services, VAT, etc.) you will have to pay them before you pick up your package. Tindie does not collect from you and remit them to your country's taxing authorities. They could, and it'd make things much simpler if they did, but they choose not to do so, making things more complicated for buyers.
These taxes can be substantial! For example, as of July 15, 2024, Hungary charges 27% for VAT! In some locations, there are not only VAT, but also state/provincial taxes, and sometimes city taxes as well. Every jurisdiction has different rules, and it's up to the buyer to know the tax laws and procedures where they live.
Whether these taxes should exist is debatable, but what is not debatable is that your order will be held by your country's customs department until the taxes are paid. This is something that is entirely beyond my control.
If you fail to pay these taxes and pick up your package, at some point your government will probably destroy the package. If that happens, that's something you'll have to sort out with them.
I will always do my best to support people if there are problems with their HestiaPi on arrival.
Every single unit is tested on my lab bench before I ship them out. I know it can run off of 24V AC, that it boots properly, the touch screen works, the heat/cooling works and so on. I do not have the ability to test it 240V power, but the original creator has tested the 240V AC -> 5V DC converter that I'm using.
If it's damaged in shipping, the USPS is probably going to blame the local postal service and vice versa. I'll absolutely support you in trying to get compensation for the damage, but I want to be transparent that it's unlikely to work. As a result, I pack them very well so they can handle the abuse that shipping companies may impose. I've never had anyone report damage from shipping, but it's always a possibility.
International shipping is expensive. We're talking about $36 USD each way (and possibly more in import taxes). This means it likely doesn't make sense to ship it back for inspection. I'll do my best to work something out with you. In the worst case scenario, if you ship it back, I'll give you a refund for cost of the product (not including the shipping costs).
You may be thinking to yourself: "Wow, a lot of things can go wrong with international shipping, huh?" Yep, and that's why I only offered domestic shipping for a long time. Please don't make me regret enabling international shipping options.
Also, please understand that this is a one person operation. I'm hand-building these in my spare time and trying to give people as low of prices as I can. If this was my full time gig, I'd be making more money on each sale and be able to afford to pay $72 in shipping for every hardware issue anyone has.
If you're in Europe and interested in being a distributor, I'd love to talk to you. We could make many of these complications much easier for everyone if I had a European partner!
Buy with confidence.
Our Tindie Guarantee protects your purchase from fraud. Learn More
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