IntesisBox

Overview

Most HVAC installations in the United States are easy as most thermostats utilise a universal standard and as such can be replaced easily by a 3^rd party thermostat such as Control4’s thermostat.

Unfortunately alot of HVAC manufacturers do not utilise this standard and have proprietary closed communications that are specific to that HVAC manufacturer.  This makes it extremely cumbersome for Control4 dealers to source a reliable HVAC product and in many countries Control4 dealers do not even bother with HVAC integration because it is just too hard.

Luckily Intesis have released their range of IntesisBox gateways.  Intesis manufacturer 3 different types of gateways.

Bi-directional Infrared Emitter / Receiver

Universal IntesisBoxs are developed to offer compatibility with thousands of HVAC models through infra red and offer room temperature feedback via a sensor in the IntesisBox.

The home owner can utilise the existing infra-red remote control as well as the infra red receiver will translate the IR signal and report back to the home automation system what the HVAC mode, Setpoint and fan speed is.

Indoor Unit Gateways

These gateways can be retrofit easily as they tap into the HVAC' system’s indoor unit communications wiring which provides the IntesisBox with both power and communications. This means that you don’t need to run new cabling to get this solution to work. These models are developed to communicate with the HVAC manufacturer’s proprietary communications protocol allowing for true real time bidirectional communication with the system. 

Outdoor Unit Gateways

These gateways tap into the outdoor unit’s communication wiring and can control multiple indoor units for multi-zone control. These solutions are din rail mounted and require 9-36vdc / 24vac power.

Features

• Automatic discovery of Intesisbox based on unit MAC address.
• Self healing - if IP address changes the driver will automatically rediscover the unit.
• Auto configuration of available of HVAC Modes from IntesisBox.
• Auto configuration of available of Fan Speeds from IntesisBox.
• Auto configuration of set point limits (minimum and maximum).
• Auto configuration of available vane positions.
• Temperature Feedback.
• Setpoint Control.
• Up/Down/Left/Right Vane position control
• Built in Scheduling.
• Built in Presets.
• Relay based zone bindings for motorised dampers
• HVAC System Error detection and feedback (only on non universal IntesisBox’s).
• Support for multiple AC units
• Can get feedback when the customer uses the original IR remote for the Universal IntesisBox model.

FAQ

Why is this product exciting?

In Australia and New Zealand (and other countries) HVAC integration has been hard because HVAC companies do not utilise the honeywell based wiring that most smart thermostats like Nest, Control4 and Honeywell use.  Split Systems have been extremely hard as traditionally they only offer IR or RF based remote controls.  In the past we have integrated these systems by learning every combination of IR code however this is extremely time consuming.  Also integration for ducted systems and VRF systems were hard because manufacturers have their own propriatary bus.

Now with the IntesisBox installers can now easily integrate HVAC systems into Control4.  The IntesisBox is affordable unlike other solutions so the cost of integration per zone is extremely low.  On top of that it communicates via wifi so dealers can now revisit old customers with compatible HVAC systems to upgrade their home automation system and integrate their HVAC systems without additional wiring.

This really changes the HVAC game.

What HVAC systems can i use this driver with?

IntesisBox is compatible with a range of HVAC systems.  Please see the Intesis website to check if the HVAC system you want to integrate has a specific IntesisBox or is compatible with the universal IntesisBox.  Their website will have the most upto date information about supported models. If you are unsure if you HVAC system is supported please contact Intesis support (support@intesis.com) and they will advise if you HVAC system is supported and what model IntesisBox you need to purchase

At the time of writing this Intesis have specific bus based IntesisBox make/models for

• Daikin Domestic line
• Daikin Sky and VRV lines
• Fuji Electric Domestic Lines
• Fujitsu Domestic and VRF lines
• General Domestic and VRF lines
• Hisense VRF systems
• Hitachi VRF systems
• LG Domestic
• LG VRF Lines
• Mitsubishi Electric Domestic, MR Slim and City lines
• Mitsubishi Electric City Multi systems
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries FD and Hypermulti lines
• Panasonic ecoi, ecog and paci lines
• Panasonic etherea domestic lines
• Samsung NASA VRF linese
• Sanyo ecoi and paci lines
• Toshiba Commercial and VRF lines

At the time of writing this Intesis's universal infra red IntesisBox supports the following make/models

• Acson
• Aermec
• Aircool
• Airlin
• Airwell
• Alpicair
• Argoclima
• Balupunkt
• Carrier
• Daikin
• Daitsu
• Delonghi
• Dolphin
• Emmeti
• Electra
• Friedrich
• Fujitsu
• Fuji Electric
• General
• Gree
• Hiyasu
• Kaysun
• LG
• Midea
• Mitsubishi Electric
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
• Mundoclima
• New Pol
• Panasonic
• Samsung
• Samui
• Tadiran
• TCL
• Toshiba
• Vaillant

Can i control fan direction with this?

Yes our driver allows for up/down and left/right vane control.  This is accessible under the Extras Tab.

Can i do schedule the HVAC system using this?

Yes our driver has built in presets and scheduling.

Where can i purchase this module?

Intesis sells the IntesisBox in over 90 countries.  They mainly sell direct.  The product has regulatory compliance for Europe, US, Canada and Australia.  If you have any sales enquiries please contact Intesis Sales directly via their website or contact them via sales@intesis.com.

Why do you only support OS 2.7 and above?

This driver requires functionality that is only available in OS 2.7.  As such this driver will not work in earlier versions of Control4 OS.

Do you offer showroom discounts?
We offer dealers a free showroom licence for demonstration and educational purposes.  See link below for T&C's and signup procedure.

Chowmain Dealer Showroom FAQ

I want to try this driver out before buying it?
All Chowmain drivers for Control4 come with a 90 day trial.  Just add the driverCentral licencing driver and this driver and you're good to go.  No registration required.

Do you offer other drivers?

We have hundreds of drivers.  Many of which are manufacturer sponsored and free.  Please visit our website to view all available drivers including FREE drivers.

http://www.chowmainsoft.com