Hi All - I recently put a Castle Serenity in my workshop, replacing a wood stove. This is a separate building set up as a woodworking shop, but which has mostly been acting as my home office. My main driver in the switch was so I could automatically start the fire and warm the place up before head out there in the morning.
The Serenity has auto ignition and a built in scheduling function, but instead of using this scheduling function, I'm going down the path of using a home automation package called Home Assistant. This is a free, open source package, and it can interface with all sorts of "smart home" gizmos.
www.home-assistant.io
To command the Serenity, I'm using a universal IR gizmo:
Amazon product ASIN B07ZSF46BX
Conveniently, the IR gizmo has an optional USB cable with a built in temperature and humidity sensor:
Amazon product ASIN B081F3C4T4
So far, I've been able to have Home Assistant "learn" all of the commands from the remote control that came with the Serenity, and I've created scripts that will start up the stove, change its heat setting, and turn it off. Soon, I plan to use Home Assistant to start up the stove in the morning, and then put it into thermostat control.
If anyone is interested in trying something similar and has any questions, please let me know. I'm far from an expert on Home Assistant or my wood stove, but I'm fumbling forward.
The Serenity has auto ignition and a built in scheduling function, but instead of using this scheduling function, I'm going down the path of using a home automation package called Home Assistant. This is a free, open source package, and it can interface with all sorts of "smart home" gizmos.
Home Assistant
Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server.
www.home-assistant.io
To command the Serenity, I'm using a universal IR gizmo:
Amazon product ASIN B07ZSF46BX
Conveniently, the IR gizmo has an optional USB cable with a built in temperature and humidity sensor:
Amazon product ASIN B081F3C4T4
So far, I've been able to have Home Assistant "learn" all of the commands from the remote control that came with the Serenity, and I've created scripts that will start up the stove, change its heat setting, and turn it off. Soon, I plan to use Home Assistant to start up the stove in the morning, and then put it into thermostat control.
If anyone is interested in trying something similar and has any questions, please let me know. I'm far from an expert on Home Assistant or my wood stove, but I'm fumbling forward.
