Launch a range extender or upgrade to mesh network
Comments
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@Mudmouse
When testing make sure you monitor it over a couple of weeks with all devices fitted.
Also check that when you call for heat in the furthest rooms it responds quickly.
I've got rooms which don't show any connection loss but when I activate them I can be waiting 15 minutes for a response.
Any sign of connection issues (and the bridge is centrally located, or high up) then return it immediately.
Good luck.2 -
Agreed. In most cases it works really well.0
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Thanks for your comments, I have put the bridge and the thermostat at two extreme ends of the house (not yet connected to the heating system) and am dry testing the response when located at the thermostat to hear the relay click. So far all is OK after one day.
Is there any way on the app or online to see what the signal strength is?
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The whole system Tado provides is a joke, and reading back it has been a joke for far too long. This should have been resolved by now. If no solution will be provided quickly I'll return the whole shebang under warranty.
This should be on every package: Please be aware: Only meant for small houses, no modern communication protocol available.
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@Mudmouse
I've lost count of the number of time I've got the system to work then a week later drop outs begin.
Some stats far away working while closer stats don't.
You will need to connect up properly before you will know whether it works for your home.1 -
They do still drop in and out a year later although tbf it’s a very small percentage of the time per valve.0
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@Mudmouse for better or worse the answer is "your mileage may vary". Thickness of floors / walls, number of SRTs and temp sensors, distance, materials used in the house, other devices in the same band (i.e. home alarm systems), I somehow recall some people even reporting that switching to different batteries made a difference. Buy all you need (not just one bridge and one sensor / SRT), install, monitor closely for yourself not just through the app (as others have pointed out, devices may go offline, but not long enough for the UI to point this out). If it looks like working OK, then you can probably stick with Tado. It's not like it doesn't have other problems, but at least you won't freeze
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I've seen somewhat of an improvement over the last week with a couple of regularly dropping SRV and the wireless extension kit loosing connectivity to the internet bridge (this results in no hot water).
It may have been in this thread but someone suggested a passive 868mhz ariel extension. I have done two of these.
One in the loft near the internet bridge with a 5m cable running to the area with poor reception. I put one ariel right next to the internet bridge and threw the other end of the ariel as far as I could into the loft space (it's not boarded and not really safe up there!) above where the extension kit is mounted on the ground floor.
I also added another 5m passive ariel extension near the wireless extension kit toward the ariel in the loft . The one in the utility room stretches into the dining room and is pig ugly as it'll almost impossible to hide the cable due to solid stone walls.
However, I am seeing all SRV online (kitchen ones used to drop a LOT) and none of the dreaded no connection errors for most SRV (for me this was mainly due to the wireless extension kit losing connectivity to the internet bridge).
Early days, but looking like an improvement so far for me. Will update again in a few weeks.
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@paul0000
Great to hear you had some success with the passive extended antenna.
That was my suggestion a while back ,it helped me too but never completely fixed things.
I've now almost got a system which doesn't drop out as I've soldered extension wires to the antennas of the problematic TRVs and the bridge.
So mostly things are sorted for me now. Having said that, I would still buy a Tado repeater immediately if one become available (which I know it won't).2 -
Thanks @Pete I saw your post on the extension wires as well. Next step for me if I have further issues.
Same for me ref the repeater!0 -
No way to see signal strength.
You can manually blink a device but this sometimes works ok, other times not1 -
One may wonder why Tado doesn’t proudly showcase the signal-strength… ;)3
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Hi Tado, Jurian
Thanks for this long and helpful post. I hear you, but I think you still have a problem which I hope you can fix - because overall I think tado is a great product. I have also used Evohome in the past and tado is much better!
BUT…. Many of us are still having these intermittent connection issues which do undermine the great product. You are saying that the firmware doesn’t support a range extender for the bridge, or a more powerful bridge. But you need to fix that! By definition, the value case for a zoning system is for mid and large size properties where you want to run different heating zones. But at the moment it’s a 10/10 product with 3/10 reliability.
