ok as I finish up my connected home I’m about to upgrade the thermostat. I’m thinking the lyric as I have the lyric T5 as my alarm system. The question really is does that even matter. If not what’s the best one and easily installed by me an amateur
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Home WiFi thermostats
- Thread starter Texas26257
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I have no idea, lol.
However, if I were getting a smart thermostat, I'd choose ecobee.
It's homekit & included sensors to place in specific rooms & areas so it appears to measure temps a bit more accurately.
However, if I were getting a smart thermostat, I'd choose ecobee.
It's homekit & included sensors to place in specific rooms & areas so it appears to measure temps a bit more accurately.
I have an Ecobee 3 Lite that is HomeKt and Alexa compatible. Its a great thermometer with many bells and whistles.
They actually have the Ecobee 4 which has Alexa built in. Check out their website www.ecobee.com
They actually have the Ecobee 4 which has Alexa built in. Check out their website www.ecobee.com
I went back and forth between the Nest and Ecoobee. I ultimately went with the Nest. It’s not HomeKit enabled but it boiled down to the look and the feel of the unit. The Nest has good weight to it and has a stainless steel body. The Ecobee just felt cheap to me as it’s made out of plastic. I don’t mind that it’s not HomeKit enabled as I can still controll the temp from the Nest App. I know a lot of Apple fans don’t like Nest now that it’s part of Google but I ultimately wanted the best looking thermostat and the Nest looks the best IMO.
I also choose Nest. For me it was mainly about accessibility (I look after my sight-impaired elderly mother and she can see the target temperature without her magnifying glass and adjust it easily with arthritic hands) but I also have a Nest Protect smoke/CO alarm and the integration between the two is reassuring. The Nest app is good and the build quality of the products seems great too.
The Ecobee has been outstanding for us, we have two. Besides being HomeKit compatible (Nest is not) the best feature far and away is the tiny remote sensors you get (and can buy more of) that you can place in different rooms for remote temperature management. For example my upstairs hallway temperature (where one of the Ecobees is located) has no bearing at all on the temperature of the upstairs bedrooms (4 of them) and it was always a guessing game what to set the temperature at to get the actual bedrooms comfortable. Now we have a sensor in each bedroom and the temperature between the four is averaged (and the hallway temperature ignored entirely) and the Ecobee controls the average temperature. It's brilliant, I even have it set so that if there is no motion in the guest bedroom (the remote sensors also detect motion) it only averages the other three (which are always occupied!) Nest has NOTHING like this.
Another vote for the Ecobee. I have two Ecobee 4's, and have been very happy with them.
One big difference between the Nest and the Ecobee is how they are powered:
One big difference between the Nest and the Ecobee is how they are powered:
- The Ecobee uses no batteries - it is directly powered off your HVAC system. This can make installation more complicated than the Nest, especially for older HVAC systems.
- The Nest uses a rechargeable battery. This makes for very simple installation, even for old heat-only systems which may only have two-wire thermostats. But there's a price to pay for that simplicity: there have been many issues with the Nest's rechargeable battery. (Google "Nest battery problems".)
Ecobee 4 is working well for me, I have 3 additional sensors for several rooms and it really does even out the temperature. No idea how this is possible since it is forced air, but it works nicely. 
According to the website, I save about 18% per month and I got a $100 rebate from my local gas provider.
Installation took 20 minutes or so, it's very easy if you have a C wire.
According to the website, I save about 18% per month and I got a $100 rebate from my local gas provider.
Installation took 20 minutes or so, it's very easy if you have a C wire.
Another vote for Ecobee. The room sensors are great, because you can get exactly the temperature you want in a given location.
You can also use the Ecobee sensors as HomeKit automation triggers. So if the Ecobee sensor detects occupancy in a room, it can automatically turn on the lights.
You can also use the Ecobee sensors as HomeKit automation triggers. So if the Ecobee sensor detects occupancy in a room, it can automatically turn on the lights.
I have also have next smoke/co2 and thermostats (and cameras).
Though not home kit I really like the Nest look and the app is straight forward.
Besides the look and app, I chose to stick with nest, though not homekit enabled, is because the interaction with the detectors and thermostats is minimal.
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The Nest does use a rechargeable battery. When the service is called and the furnace is heating that zone the battery is being charge.
This was a problem in the past however the firmware dec/jan of 2016/2017 seemed to compensate for the issue. When the voltage dropped below 3.4 the thermostat would shut off.
I haven't had a single issue for the past winter and half.
The nest can run with or without the C wire.
My house doesn't have central air so as the warms up the thermostats are turned off as is the furnace.
