WiFi and cloud enabled temperature control system
A method for electronic, remote control of an existing heating element. A temperature probe is monitored programmatically. That data is managed via wifi connectivity. A user can then control the operation of the device (water heater or other) at any time and from any location.
1. A method comprising:
integrating a container of a fluid with a digital temperature control means, the digital temperature control means comprising:
a first means for reading a measurement captured by a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the fluid in the container,
a second means for operating a relay to determine and control a state of a heating source configured to affect the temperature of the fluid in the container,
a communications module for bi-directionally communicating data with a remote network,
a processor for processing data, and
a controller configured to operate the processor, the first means, the second means, and the communications module;
retrieving a user input comprising at least one of the following:
a first temperature threshold,
a second temperature threshold,
a first sample rate for operating the first means to retrieve the measurement captured by the temperature sensor, and
a second sample rate for operating the second means to determine and control a state of the heating source;
receiving, via the first means, the measurement captured by the temperature sensor in accordance to the first sample rate;
determining, via the second means, the state of the heating source;
controlling, via the second means, the state of the heating source, wherein controlling the state of the heating source comprises:
turning the heating source on when the heating source is off and the measurement is below the first temperature threshold, and
turning the heating source off when the heating source is on and the measurement is above the second temperature threshold;
aggregating data associated with the container of the fluid and operation of the digital temperature control means;
calculating usage analytics, the usage analytics comprising:
power consumption associated with the container of the fluid, the energy usage comprising real-time usage data and historical usage data, and
costs associated with the power consumption;
predicting future power consumption and costs associated with the container of the fluid, wherein predicting the future power consumption and costs comprises:
employing the usage analytics, and
employing at least one environmental factor based on:
a location of the container of the fluid, and
times of operation of the heating source; and
adjusting, based on predicted future power consumption and costs, the first temperature threshold and the second temperature threshold,
wherein integrating the container of the fluid with the digital temperature control means comprises integrating the container of the fluid that has no built-in cloud-enabled communications module for communicating with WiFi network.