LOW POWER NETWORK CONNECTIVITY OF A BUILDING CONTROL DEVICE
A device incorporating electronics including a transmitter to transmit commands to a remote HVAC unit, a communication module for connecting the device to a low power network, and a controller to communicate with the HVAC unit and communicate with a remote device over the low power network. The device further incorporates a power source to power the electronics.
1 . A device comprising:
electronics incorporating:
a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit one or more commands to a remote HVAC unit;
a communication module for connecting the device to a low power network;
a controller configured to:
communicate with the HVAC unit via the transmitter; and
communicate with a remote device over the low power network via the communication module; and
a power source operatively coupled to the electronics and configured to power the electronics.
2 . The device of claim 1 , further configured to communicate via the transmitter with one or more sensors for sensing environmental conditions.
3 . The device of claim 1 , the electronics further comprising one or more sensors for sensing environmental conditions.
4 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a housing with the electronics and power source disposed therein.
5 . The device of claim 1 , the electronics further comprise a user interface including a display, wherein the controller is configured to display on the display current environmental conditions and desired environmental conditions specified by a user via the user interface.
6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the remote device can send instructions over the low power network to the device to control the HVAC unit.
7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the low power network is a low power wide area network (LPWAN).
8 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the LPWAN is a NarrowB and Internet of Things (NB-IoT) Network.
9 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the LPWAN is a LoRa Network.
10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is a thermostat.
11 . A thermostat comprising:
a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit one or more commands to a remote HVAC unit;
a communication module for connecting the device to a low power network;
a controller operatively connected to the transmitter and the communication module and configured to:
communicate with the HVAC unit via the transmitter; and
communicate with a remote device over the low power network via the communication module; and
a power source operatively coupled to the transmitter, the communication module, and the controller and configured to power the transmitter, the communication module, and the controller.
12 . The thermostat of claim 11 , further comprising a housing with the transmitter, the communication module, the controller, and the power source disposed therein.
13 . The thermostat of claim 12 , further comprising:
one or more sensors for sensing environmental conditions; and
a user interface including a display, wherein the controller is configured to display on the display the environmental conditions and desired environmental conditions specified by a user via the user interface.
14 . The thermostat of claim 12 , further configured to communicate via the transmitter with one or more sensors for sensing environmental conditions and the thermostat further comprises a user interface including a display, wherein the controller is configured to display on the display the environmental conditions and desired environmental conditions specified by a user via the user interface.
15 . The thermostat of claim 11 , wherein the low power network is a NarrowB and Internet of Things (IoT) Network.
16 . The thermostat of claim 11 , wherein the low power network is a LoRa Network.
17 . A thermostat comprising:
a housing;
electronics disposed within the housing, including:
a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit one or more commands to a remote HVAC unit;
a communication module for connecting the device to a low power wide area network (LPWAN);
a controller configured to:
communicate with the HVAC unit via the transmitter; and
communicate with a remote device over the LPWAN via the communication module;
a user interface including a display, wherein the controller is configured to display on the display environmental conditions and desired environmental conditions specified by a user via the user interface; and
a power source disposed within the housing, operatively coupled to the electronics, and configured to power the electronics.
18 . The thermostat of claim 17 , the electronics further comprising one or more sensors for sensing environmental conditions.
19 . The thermostat of claim 17 , wherein the controller is further configured to communicate via the transmitter with one or more sensors for sensing environmental conditions.
20 . The thermostat of claim 17 , wherein the LPWAN is a NarrowB and Internet of Things (IoT) Network.