Launch a range extender or upgrade to mesh network
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@CompuGo Setting up Home Assistant (on a Raspberry Pi for instance) would give you the flexibility to link both accounts to the same interface - so you can see and adjust all thermostats on one screen.
Also Home Assistant can be viewed on your mobile or pc.1 -
I have been checking to see if tado would (or already does) support Matter over the Thread protocol but haven't found anything online. My brother has tado in his house and he's happy with it. I recently moved to a new co-working space and was looking into whether I could install tado here as well so that when people would forget to turn down the heating I could manage it when I'm not there. I want the system to be future-proof so it has to be Matter for me.
I ended up in this thread and am amazed about how people still comment hoping tado will release a firmware update for the bridge to support extending the range with a 2nd bridge.
Julian, a tado support engineer I suppose, basically said: It is not happening.
So... stop hoping this will become a thing.
The next stop is Matter, it is the only viable way forward. If they are not working on Matter they can close up shop. They are not talking about future releases but all I can say is don't buy their V3 stuff, buy something else that does support Matter, or wait...
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Yaroon you are so right. There’s no amount of yelling will change that.0
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I am often asked about my tado setup and my response is the same until there is a solution for this. It’s good but… it doesn’t work if you don’t have a square 2 story house. I have a long thin house and 1 valve is always disconnecting.
A repeater, stronger broadcasting bridge or software change to link >1 bridge to an account would all solve the issue.
Whenever tado ask for feedback, i point them back to this thread.1 -
@Yaroon Whilst Matter will be important, its actually support for Thread that's more important in regards to this errr thread!
Matter will ensure tado kit can talk with other smart home stuff. Thread is the bit of the puzzle that solves the networking issues (and by extension the range issues we're suffering with the current Tado hardware).
The good news is Tado is listed as a member of the Thread group https://www.threadgroup.org/thread-group#OurMembers and have said in this thread they are working on bringing support for it.
The bad news is there's been no timeline from Tado and it will probably mean buying brand new hardware as there's been no indication from Tado that it will be backwards compatible with their current generation of kit.
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...Speaking of which....@Jurian any update on Matter/Thread support?
It's been two months since your last non-update on the topic https://community.tado.com/en-gb/discussion/comment/45937/#Comment_45937
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The big question for me is which alternate product has the functions we need? I looked at Wiser a few weeks ago and apart from having a repeater, it doesn't look like particularly great kit.
I've started modifying my radiator valves now to give better reception, so *most* of my house is working ok.
It seems likely that all of the Tado kit will need replacing when thread or matter is launched so I may as well start again with a new brand (I can't bear the idea of buying Tado again after so many problems).0 -
Personally, I think "matter" based systems will overtake and blow Tado out of the water when they arrive.
With a zigbee type protocol you can have both repeaters and most importantly multiple exit nodes (gateways to the internet if you need it). With a low battery requirement they will soon become the standard for these types of use.
I see that Home Assistant just added Matter support in the latest release - so when it comes out you will be able to integrate it to the same common interface. Also, I see that Home Assistant is helping users identify what are cloud based apps and functions and what are locally controllable devices. Thus you can try to migrate from your internet dependance (and stop giving people access to your network and your usage data).
Personally, I'm waiting for some good products and then I will replace the dropping-off Tado TRVs with Matter supporting ones. Then as the rest of the Tado devices fail (in 1-4 years) I will replace them with new Matter ones (from other vendors).
This way I don't have to rebuy everything at once; I can use the Home Assistant interface for multiple functions (including all the paid for things from Tado :-D).
From what I can see Tado are focusing on Matter and will never do anything for this group. The way to repay their loyalty is to ensure you never buy Tado in the future.
Regards
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You can’t really compare tado° (as a brand) to matter (a protocol)
Tado° will move away from 6LoWPAN sooner or later otherwise they won’t be able to compete. 6LoWPAN isn’t used in many products, at least not commercial products, mostly because of poor interoperability.
Matter is too new to have any real relevance, although the "standard" has a lot of big corporations behind it and seems like it will replace ZigBee and Thread over time, in some applications. The fact that the ZigBee Alliance has become the Connectivity Standards Alliance, who is the driving force behind Matter obviously has a lot to do with that.
A lot of the chip makers have said that their ZigBee/Thread/Bluetooth chips will get support for Matter, but again, that doesn't mean the device makers are going to be willing to make a Matter compatible firmware for all of their devices. A more likely scenario is that you'll end up having to get a new gateway, which will talk to its’ child devices via an old protocol to ensure backward compatibility.
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I have just bought my first wired thermostat with a view to extending this to about 10 units. I am now very concerned having read this thread that I am likely to encounter some reception problems. How do I determine whether the system will work reliably, is there any way to see what the signal level is around my house? It is a modern large three-storey property with foil backed insulation in some internal areas.
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@Mudmouse the people on this thread make up a tiny proportion of Tado users. Most people don’t have connection problems. Tado offers a money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied too, so the best way is to try it out and see how it goes https://www.tado.com/gb-en/money-back-guarantee0
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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!
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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
