Netatmo Smart AC Controller

The Netatmo Smart AC Controller makes an ordinary air conditioner smart without replacing it. It sits in the room and fires infrared commands at the unit, exactly as the handset does, so any air conditioner or air-to-air heat pump with an infrared remote can join Apple Home.

That covers most split systems, window units, portable units and heat pumps, including ones far too old to have ever heard of a smartphone.

The compatibility rule

There is one condition worth understanding. The controller needs the remote to be the kind whose screen shows all the current settings, because that style of remote transmits the whole state with each press. A remote that only sends “temperature up” gives the controller nothing to work from.

Check your handset before ordering. If the display shows mode, temperature and fan speed together, you are almost certainly fine.

What works in Apple Home

• Turn the air conditioning on and off, set the mode and set the target temperature.
• Read the current temperature and humidity from the controller’s own sensors.
• Use it in scenes and automations, and control it with Siri.

Setting up

Netatmo builds a weekly schedule for you from five questions, and geolocation can wind the system back when the house is empty. Both matter more with air conditioning than with most accessories, because cooling an empty house is expensive.

Before you buy

The controller is powered by micro-USB and needs line of sight, or near enough, to the indoor unit. Its infrared emitter is omnidirectional, so placement is forgiving, but a closed cupboard will not work.

Specifications