Please have another look and see what you can do! If you need to, make it more expensive! But don’t sell a fantastic product with terrible reliability.
Be more Toyota, not so much Landrover!
:)1 -
How do you attach extension aerials? Could some helpful person supply photos?0
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Probably my first and last comment. Live in a old stone walled cottage, have to use MESH WIFI to get decent signal across the house, however, the nodes are wired using Ethernet cable and this just about works. Without an TADO extender of some description there is no point in me buying TADO which is a shame as a family member, who lives in a small flat, it works well for.
Thanks to the community and saving me the aggro of buying something which is limited in its ability. Ho hum, what next!
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oh blimey.... looks like i've walked in to a dog of a purchase. i've just come on to the forum today to get support, after installing 13 TRVs today, with only 3 connecting.... Its an old 1600s house with a large (400mm thick) wall down the centre... so bugger all chance of ever working by the looks of it... shame all the packaging, product, instructions have been great.. but obvs style over content.. back in the box it all goes pronto....
BTW - what's odd - All TRVs show connected in "Settings"-"rooms and Devices" - e.g. Smart Rad - say "connected" but on the front screen non say connected.... odd.
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I wouldn’t be so quick to decide. Took me a while to get it sorted out and still from time to time one radiator or another goes down but it’s pretty good actually.1
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I would definitely “be that quick”.
At some point there will be new versions with a different protocol, which by the looks of it will not be backward compatible.
13 TRV’s and the whole shebang is not like spending a few euros on a short term solution.3 -
@simonm does the centre wall extend up into the loft? If not, your only hope is to try the bridge high up in the loft - this *might* work. It does for me in a similar building...
Otherwise, I agree with @Robbie - cut your losses!2 -
@simonm
If you are using a zone controller (like an extension kit) to control the boiler then if the extension kit loses connection it will appear that every room set to that controller has also lost connection.
Move the bridge high up and see if that resolves things (using network homeplugs can help give you ethernet in unusual places). If no improvement return as you planned.3 -
Cut your losses while you still can and wait for the next generation of tado devices to be released and then decide on the best way forward for your house.2
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thanks all - What is REALLY ODD - is that i also connected them all last night to Apples Home app - well just to the Bridge, i woke this morning and all are connected perfectly to the Apple Home app - its just the Tado that can't connect to ten of them... how odd. I'll finish off the install this week, give it ONE GO ONLY next weekend, then box the lot if it shows signs of being a lifes work to get it working, than a life improver its meant to be
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You are on the same path many of us once traveled.
You have gone trough the hassle of purchasing, installing, and setting it up. So now you wish for it to work.
The thing is that over time it will leave you frustrated for reasons which aren’t fully clear yet.
The status reports of your devices on various apps are not accurate. Your system might skip a beat while not displaying it.
You will discover your heater is burning gas, while it shouldn’t.
Your zones will be either hot or cold, although your scheduled differently.
All while hoping Tado will develop improvement over time. But they are frustratingly sloooow, and not communicating any valuable info to work with. Their communication boils down to: keep moving your bridge in impossible angles, and: make use of the 30 day money back offer if things don’t work for you.
Good luck, run while you still can ;)3 -
I agree with the majority of the others. Return as soon as you can. Tado is currently not suitable for larger houses. Maybe when they release their next gen hardware it’ll be worth a second look.2
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I have 18 radiators in a large house with some very thick walls and Tado works pretty well. It helps to be fairly flexible and relaxed.-2
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I think this is one of those things where YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). @simonm makes sense to toy around with the position of the bridge and see if it fixes things. Given your screenshot it appears that you have either opted for the worst possible bridge position or you won't have much luck with the current generation of Tado hardware.
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All returned to TADO - that was very efficient, no quibbles, almost like they have done it before. Good luck with your quest all.
nbr
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Even if they just allowed 2 bridges in same account to make it “look” like single that would be fine too! I would take any solution!0
