Central vs Ductless Mini-Split HVAC Systems
Central
Central systems use a main outdoor unit (indoor unit) with ductwork to spread heated or cooled air throughout the house/building. Air is introduced to your home through vents that can be placed on the ceiling, walls, or in the floor.
The main compressor unit usually use coils or pumps to change temperature set by the indoor thermostat. One thermostat is used for the entire system. A thermostat with zoning technology can be utilized as well. Central systems can run off electricity or gas.
Ductless Mini-Split
This has a main compressor outside connecting one or more indoor air handlers that directly feed heated or cooled air in the rooms they are installed in.
Each air handler can be individually controlled/programmed
to different temperatures.
Want to control your HVAC system from your phone or web? Below are some options on how to control some ductless mini-split systems via Wi-Fi:
Different brands like Mitsubishi, Bryant, American Standard, Trane, and Daikin have specific compatible Wi-Fi thermostats.
Check out some of the options here>>>
It is possible to use third party thermostats to control mini splits. For example, use of Nest, Honeywell, or Ecobee Wi-Fi thermostats to control say a Mitsubishi mini-split, one can use the third party converter like PAC-US444CN-1 and PAC-US445CN-1. Other brands include Fujitsu’s UTY-TTRXZ1, Samsungs MIM-A60UN, and LG’s PDRYCB320.
Other non-Wi-Fi thermostats or indoor mini-split units have interfaces on their pcb boards where you can connect a Wi-Fi adapter. It can be a USB port or other PCB terminals.
An example for a Wi-Fi interface for Mitsubishi indoor units with CN105 port is the PAC-USWHS002-WF-2. With this unit, you can just hook it up to the indoor unit and and you can control it via the Mitsubishi KUMO cloud app. If you need the thermostat addition, you can use the MHK2 and you are able to control the indoor unit from the thermostat.
USB options also possible such as PWFMDD200 for compatible LG indoor mini-split, and KSAIF0601AAA for compatible carrier models.
Wi-Fi module adapters include VCM8002V504 for LG MultiSITE MS8000 series thermostats, TSTATGAC-WF for compatible Daikin thermostats, ACC-VWF2 for Venstar Explorer thermostats, and ACC-WIFI for Johnson controls T8000 series thermostats.
If your indoor mini-split (or windows AC) has infrared (IR) functionality, you can use an infrared to Wi-Fi interface. This interface will communicate with your unit via IR and connect to your router via Wi-Fi. You can then connect to the interface via a phone app.
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