Central Systems
Flair provides a centralized way to control temperature in your home. Smart Vent automation means no more going from room-to-room to adjust vents. Flair's smart thermostat integration can set the optimal temperature for your home based on Active rooms.
Flair systems work alongside an existing thermostat. Flair works with all thermostats - both smart thermostats and non-WiFi-connected thermostats. Regardless of your thermostat, Flair Smart Vents will open/close to redirect airflow in the home. If you've integrated a smart thermostat, Flair can optionally control it or passively read from it. If you don't have a smart thermostat, Flair will read the duct temperature to know when your system is heating or cooling. Flair integrates with all generations of ecobee and Nest smart thermostats and all Honeywell WiFi-connected smart thermostats.
Flair integration with a smart thermostat happens at the cloud layer. During Flair app setup, you'll allow Flair access to your smart thermostat account (so you'll need the username and password for your smart thermostat handy).
The Puck is used to read temperature and adjust the set point of a room (by rotating it). You'll need a Puck - or other temperature sensor - for every room that has Smart Vents. A Flair room can represent an actual room in your home, or a virtual "area", like "downstairs". The temperature sensor can be a Flair Puck or a smart thermostat or a smart thermostat room sensors (Flair supports ecobee or Honeywell T9, T10 room sensors - Nest has not opened support for their room sensors).
Every Flair home needs at least one Flair Puck configured as a Gateway, plugged into power and connected to your home WiFi. This Gateway Puck acts as the hub of your system. All Smart Vents and Sensor Pucks need to communicate with a Gateway Puck using RF (radio frequency) signals. You can have multiple Gateway Pucks in your home, providing an RF mesh network for your Flair devices.
These articles may be helpful:
- How do Flair devices communicate?
- What's the difference between a Sensor Puck and a Gateway Puck?
- How many Gateway Pucks do I need?
Mini Splits and IR Devices
Flair makes mini splits and other IR devices smart by adding scheduling, Home/Away, and a centralized app for controlling all the units in your home. Flair's Room Sense will read the temperature at the Puck, circumventing the temperature sensing device on the unit, allowing for a more accurate and comfortable temperature.
The Flair Puck sends IR (Infrared) commands just like the remote control. You'll need one Puck per indoor mini split head, cassette or floor unit - or IR device. Flair provides a mode lock that keeps all units in the same mode.
The Puck or the app can be used to change set points or mode on the unit. Since it is IR controlled, the controller Puck needs to be in line-of-sight of the unit it's controlling.
Flair works with all mini splits that use an IR remote controller. We maintain a large database of IR remote codes. Most remote manufacturers reuse codes across models. If your specific model isn't found, we can usually find a similar model. In rare cases, we may need to upload the codes on your behalf. During Setup, you can contact Support to let us know you need assistance with finding your remote model.
If you have a ducted mini split that does not use an IR remote, some manufacturers sell a wall-mounted IR receiver that Flair can communicate with. You'll replace the thermostat with the wall-mounted IR receiver and position a Flair Puck across from the thermostat. The Puck will send commands to the IR receiver.
If your ducted mini split system has vents that match a size we carry, you can get the additional benefit of room-by-room airflow control. You'll need a Puck in each room with Smart Vents. Measure your duct openings to see if we carry your size.
Hybrid Systems
Flair's Mirror Mode will allow mirroring a set point from a smart thermostat to a mini split (or other supported IR device). This is great when you want to keep the same temperature throughout your home for mini splits in converted garages, porches, attics or additions. You'll need an integrated smart thermostat and a Puck to control each mini split indoor head unit.
For homes with two heating systems (for example, mini splits and boiler heat), Flair also works as an integrated controller to switch between heating systems based on indoor or outdoor temperature. This is a feature of our Puck Pro which is only available through our distribution partners.
Please note: to qualify for integrated control rebates, you'll need Puck Pros installed by a professional installer. You can have your contractor call one of our distribution partners to order Puck Pros for your install.