AP Products has introduced a new universal smart thermostat. The thermostat is marketed as an aftermarket upgrade and a diagnostic device.
AP Products National Sales Training Manager T. Chad Johnson spoke about the thermostat at the NTP-Stag Expo in Kissimmee, Florida, last week. AP Products had a booth on the Expo’s show floor.
Johnson said the WalTech Universal Smart Thermostat and Wireless Control Hub is a market gamechanger because of its universal compatibility.
“We have all run into the issue where maybe you need a thermostat, and maybe that thermostat has been discontinued, or it is going to take weeks to get it,” Johnson said. “The biggest value might be that you do not have to stock nine to 10 different thermostats.”
AP Products said the WalTech Universal Smart Thermostat and Wireless Control Hub is compatible with Airxcel, Coleman-Mach, Dometic, Furrion and GE Appliances products.
According to Johnson, another major selling point is the thermostat’s potential use as a diagnostic device.
“The primary sales on this are going to be generated from repair,” Johnson said. “You go into an RV and the HVAC system is not working. You do not know whether it is the controller, the compressor or the thermostat. Well, here is an easy way that you can diagnose that. Take this, plug it up. If this starts working, the issue was the thermostat.”
Using the thermostat as a repair device, Johnson said, will reduce the tools a shop needs and facilitate more sales.
“How many diagnostic tools do these people have to use in the shop, trying to figure out if it is the compressor, if it is the control board, if it is the thermostat? Now, they have eliminated one step,” he said. “Additionally, if you have a customer and you go, ‘Hey, we found the problem. It was the thermostat,’ and they say, ‘Oh, go ahead and fix it,’ you can say, ‘We did.’ You just made a sale.”
The wireless control hub enables consumers to monitor and control the HVAC system remotely.
“This is where the pet protection comes in, because now you can set thresholds on that thermostat,” Johnson said. “If it goes above or below whatever temperature the customer sets, or if they lose connectivity, or if they lose power, it sends them a notification on their phone to let them know that Rover is not okay back at the RV and we have to cut our beach trip short.”
Johnson credits the new thermostat’s functions to the feedback dealers provide at shows such as the NTP-Stag Expo.
He said, “It is the way that we come up with these solutions.”
Flexible power options operate the system on AC or DC power, from 7.5 to 32 volts.
“It is compatible in your RV and also with your residential,” Johnson said. “It is WiFi, Bluetooth and cellular compatible and features GPS so you can share location.”
The GPS adds security by enabling RV tracking if the vehicle is stolen.
“This is a multi-zone thermostat,” Johnson said. “Whether you have one air conditioner and a furnace or two air conditioners and two furnaces or three air conditioners and one furnace, you can have up to four zones on this thing and control them all easily.”
The device is available for purchase through RV distributors.
