Vaillant Vsmart v Vrc700

[John Mathews]

My old Vaillant wireless thermostat is absolute rubbish so its time to upgrade.
I just require a reliable wireless thermostat for a standard Ecotec + 831 combi boiler. I do not need any wireless radiator themostats etc so I assume I just need one zone.

I like the idea of having control via an app and the function to take external temperature info into the heating equation. As its a Vaillant boiler I would like to keep the modulating function. I also like the option to be able to set the time I wake up and then the system works out the best time to switch on the heating.

So its down to Vrc700f or vsmart. I think I am right in saying that the 700 is newer? The fact that it uses an external sensor seems to indicate that the internet source for the vsmart isnt as good and I guess the technology would improve quite a bit over the 2 or 3 years between release dates.

With the 700 would I be paying for functionality that's not needed but a better quality overall? Is the fact that its newer perhaps a good thing. Any good or bad reports for either would be appreciated. I notice in one thread that there are reports that the internet works better than the external sensor for external temperatures so that points back to the vsmart

 

[Brambles]

They are very similar in functionality and price. With the external sensor it must be on a North facing wall. If it is placed NE or NW you need to ensure that it never catches the sun.

As with any weather compensation system, it needs to be set up properly against the heat curve that suits your requirements. If the curve is set too low, the boiler will run for a prolonged period at a flow temperature too low to achieve your required room temperature.

 

[Last Plumber]

My old Vaillant wireless thermostat is absolute rubbish so its time to upgrade.
I just require a reliable wireless thermostat for a standard Ecotec + 831 combi boiler. I do not need any wireless radiator themostats etc so I assume I just need one zone.

I like the idea of having control via an app and the function to take external temperature info into the heating equation. As its a Vaillant boiler I would like to keep the modulating function. I also like the option to be able to set the time I wake up and then the system works out the best time to switch on the heating.

So its down to Vrc700f or vsmart. I think I am right in saying that the 700 is newer? The fact that it uses an external sensor seems to indicate that the internet source for the vsmart isnt as good and I guess the technology would improve quite a bit over the 2 or 3 years between release dates.

With the 700 would I be paying for functionality that's not needed but a better quality overall? Is the fact that its newer perhaps a good thing. Any good or bad reports for either would be appreciated. I notice in one thread that there are reports that the internet works better than the external sensor for external temperatures so that points back to the vsmart

The VRC 700 is a true weather compensating device as well as having many other features. It will do the job you require it to do and do it well. However, it is capable of much more than you will use it for. Some customers find it complicated and struggle to get used to it form my experience.

The V Smart will also do the job and is pretty much designed for your requirements although it is not the same type of weather comp and probably not as quite accurate. It does look a bit naff in my opinion but some like the design. Each to his own.

If you are going to use the App more than the thing itself, you might be better going for the cheaper option.

 

[fishpond]

In my opinion the physical weather stat on the north facing wall is far more accurate that the vSmart's internet data. Not sure if it's an issue for you, but the other thing to consider is that if you have multiple zones, the VRC700 is the one to go for.

 

[John Mathews]

In my opinion the physical weather stat on the north facing wall is far more accurate that the vSmart's internet data. Not sure if it's an issue for you, but the other thing to consider is that if you have multiple zones, the VRC700 is the one to go for.

Many thanks. There was one big reason that I ended up buying the Vsmart...I didn't realise that for the 700 to work with the phone app I would have needed to spend another £230 on the interface unit! So far the Vsmart has been good except when an rcbo tripped yesterday (not because of vsmart) and then the Vsmart room thermostat lost connection with the communications unit and that lost connection with the router (BT smarthub 2). I eventually got everything by rebooting the router. The boiler did start working without the connections but I assume it would have just kept getting hotter until the boiler internal water thermostat cut in. Maybe of interest... The boiler, router and communications iunit are all in the same rcbo but that should not really be any sort of problem

 

[Scott_D]

On the vsmart
If you manually increase the temp at the room thermostat, does it go back to the programmed temp at the next time slot?

 

[John Mathews]

If you change the temperature, it will stay at that level for the time that you preset in the app. It will then revert to the programmed temperature and times