How To Connect Air Conditioner To Wifi?
The air conditioner (AC) is a smart home appliance that cools down an inside space by lowering the temperature and removing the existing heat and moisture from the room. Therefore, the air conditioning system oversees the temperature, humidity, and air quality in indoor spaces.
Most air conditioners are controlled by a switch placed on the appliance and then later by a remote. As technology advances, Wi-Fi is used more often to connect your AC. This has simplified the control of the air conditioning system.
Now you do not have to spend time searching for your AC remote in all sorts of random places or getting up to switch it on. Everything you need is one push of a button away from your smartphone. Let’s see how you can connect your air conditioner to wifi.
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How To Connect Air Conditioner To Wifi?
So How To Connect Air Conditioner To Wifi? Connecting your air conditioner to Wifi can be done through a Smart AC Controller, by using a smart air conditioner, or by using a mobile app. The most expensive solution to connect your AC to Wifi is to buy a smart AC, while the most favorable method is to buy a smart AC controller.
Heating and cooling make up for 48% of total energy consumption in America (Energy Information Administration). The technology that’s being used often is called “Smart Home Automation” and it connects your home appliances to your phone or laptop via Wi-Fi. Each connected device must have sensors in order to connect to Wi-Fi.
This includes turning the AC on and off and choosing temperature settings, turning the lights on and off, locking and unlocking the front door, along others. Some examples of smart home automation are Amazon Echo, Google Home, Insteon Hub Pro, Samsung SmartThings, and Wink Hub.
If you are interested, you can also read our article How to Connect a Laptop to a TV via WiFi.
What Is Wi-Fi Air Conditioning Control?
Everyone enjoys coming home and unwinding after a long stressful day. Because we can’t control how things are in the outside world, we can control how they are inside. These things include our bed, furniture, the food we eat, shows we watch but also the temperature. We all know that no matter how awesome our environment is if the temperature is too hot or too cold, we simply can’t enjoy it. That’s where the AC comes into play.
The AC has many modes and can be adjusted based on how we prefer it. The AC can be controlled by the controller, but that can often get complicated. We can’t control the AC if we aren’t at home and if we lose the controller.
If you have a smart air conditioner installed, you can control it using the mobile phone by linking the air conditioning system to the Wi-Fi. Other than not having to look for the remote and being able to control it when not at home, the best part is that the Wi-Fi control system provides more intelligent features that regular remote controls can’t provide.
For a lot of appliances, there is no reason for them to be controlled when you are not at home. For the Air conditioning though, it can be very useful. For example, you are arriving from a 10-day trip and your apartment is fuming hot from the weather. Once you land you can turn on your AC on, so by the time you arrive at your place, the temperature is nice and cool. Additionally, you can program your AC when to switch on and off every day based on your work schedule.
Smart ACs already have mobile control functionality but regular air conditioners can be made ‘smart’ too. A smart controller and smart air conditioning app are enough to make a non-smart AC into a smart one. This will save you a lot of money because you will not have to purchase a completely new AC just because of this feature.
Ways To Connect Air Conditioner To Wifi
1. Control AC With Wi-Fi By A Smart AC Controller
As we already mentioned, it is not necessary to purchase a high-tech, bougie air conditioner to be able to control it via Wi-Fi. All you need is a smart AC controller, and you will be able to control any air conditioner such as a mini-spit, a portable, and a window AC with which an IR remote comes.
Smart AC controllers are intelligent devices that make your regular air conditioner a smart one without costing you a lot of money. All you must do is plug in your smart AC controller, and within minutes you are ready to go.
They add a bunch of new features to your AC as well:
- A power saving mode- Since energy saving has become a homeowners goal, this feature is well appreciated. A smart AC controller can save you up to 25% of the energy that would be spent if the regular AC was running without it.
- A temperature range you want your AC to work within
- Air filter status and usage statistics
- Humidity sensing mode
- Location-based controls
To simplify, the smart AC controller converts your regular AC into a Wi-Fi Smart Air conditioner!
2. Control AC With Wi-Fi By A Smart Air Conditioner
A simpler but slightly costlier option to control the air conditioning through Wi-Fi is to buy a new and Smart AC. Those models do not need a separate controller because the Wi-Fi capabilities are already installed. The only thing that’s needed is an app that can be downloaded from the app store, and you are set.
Sadly, there are some downsides to owning a smart air conditioner. Some are:
- They are expensive to purchase- this is especially costly if you already have a normal air conditioner that still works. Replacing it is not financially practical.
- Smart ACs usually do not have as many features as smart AC controllers. And as we said, AC controllers are bought to go with the regular ACs. The missing features are usually: location controls and trigger-based modes.
If you do have a functional AC at home that’s not Wi-Fi smart, the best purchasing choice would be adding a smart AC controller because then you get more features, and the price is lower than purchasing a brand-new Wi-Fi smart AC.
3. Control Your AC With Wi-Fi By Mobile Apps
Apps are a type of software that can be installed and run on a computer, tablet, smartphone, or some other electronic device. They are used for countless purposes, but one is connecting appliances to the user’s phone via Wi-Fi.
