How To: Set Up Thermostat Smart Rules

How To: Set Up Thermostat Smart Rules

What are Thermostat Smart Rules?

You can optimize the value of smart thermostats installed at your rental properties using Smart Rules in the Lynx Portal. This article explains how to set up Smart Rules in Lynx to automatically increase or decrease the temperature setting on a thermostat when a property is occupied, vacant, or pending guest check-in which will save energy and allow you to restrict guests within a specific range of temperature.

Note: Smart Rules can only be created under Groups, not for individual properties - but you can create Groups for almost any purpose you can imagine, including properties which have smart thermostats installed, those in a geographic region, or even for properties which need a specific set of Smart Rules. See this page for instructions on how to manage Groups.

Smart Rules can control many functions for thermostats in Lynx, depending on which condition you would like the rules to trigger on. These include:

General Instructions (applies to all Smart Rules):

Step 1:	Visit the "Groups" tab in the Lynx portal
Step 2:	Click the gear (settings) icon for the group you want to create/edit rules for - this will open the Smart Workflows/Smart Rules configuration page
Step 3:	Click "Smart Rules" on the left side of the page
Step 4:	Click the "+" button to open the "Add a Smart Rule" window
Step 5:	Create a name for the new Smart Rule

NOTE: After completing the above steps, you will need to select which type of Smart Rule 
you want, and complete the rest of the steps for that rule type. Additional steps for the 
various Smart Rule types are found below.

^^back to top of page^^

Property is Vacant rule: 

This option is for controlling temperatures when there is no current stay at the property. This can help control heating/cooling costs, prevent fires, mold, burst pipes, etc. The "Property is Vacant" Smart Rule will trigger when a guest checks out, and automatically set the temperature to the specified range until another Smart Rule is triggered. 

Instructions:

First, follow steps 1 - 5 in "General Instructions" above. Then:

Step 6:	Select the "When Property is Vacant" option from the "When" drop-down menu. This will update the UI depending on which option is chosen.
Step 7:	Select "Temperature Unit" from the "Then" drop-down menu, then select your preferred temperature display unit (Celsius or Fahrenheit)
Step 8:	Select "Turn on heating when temperature less than" or "Turn on cooling when temperature is more than" from the drop-down menu, then specify a temperature value in the next field.
Step 9:	If you would like to add another option to the Smart Rule, click the "+" (plus-sign) icon and repeat step 9 for the additional option. This can be useful for controlling both heating and cooling systems to keep the temperature within a defined range.
Step 10:	When you are finished configuring the Smart Rule, click the "Add" button.

With the values specified in the above example, the thermostat will maintain a consistent 
temperature between 68° and 79° Fahrenheit.

^^back to top of page^^

Property is Occupied rule:

This option is useful for restricting temperature ranges that guests can select during an active stay. This helps prevent guests from selecting unreasonably high or low temperatures on the thermostat, avoiding excessive heating/cooling costs and potential property damage.

Instructions:

First, follow steps 1 - 5 in "General Instructions" above. Then:

Step 6:	Select the "When Property is Occupied" option from the "When" drop-down menu. This will update the UI depending on which option is chosen.
Step 7:	Select your preferred temperature display unit (Celsius or Fahrenheit) from the drop-down menu
Step 8:	Select "Restrict guest to set maximum heating temperature at" or "Restrict guest to set minimum cooling temperature at" from the drop-down menu, then specify a temperature value in the next field. These options allow you to set a minimum and/or maximum temperature setting that the guest can select, and prevent the guest from setting too high or low a temperature.
Step 9:	If you would like to add another option to the Smart Rule, click the "+" (plus-sign) icon and repeat step 9 for the additional option. This can be useful for controlling both heating and cooling systems to keep the temperature within a defined range.
Step 10:	When you are finished configuring the Smart Rule, click the "Add" button.

With the values specified in the above example, the guest will be restricted to setting 
temperatures between 68° and 79° Fahrenheit.

^^back to top of page^^

Guest Checks-in rule:

This rule will intelligently activate the thermostat before the stay begins, to ensure a comfortable temperature is set when guests checks in. Lynx automatically calculates the time needed to reach the specified temperature based on the current indoor temperature.

Instructions:

First, follow steps 1 - 5 in "General Instructions" above. Then:

Step 6:	Select the "Guest Checks-in" option from the "When" drop-down menu. This will update the UI depending on which option is chosen.
Step 7:	Select your preferred temperature display unit (Celsius or Fahrenheit) from the drop-down menu.
Step 8:	Specify a temperature value that the property should be set to at the guest's check-in time.
Step 9:	Specify the date range that the rule should be active. This ensures that temperatures will only be set during the date ranges that will be useful in the region, so that seasonal temperature changes can be accounted for.
Step 10:	Specify "Don't turn on" options for heating and/or cooling, and select how much difference in temperature from the specified value will be required to activate the thermostat.
Step 11:	When you are finished configuring the Smart Rule, click the "Add" button.

In the above example, Lynx will automatically set the temperature to be 72° Fahrenheit 
when a guest checks in any time between January 1 and December 31, but heating will 
not activate unless the temperature drops to 69° (3° below the specified temperature 
of 72°).

^^back to top of page^^

Window/Door is Open Settings

Turn off heating/cooling systems when windows and/or doors are open to prevent excessive heating/cooling costs. This option will only work when at least one Window/Door sensor is installed and added to the property in Lynx.

Instructions:

First, follow steps 1 - 5 in "General Instructions" above. Then:

Step 6:	Select the "Window/Door is Open" option from the "When" drop-down menu. This will update the UI depending on which option is chosen.
Step 9:	Click the "Add" button to add the Smart Rule.

This Smart Rule is simple - when selected, heating and cooling will be disabled whenever 
at least one door or window sensor is open.

^^back to top of page^^