Yes I've seen these too but looking for some first hand reviews on how well they work.
That AirPatrol I saw but can't confirm if there is anyway to use the app when not connected to local wifi. I need to be able to control AC when I'm not home.
You know, you're right. I do mainly just keep the AC on 24/7 in the summer. The room is only 12 x 12 with 9' ceilings. But sometimes the temps go well down and I like to turn off the A/C to get fresh air. I want to be able to turn the A/C on remotely (ie. when not at home) if I forgot to turn it back on in the morning when the temps are going to go way up or so I forgot to turn it on when going away for the weekend.
Ah, I see. In summer I turn it on almost every morning since 8000 isn't enough to "cool down" an 80 degree room my size when hot. When gone for weekend or no plans to work all day in the office I'll leave it off.
The main motivation for me if keeping my gear cool. My Plex server gets hit hard all day everyday and my new Threadripper dual 1080Ti workstation is stressed 90% of the time. My office heats up REAL fast i I don't have the AC on when it's 80+ outside.Ah, I see. In summer I turn it on almost every morning since 8000 isn't enough to "cool down" an 80 degree room my size when hot. When gone for weekend or no plans to work all day in the office I'll leave it off.
I should note that I cool the house/room at night with whole house fan, and window fans so my 'starting temp' often when I turn the AC on in the morning could be 68* or 65*. This is how I am able to hold such low temps all day in such a big room, etc... If I waited until it got to 75* in the room it would be obviously 80+ outside and nearly impossible to get down to 72, that wait is often noon/lunch time. The good thing (for me) at-least is the ice cold AC air blows on my back so even if it's hot hot the cold air cools me nicely
The problem with the thermostats is when I decide I want to turn off the A/C completely to open windows and get fresh air. I'm not going to leave the A/C on when I open the windows and I can forget to turn it back on or check the weather for that day to know if I NEED to turn it back on.
Yup works local if able or automatically over internet via cloud account. Also ties in with Smart Things/Alexa/Google. The IR codes I doubt are loaded but it has a learn option.
Not sure a thermostat will work for me. I don't currently have any thermostat as I live in a NY apt building (though it's a condo) and we don't have any thermostats. All heat is building controlled and A/C is personal window units.
As much as it pains me to say it, avoid Friedrich. Their units used to be unsinkable battleships, but they've really gone downhill in recent years. Their add-on WiFi "building management" goes off to a 3rd-party consultancy's site that did the (abysmal) software. Friedrich doesn't know anything about how to talk to the A/C units directly (they'll tell you it is "proprietary information", but the answer is they just don't know because it was all outsourced). Same thing with the IR codes - outsourced to China and they don't know.
This seems like one of those "doctor it hurts when I do this" problems. So if you forget to close the window you're just f'd? But you don't forget to close the window, only close the window and turn on the AC? Honestly, I'd be more worried about the humidity and the temperature swings than the heat.