Evohome keeps dropping connection between thermostat and relay box

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  • dcreager
    Automated Home Jr Member
    • Nov 2014
    • 28

    Evohome keeps dropping connection between thermostat and relay box

    Back in Sept I had a new CH system fitted......Simple heating control .....1 Zone, 1 Thermostat, 1 Boiler Relay. I chose Evohome. Boy do I regret it.

    Initially placed stat in living room.....after a month it lost connection.......(which by the way doesn't give any indication on either the app or the thermostat). I then could not get it to rebind robustly (would connect but would then drop within an hour) So I moved stat to the hall which is almost straight line (albeit through brick walls) 10 foot to the BDR91. Re-bound and it has worked for about 4 months. (Must admit I am irritated I cannot place the stat where I want it)

    Yesterday evening (very cold) lost connection....no heating....it seemed to find the connection again without rebinding....but this morning no heating. The red light was flashing on the relay so I re-bound the connection.

    My house is full of Wifi and wireless gadgets (automated somfy blinds)

    I am now very concerned that Evohome is a fragile design.

    (By the way when I spoke to my installer, he said 'Yes I know', when I asked why he didn't tell me, he said I didn't want to make you sad. GRRRRR)

    I am considering replacing. Does anyone have any views on the robustness of the wireless connectivity between Thermostat and Relay for other makes/models?

    I originally chose Evohome due to the capability of easily adding the radiator valves as other zones......however, I am not convinced I will ever use this functionality
  • HenGus
    Automated Home Legend
    • May 2014
    • 1001

    #2
    I cannot answer your question about other smart heating controls but my experience of Evohome (nearly 4 years) is that it is pretty robust but it does occasionally have comms issues that can be difficult to fault find. For example, I have had comms issues in the past with BDRs; the most distant TRV in the house and the HW kit transmitter. The faults usually self restored as recorded in the Evotouch fault log. I have moved BDRs around etc noting that Honeywell advise 1 Metre minimum separation from other sources of wifi.

    For the past couple of months, I have had an optical spot reader transmitting in the same band as Evohome without any interference issues.

    I sense that your ongoing experience adds to the weight of argument for an Evohome wifi repeater.

    Comment

    • Edinburgh2000
      Automated Home Guru
      • Dec 2016
      • 134

      #3
      Originally posted by HenGus View Post
      I sense that your ongoing experience adds to the weight of argument for an Evohome wifi repeater.
      ...or for ethernet ports in the controller, the BDR91s, the CS92 HW temperature sensor and wall thermostats to enable power over ethernet connections that would avoid all these comms problems and the issues with battery power.

      Comment

      • rvb99
        Automated Home Sr Member
        • Oct 2017
        • 74

        #4
        My system was running great with no coms problems at all for about 3 months after installation and then we put in a large 4.5m Xmas tree with about 150m of lights ( probably giving off quite a bit of RF noise) . Thereafter the controller (in the same room) constantly lost coms with the BDR91 (had to keep rebinding even though it reported a strong signal ) and also a distant HR92(also reported a good signal). Moved the controller out of the xmas tree room and slightly closer to the boiler system and BDR91 which are in the basement ( distance is around 7m but through around a foot of floor) and since everything has been fine. So yes it does seem the coms are a little flakey, particularly when surrounded by other Radio Frequency stuff. Just had an update of the firmware today so itll be interesting to see if that improves things.

        Comment

        • Dan_Robinson
          Automated Home Ninja
          • Jun 2012
          • 347

          #5
          Can you post a wide angle shot of the receiver boxes?
          Kind Regards - Dan Robinson (Jennings Heating Ltd)

          Comment

          • G4RHL
            Automated Home Legend
            • Jan 2015
            • 1580

            #6
            I don’t have RF issues but I can understand why some may. My Control Panel currently sits alongside my router and other electronic gear including three hubs running different remote devices. There is no doubt though that some is poorly made and it may not be the Evohome panel but another device. Brings back memories of cathode ray TV sets where manufacturers to save £10 would leave out a filter making them prone to interference. Hearing the radios from police vehicles being picked up on my phone! Worth checking what frequencies other devices are using in your home.

            Comment

            • MichaelD
              Automated Home Guru
              • Mar 2006
              • 167

              #7
              Been using EvoHome for years, and is now very reliable once I worked out the initial problem. My controller and boiler relay aren't far apart, but when I drew the straight line between them on a plan of the house, it became obvious that there was about 10m of masonry between the two, because the signal had to pass diagonally through a solid wall. I moved the controller about 200mm and everything now works faultlessly

              Comment

              • paulockenden
                Automated Home Legend
                • Apr 2015
                • 1719

                #8
                Also remember that the wavelength used by Evohome is roughly a foot, but the internal antennas are fractional. So moving a device (or the controller) just a few inches can have an impact on RF reception when working at extremes (when reflected / standing waves can cause interference).

                Comment

                • G4RHL
                  Automated Home Legend
                  • Jan 2015
                  • 1580

                  #9
                  Modern plaster board and breeze block walls, other electrical devices (even if switched off) and bear in mind many now use wirelessly controlled light switches and lights. RF is a wonderful thing. It sometimes does not get to where it should and other times does but to where it shouldn’t. I used to be able to open my neighbour’s garage door if I transmitted on a particular frequency. I did tell him!

                  Comment

                  • HenGus
                    Automated Home Legend
                    • May 2014
                    • 1001

                    #10
                    No science at all here but my simple observation is that, overall, I have had less communications issues with Evohome since a remote Opentherm Bridge was fitted.

                    Comment

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