rhinotuff

lkrupp said:

rhinotuff said:

Awesome!  Now bring on the Mac Mini refresh!

It’s coming but you won’t like it.

ericthehalfbee said:

Soli said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Soli said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Although interesting, why control the A/C unit directly when I already have thermostats that are HomeKit compatible.

These aren't for central HVAC homes. These are window units. If you have a garage or shed where you may want to get some cool air pumping in the summer it would be nice to have, and I just found out I can be at Home Depot on a hot Summer day and remotely turn on and set the temp so I when I get back it's nice and cool.

I know the difference between central and room A/C. People who use HomeKit likely already have multiple devices, including a thermostat (one of the first smart home devices to hit the mainstream). It seems that making your A/C unit work with an existing thermostat would be far simpler and less expensive than building the entire "smart" experience (which requires WiFi support plus software/hardware) into the A/C unit itself. Then you don't have to worry about security, software updates and support. The thermostat already handles that and you only need a very simple bridge/connection to make your A/C unit work with your existing thermostat.

And how would, say, an Ecobee thermostat adjust this A/C unit if it had no "WiFi support plus software/hardware"? BT could be feasible for shorter distances or without too many obstructions, but does Ecobee connect with BT to A/C units or is that directly wired? Should these then require a wired thermostat? Doesn't the cost of the thermostat increase the price by a lot?

I don't get your "plus software/hardware" comment as even if you do have some janky, wired, external  thermostat rigged to one of these AC units how will the window unit even work if there's no HW or SW designed to allow an external thermostat to control it?

Why assume that people already have a smart thermostat, especially if they're in the market for a small, windowed AC unit?

Soli said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Soli said:

ericthehalfbee said:

Although interesting, why control the A/C unit directly when I already have thermostats that are HomeKit compatible.

These aren't for central HVAC homes. These are window units. If you have a garage or shed where you may want to get some cool air pumping in the summer it would be nice to have, and I just found out I can be at Home Depot on a hot Summer day and remotely turn on and set the temp so I when I get back it's nice and cool.

I know the difference between central and room A/C. People who use HomeKit likely already have multiple devices, including a thermostat (one of the first smart home devices to hit the mainstream). It seems that making your A/C unit work with an existing thermostat would be far simpler and less expensive than building the entire "smart" experience (which requires WiFi support plus software/hardware) into the A/C unit itself. Then you don't have to worry about security, software updates and support. The thermostat already handles that and you only need a very simple bridge/connection to make your A/C unit work with your existing thermostat.

And how would, say, an Ecobee thermostat adjust this A/C unit if it had no "WiFi support plus software/hardware"? BT could be feasible for shorter distances or without too many obstructions, but does Ecobee connect with BT to A/C units or is that directly wired? Should these then require a wired thermostat? Doesn't the cost of the thermostat increase the price by a lot?

I don't get your "plus software/hardware" comment as even if you do have some janky, wired, external  thermostat rigged to one of these AC units how will the window unit even work if there's no HW or SW designed to allow an external thermostat to control it?

Why assume that people already have a smart thermostat, especially if they're in the market for a small, windowed AC unit?

You can connect the window A/C to your thermostat using wires, just like they are currently connected to your furnace/heat. No wireless needed.

Window units have built-in thermostats. You should be able to buy one sans thermostat for smart home installation.

harry wild said:

It is about time!  I am hoping for a flagship SE-2 instead of a budget model that has two year old or later components inside of it and it called "new"!  It a joke to many buyers of the SE because many buyers can easily afford to buy a Mac Pro on impulse if they wanted one with thinking about how much it costs!