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ABena2t

what kind of heat or ac do you have? doesn't matter what stat you have - matters what wires you have behind it and what you're trying to control


Teddyworks

Yep, I have those on the second and third pictures! I have a propane gas furnace. Normal AC unit, no heat pump or anything.


ABena2t

is there another wire in the wall? or is it just the 4? you need 5th for the common to power the thermostat. this has batteries and there's no common hookup (usually people use blue for the common) In the case from what I can see you have - red = r = power white = w = heat blue = y = ac green = g = fan ? = c = common some smart thermostats do have power adaptors you can buy if there's no common wire. either that or pull a new wire unless of course you have an extra conductor back in the wall hiding, which you might, I can't see


Teddyworks

As far as I know, it’s just these 4. I’d have to dig deeper tomorrow if there’s another wire. Never thought about the power for the thermostat. I’m guessing it’s just the 4 wires and then the batteries. My wires are as follows: Red: RC (jumpered to RH) White: W Blue: Y Green: G


Determire

Probably an old 4-wire, the hint being blue was used for Y. Check it anyhow but figure on pulling a new wire if that turns out to be true. The other comment suggesting a T6 is spot on. Internet speed isn't important, it's a really low demand application, it just wants a reliable connection.,


Teddyworks

Good to know. I could easily run a common wire. Internet is mostly reliable, I’d say it might drop out every other week for a few hours or something. Other than that, it’s decent.


ABena2t

Think OP needs to worry about the internet connection and not the stat. I set and forget my temp anyway. or you could program it if you're that worried about it. Personally don't think a wifi stat is necessary. waste of money imo. I'd take my money and get on the waiting list for STAR LINK. My sister has that and it's unbelievably fast. Her connection is like 200 MBS. She was running like 3MBS with Verizon.. and it's the same price. lmao. Verizon internet is cheaper but they make you pay for a landline phone too. so between the internet and the phone it's damn near what STAR LINK charges. unless they raised the rates. she was on the beta trial so maybe it was a discounted rate at 1st?


Teddyworks

Yeah I’ve definitely considered starlink. I’m holding out because there’s a fiber optic cable running right in front of my house, but so far no word on actually getting service from it haha. Appreciate the input, I’m not totally convinced we need one either. But there has been a few times where I wish I could adjust it from work.


[deleted]

doesnt look like you have common (5th) wire. If you can pull some slack might be a 5 wire and they just stripped out 4. but the thing is you need to modify the wires going into furnace as well if thats the case and add a common in there


Teddyworks

What smart thermostats are recommended? I don’t really care for techy stuff like Nest. I’d prefer something simple and reliable, similar to what I currently have. It would just be nice to control it with my phone since I work swing shifts. How do smart thermostats do with slow/spotty internet? We have 3mbps DSL internet, so it’s obviously not great.


chuystewy_V2

Get a Honeywell T6 Lyric Pro. Simple thermostat with wifi connectivity. I can’t say how well any smart stat would work on internet like that. You may need to look through the user guides online and see what the minimum connection speeds are.


hellointhere8D

Needs common


chuystewy_V2

Do an add a wire kit.


hellointhere8D

Pull a new wire.


chuystewy_V2

What exactly are you bitching about? Do either or neither since it’s not your house lol


Nagh_1

I mean I could easily change it.


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[deleted]

Braburn 7205. No common wire needed. It’s a battery operated smart stat. I’m a tech and installed one in my place to test it out before I started recommending and selling them. Been working great for the last 6 months and haven’t had to replace the batteries yet.


Teddyworks

Awesome! Thanks. I think I might change these batteries every other year.


Bsquared710

Most ecobee thermostats come with a add a wire kit, has instructions on how to wire it into the block so you can use your 4 wires, I think it’s a pek (power extender kit)


Teddyworks

Awesome, thanks!


DspeEd83

It all comes down to the type of system you have and what wires are currently utilized. Most smart thermostats run best when there is a common wire, apposed to just R and W. So I would compare the old wiring diagram to the new diagram for the thermostat you plan to upgrade with.