I have a GreenSmart remote for my gas fireplace insert that I would love to get to work with the Bond bridge, but I’m having some difficulties. When I first setup the Bond device with the GreenSmart remote, Bond immediately recognized the command from the remote and the learning circle changed to green. But, when I tested the command with Bond it would not execute on the fireplace. The Bond device flashes and I assume it is blasting out the command but it’s like the fireplace is not receiving it.
I have tried it several times with different commands but to no avail. My GreenSmart remote does not have a FCC ID number listed on it. It just has a label that says it complies with FCC rules, etc…
Curious if I have found the FCC of the device - does this user manual look accurate?
RF fireplaces / inserts are extra fun from what I’ve seen on here from other home automation enthusiasts (I don’t have one myself)- it depends on a number of things such as RF modulation (not all RF signal types are supported by Bond Bridge, even if in correct frequency range) and whether or not the fireplace / insert needs “pairing” with remotes or otherwise maintains a ‘keep alive’ signal.
Since your issue of no control happens at the time of testing, I sort of wonder if the RF modulation is the kind that the Bond Bridge doesn’t support.
Another random thing to try is to use the original physical remote to get the insert into the opposite power state as you’re about to try on the Bond app (as in, if you’ve “recorded” ‘On’, then use the remote to turn off the fireplace insert before testing the Bond app’s ‘On’ in the app setup step).
I don’t really think this has a high chance of making a difference but just spitballing here.
Bond staff are able to come through these forums from time to time, but do take advantage of the official support options if you want a more timely response.
(https://olibra.zendesk.com/ or customerservice@olibra.io)
Hi Matt, and thanks for taking time to respond to my issue.
No, that is not at all like my remote. I could not locate any documentation on my remote anywhere. All I could find is a photo of what it looks like (below), but it doesn’t show any details about it. My remote is not mounted to the wall. It is portable so I can set it wherever I want, which I prefer.
But, the good news is tonight I decided to try it again after I had programmed the Bond device earlier this morning, and it worked…somewhat. I was sitting in my chair tonight watching TV, and I opened the Bond app and hit the power on button in the Fireplace device and a few seconds later the fireplace lit up. But, all attempts to turn it off were futile. It would not turn off no matter what I tried. But at least it shows promise of working. I haven’t tried programming any other commands yet. I’ll keep tweaking it from time to time to try and get it working with some of the other commands.
Hi! I have had the same issue with my fireplace too, I’ve found that separating the on/off toggle into two separate commands on the bond app can fix the weird issue of it not turning off or turning on randomly. This is the same problem with my TV and separating it out fixed the issue.
I have the GreenSmart 2 remote and I am able to control the fireplace with the Bond Bridge. Even so, the fireplace will “seem to” turn itself on and off randomly. But I think I’ve figure out why and I now have a partial solution. Here is my thinking…
The GreenSmart 2 remote is the only control device for my Fireplace Extrordinair 864 gas fireplace. There is no provision on the fireplace to manually control it. The remote is a one-way only device. It sends commands to the fireplace but the fireplace doesn’t send it’s status back to the remote.
If I command the Bond Bridge to turn the fireplace off, it will send the command to the fireplace and it will immediately turn it off, but the remote thinks the fireplace is still on. So if the remote is running in “thermostat mode” or “smart mode”, the next time the temperature drops below the setpoint, it commands the fireplace to turn back on (even though the Bond Bridge commanded the fireplace to shut off).
Bottom line is that as long as the GreenSmart 2 remote is in communication range of the fireplace, no matter what the Bond Bridge tells the fireplace to do, the remote will override it depending on what mode it was last in.
My partial solutions are:
Only operate the fireplace in on/off mode only. Don’t put the remote in temperature control or smart modes. That way the remote won’t be commanding the fireplace to do anything based on setpoints. I can then use my Z-Wave thermostat to read the temperature and use my home automation system (HomeSeer) to command the Bond Bridge to turn the fireplace on and off at certain setpoints or times.
-or-
Take the GreenSmart 2 remote out of communication range.
Thanks for the post, @wb6lzv !
Seems like many times the Bond staff or community members end up recommending, when it comes to fireplaces, taking the batteries out of the original remote once Bond is programmed. Sounds like basically the same solution you found.
Hi there - I also have a GreenSmart 2 remote, and I’ve been having problems programming it with the Bond Bridge. Like @RC54, I’m able to get the BondBridge to recognize the remote commands (only by doing the reverse as Matt recommends above), but when the bond sends back to the fireplace, I don’t get consistent results - i.e. I can’t tell what the commands are doing - I programmed one button for “higher” flame level, but that’s actually the only function that turns ON the fireplace, etc. @wb6lzv, if you have a moment, can you explain how you were able to get your Bond to work with the GreenSmart 2? Thanks in advance.
