Ask for a hard-wired controller when you want the setpoint on the wall and you are tired of lost remotes. It is a real option on many domestic splits and absent on others. The controller has to be the part that matches that indoor model. If the room sensor is in the controller, it must sit out of the discharge and out of the sun. One wired controller runs the unit it is connected to. It does not become a controller for every split in the house. The install is still F-gas work.
A wall panel on a cable, not a remote in a holder
A hard-wired controller is a wall panel on a cable back to the indoor unit. It sets mode, temperature and fan, and on many ranges it disables the handheld so the two cannot fight. Landlords, nurseries and rooms where remotes disappear are the usual reasons. A holder stuck beside the door with the same infrared remote is not this product.
The controller code beside the indoor model code
Ask for the controller code alongside the indoor model code. A panel from another series in the same brand often will not speak to the unit. Only ranges that offer a matching wall controller can have one. Ask for the part code against the indoor model before you assume it.
The spot the wall sensor is actually measuring
If the temperature sensor is in the wall controller, the panel is measuring that spot. Put it in the occupied zone, at a normal switch height, away from the indoor unit's discharge, a sunny window, a lamp, and the kettle. A sensor in the jet will short-cycle the compressor and leave the sofa warm.
- Match the controller to the indoor model.
- Say if the handheld should be locked out.
- Keep the sensor out of sun and out of the throw.
Mini trunking rather than a sensor in the wrong place
Cable routes want a thought before the wall is made good. A surface cable in mini trunking is honest. A cable that needs a long chase is a decorating item, not a reason to leave the sensor in the wrong place.
One panel, one unit, unless a group part is listed
It will not control a second brand, and it will not control a second split of the same brand unless you buy the group device that those models support. Wi-Fi apps are a separate option. Some people want both. Say so, because some wired controllers change how the adapter behaves. One wall controller does not run the whole house by itself. It runs the unit it is wired to.
Driving the unit is not the refrigerant install
None of this removes F-gas certification for the refrigerant circuit, or the Planning Portal check for the outdoor unit in England. The controller is how you drive a lawful install. It is not the install.
Frequently asked questions
Where should the controller go?
Where people are, out of the discharge and out of direct sun, if the sensor is in the panel. A sensor in the airflow will short-cycle the unit.
Core buying guides
Start with these high-intent guides, then dig into the rest of the library.
Related guides
Sources and further reading
How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.