No matter if you have a Wi-Fi smart AC or a regular AC with a smart AC controller, you will need an app to set the program in place. One example of a good quality app for this purpose is the “Cielo Home App”. It provides a huge lineup of control options and smart features. It is free so there are no monthly subscriptions.
Some of the smart features that come within the AC control apps are:
- Global Control- allows you to control your AC from anywhere in the world.
- Comfy Mode- setts intelligent triggers that regulate room temperature.
- Extra convenience- lets you adjust AC’s mode, fan speed, vent position, etc.
- Smart Scheduling- you get to set 7-day schedules based on your desires and everyday routines.
- Viewing of Usage History and Timeline of Actions.
- Geofencing- setting actions and controls based on your location.
- Temperature Range Controls- lets you choose a temperature range based on your preference for your AC to operate within- only available on some apps
- Saving Energy- curbs your ACs power usage while still performing excellently
- Notification on when to change the air filter (prevents malfunctions)
- Control AC with voice- lets you control your heating/cooling appliance with services such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Siri Shortcuts.
It is important to find an app that performs well. Some apps offer a frustrating experience because they either glitch, take a long time to load, don’t offer many features, or simply do not work. Some, on the other hand, are amazing and provide a wide range of captivating features that make your life easier!
The Advantages Of A Wi-Fi Air Conditioner
Control Your Air Conditioner From Anywhere
Technology has improved immensely over the years. Today, we can control our house appliances from anywhere in the world. Sounds incredible right? This feature is great for numerous reasons. Firstly, you can control your home temperature even when you are on a vacation. Once you get closer to home, you can turn on the heating or cooling system and enter a perfectly conditioned environment.
Secondly, if you have pets at home, you can adjust the temperature whenever you like from work or school, so they are not too cold or too hot. Thirdly, if you are renting apartments or Air B&Bs you can turn on the AC before the guest’s arrival without having to go to the location to set it up. Lastly, if you leave the AC at a certain mode and the weather changes outside, you can turn it off or readjust it from wherever you are. This way you are saving electricity.
Intelligent Triggers
Smart Wi-Fi controllers and smart Wi-Fi air conditioners have a built-in array of intelligent trigger modes. The trigger mode allows the user to set a certain range of temperature or humidity they want the AC to operate within. To be more descriptive, if the range is set to 21 to 23 Celsius, the AC will switch off once the temperature reaches 21 degrees. The temperature will slowly rise back to 23 and once it does the AC will turn on to push the temperature down again. It is the same with humidity levels. This way you can save a lot of electricity.
Save Time And Energy
You would be surprised to know how much energy and time people lose on doing certain tasks throughout their life. All that wasted time could have been spent doing more constructive things or just simply enjoying life. Being able to schedule things in advance helps a lot. It opens the persons operating memory to focus on other things.
In this case, scheduling the AC will save time and brain energy during the week. This way you do not have to worry about temperature, or even open the app. You can set the mode for temperature, humidity, and swing. The modes can switch throughout the day. You might prefer a cooler morning and a cozier evening, or you do not want the AC to run while you are at work. It is all possible! The schedules can be connected with intelligent triggers as well. That then creates an even more immaculate experience.
Geofencing
Geofencing is known as a location-based service that operates by using GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or cellular data that is triggering a pre-programmed action. A geofence is a perimeter boundary created around the location of a smartphone or other device.
Based on the geofence the AC can then turn off and on according to where you are. This feature is great if you never know when you are leaving work and want the AC to turn on to the mode you set when you leave the office. You, of course, choose at which location the AC registers the command.
Improved Energy Efficiency
As explained above, intelligent triggers, temperature, and humidity range lower the AC’s energy consumption up to 25%. You can even improve your presetting skills by looking at the archived history of the AC. Based on that you can make an even better plan to keep your home in the best setting for the lowest electricity price.
With temperature range control there are no highest and lowest temperatures defined. That way the AC does not have to work as intensely to pinpoint the temperature to a certain degree Celsius, which saves energy.
Zone Controls
Living with multiple people means multiple preferences. This is where the zone control feature comes in handy. It allows you to map out zones in your home and choose different settings for each one. It is also useful when you need to set a warmer temperature in the bathroom and a cooler temperature in the kitchen. These are specifically convenient for large spacious places such as hospitals and hotels.
Smart Home Integration
Voice commands are increasingly becoming more popular with the growth of Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and others gadgets. Through voice command, you can do more than just switch the AC on or off. You can set the modes in place as well. This can comes in handy in so many situations. You might just be tired and not want to leave the bed to turn off the AC. Additionally, this feature is simplifying everyday life for the blind as well. Smart ACs are part of the simplified lifestyle the future is heading towards.
Conclusion
To conclude, if you want this type of smart Wi-Fi experience, you can either buy an additional AC controller to use with your conventional AC or you can buy a new air conditioner with built-in smart features and components. Both options and quite beneficial and will make your life simpler! I hope that this article helped you, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask us.