My vote is for the Nest. I had the v1 since it first came out in 2012 and two weeks ago I replaced that with a v3. Never had a problem with them and I love the look . I also have the Nest Protect which talks to the Nest thermostat and I can control all of them on the iPhone app.
Ecobee 4 user here, bought after our Nest died. Works great with both amazon echo and HomeKit. Turned off the Alexa feature on the thermostat because we have an Echo close by (it’s what prompted us to get an echo). The Lil Bee sensor works great for regulating the temp throughout the house, plus works as a motion detector.
I went with Nest and I'll also be upgrading to their smoke detectors and probably internal cameras.
I have it hooked up to HomeKit using a Rasberry Pi that took about an hour or to configure, so I can now ask Siri to adjust the heating, if required. Ecobee isn't available in the U.K. so didn't really have too much choice.
I have it hooked up to HomeKit using a Rasberry Pi that took about an hour or to configure, so I can now ask Siri to adjust the heating, if required. Ecobee isn't available in the U.K. so didn't really have too much choice.
With regard to appearance, I think the Honeywell Lyric is the best looking thermostat with the glass, and works with HomeKit. The HomeKit version wasn't available when I purchased our two Ecobee 4's (turned off Alexa...only use Siri) but I have to say it is a better looking unit than either the Nest or the Ecobee, imo. I don't think it does anything differently or any better than the Ecobee, which I really like, but I do wish that the Ecobee looked a little more elegant/upscale.
https://yourhome.honeywell.com/en/general-pages/homekit
Congratulations! You won't regret it. Depending on your house, the remote sensors can really help reduce your bill.
https://yourhome.honeywell.com/en/general-pages/homekit
Congratulations! You won't regret it. Depending on your house, the remote sensors can really help reduce your bill.
Well as nobody else is showing it love I’ll mention it. I went with the Netatmo, nice simple, clean design with a big eInk display that’s uncluttered and easy to read from across the room. (Not that I do to be fair, that’s what the iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch/HomePod/Siri is for after all).
Does everything I need, easy to customise, it learns and it integrates with HomeKit.
Does everything I need, easy to customise, it learns and it integrates with HomeKit.
Sorry I didn’t realise they had such limited distribution. Silly company, why ignore probably the biggest market for their products
Ecobee because it easily gives you the HomeKit option. Nest being Google pretty much counts native support for that out forever. Plus I don't want to deal with bridges and whatnot because that's one more thing to break. Pretty much every review I've read puts the Ecobee ahead of the Nest.
The whole home automation thing is in flux and will be for quite some time. I'd pick devices that are the most flexible and give me the most options if/when I change my mind. Considering I'm mostly an Apple house and we all have iPhones, it makes sense to stick with devices that natively support HomeKit if possible.
Nest might also have an easy way to do this but I like how you can easily get additional room sensors for the Ecobee so it can be smarter when it comes to termperature, where you are, etc.
That said, I don't have either yet but I've researched them both a lot and I'll be going with an Ecobee 4.
Keep in mind that the Ecobee requires a C wire unless you go with their external power thingy. Hooking up a C wire can either be really easy or a big pain in the ass depending on various factors.
The whole home automation thing is in flux and will be for quite some time. I'd pick devices that are the most flexible and give me the most options if/when I change my mind. Considering I'm mostly an Apple house and we all have iPhones, it makes sense to stick with devices that natively support HomeKit if possible.
Nest might also have an easy way to do this but I like how you can easily get additional room sensors for the Ecobee so it can be smarter when it comes to termperature, where you are, etc.
That said, I don't have either yet but I've researched them both a lot and I'll be going with an Ecobee 4.
Keep in mind that the Ecobee requires a C wire unless you go with their external power thingy. Hooking up a C wire can either be really easy or a big pain in the ass depending on various factors.
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The only benefits that come to mind are...
1. One 3rd party app
2. Honeywell has very good thermostat technologies and fine tuning for specific equipment (example, setting cycle rate for 80% gas furnace to 5, or 90% to 3 to maximize efficiency and comfort).
Ninja edit 3. Might have control of the thermostat with the security control panel. I'm just glancing at documentation so dont quote me to that.
Personally I found Honeywells T series thermostats to be ugly (my opinion), looks like a wart. And their "Round" to leave a little to be desired when compared to the competition aesthetic and price wise. Because of that I got an EcoBee and I'm very happy with it, although they should take a page out of Honeywells book and round the temp toward the set point so I'm not constantly wondering if the heat is broke as it reads 67 when set to 68. Lol...
However I'm going to look into their security system how that you brought it up so thanks for that. I didn't realize it was HomeKit compatible.
