WiFi device not connecting

I had frequent problems with my old router, but since changing to a FritzBox and setting up another router as a repeater or access point (Not sure of the difference) I now rarely have issues.

Some items are really cr@p at picking up signal though, and plenty will ONLY work on 2.4ghz frustratingly, and even then not very well.

Our old wireless system for the heating thermostat just refused to connect one day, and no amount of jiggery pokery would get it to connect.

I ended up setting up two networks, one 2.4 and one 5, and named them appropriately, and buying a new thermostat - even that was a mission to get connected, but we got there eventually.

I have a few 'smart' bulbs, and plugs, and on the whole these have been solid, though occasionally dropping off and need re-adding.

It is unfortunately an inexact science 🤔

We used to have a thermostat with a dial, but the benefit of a web based/app system is that I can now set exactly what temperature I want it to be at different time periods (Via an easy to edit schedule) and on different days, I can also turn it off/down, or on/up remotely when away from home.

Very useful to save money, and or warm the house before returning.

I also feel the cold, so I very much want to temp to drop off in the winter months at about 22:00, but very much come on at about 06:00 to start warming the house.

It's effectively set and forget, but then if I go away and forget to turn it down/off, I can easily remedy that.

I'm definitely not one for 'turning the heating off in spring and not on again until October' or some such nonsense.

My heating has a thermostat for a reason, if the temp falls below the set value, then the heating comes on, if it doesn't, it stays off.

The lights thing is more of a security/ease of use thing.

We have an outdoor light, so that is set to come on X minutes after sunset, and then reduce to 10% brightness from 21:00 - 22:30, and repeat.

The light bulbs inside I only utilise when we are away and want the people who come to feed our cats to have a lit up house to come into, as well as putting them on via a schedule, so it looks less empty to would be thieves.

The plugs are very handy, as we use a few lamps, and or indoor festoon lights, often with inaccessible power sockets, so I can set these to come on at certain times/days, and most often linked to sunset, so with the indoor lights they come on for a much shorter time in the lighter months.

If I had to go around and switch these things on, I know it would never happen 🤣

You must have long arms if you can turn that on and off remotely.

If you are running a whole house off a single dial thermostat that pretty much guarantees that you are wasting heat, either by heating rooms when you are not there or by overheating some rooms because the stat is in the wrong place. Moving a wireless stat is a lot easier than a wired one, but like any transmitter and receiver they have range limitations.

If you also want to be able to turn your heating on two hours before you get back from that two week winter sun break then that's an added bonus of wireless systems. Ditto if you want a lighting system more sophisticated than a pendant in the centre of each room and might want to give the impression that the house is occupied when you are away.

Best bet for controlling heating is wifi controlled radiator valves, set each room for temps and times.

Not if the heating has been off for two weeks in winter.

FWIW, if the air temp was 16C then the fabric was probably below the dew point and... well you've moved now so it's someone else's problem. You know with a modern heating system you can not live like a monk without it costing a fortune.

As with my preference in cars, as far as I'm concerned, the simpler the better. Jeez, if the house is a bit nippy when I come in from a holiday, I put an extra jumper on. Otherwise, in the winter, when I'm around, a couple of hours in the morning and four hours in the evening seems to do the job most of the time. The only thing the wireless does is connect me to Cakestop (and a few other internet things...)