Honeywell TR100 Thermostat Emulation

Topic: Honeywell, Niagara Integration
Difficulty: Intermediate

Overview

Understanding TR100 thermostat emulation modes and what it means when TR100s emulate other thermostats in Honeywell/Niagara systems.

The Question

Why do TR100 thermostats emulate other stats? What does emulation mean in this context?

Background

The Honeywell TR100 series is designed to work with various Honeywell controllers. "Emulation" refers to the TR100's ability to mimic the communication protocol of older or different thermostat models.

What Emulation Means

When a TR100 "emulates" another thermostat, it:

• Uses the same communication protocol
• Presents the same data points to the controller
• Maintains compatibility with existing programming
• Allows replacement without controller changes

Common Emulation Modes

Mode	Emulates	Use Case
TR21	TR21 series	Legacy replacements
TR22	TR22 series	Zone sensors
T7350	T7350 series	Commercial stats
Native	TR100 native	New installations

Configuration in Niagara

1. Access the thermostat through Niagara
2. Navigate to device configuration
3. Find "Emulation Mode" or "Device Type" property
4. Select appropriate mode for your controller

When to Use Emulation

Use emulation when:

• Replacing older Honeywell thermostats
• Existing controller expects specific protocol
• Need backward compatibility

Use native mode when:

• New installation with TR100-aware controller
• Want access to all TR100 features
• Controller firmware supports TR100

Feature Differences

Native mode may provide:

• More data points
• Advanced features
• Better diagnostics
• Humidity sensing (if equipped)

Emulation mode may:

• Limit available features
• Simplify integration
• Ensure compatibility

Related Topics

• BACnet
• LON integration
• VAV control