One of the most important pieces of technology in your smart home is a smart thermostat. Not only can you simplify your life by automating the heating and cooling process in your home, but it will also save you money in the long run. The best smart thermostats learn your routines, like when you leave the house in the morning and when you go to bed at night. But as smart as they are, you can also control them from anywhere in the world via your phone. This allows you to adjust temperatures room by room and even allows you to control your heating using just your voice. As with most technology, there is a wide range of smart thermostats, and each model has its own selling points. In this guide, we've detailed the best smart thermostats you can buy from the biggest names in the business, including Nest, Hive, Honeywell, and Tado. For each smart thermostat, we'll explain its main selling points and the particular environment for which each is best suited. For example, you may value price over intelligence, or you want a smart thermostat that looks like a piece of art, rather than something utilitarian. Due to the nature of the market, a direct comparison isn't really very useful, so the units here are not ordered by number based on our preference. Instead, we recommend each of these smart thermostats, they're all great. It is up to you to decide which one best suits your needs and your home.
The best description of smart thermostats:
Nest Learning Thermostat
The smartest boy in the class.Dimensions: diameter: 84 mm, height: 31 mm | Display: 24-bit color LCD, 480 x 480 resolution | Sensors: 10 sensors for temperature, indoor humidity, proximity, near-field activity, far-field activity, ambient light | Zone control: no | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, wireless networking, Bluetooth Smart Low Energy Beautiful design No zone control Does not work with Apple HomeKit Nest is one of the biggest names in the smart home market, and for good reason. This Google-owned company offers well-designed, easy-to-use products that are packed with a lot of smarts. The Nest Learning Thermostat (XNUMXrd generation) is known for its ability to learn your routines and adjust accordingly. This means that over time your heating system can really adapt to your needs, without you having to do a thing. You also benefit from location-based features that track where your phone is and turn the heater on or off depending on your location. But don't worry, this will turn off the heater and allow your guests to freeze when you're gone, as its built-in sensors allow it to detect if anyone is home. The main criticisms of the Nest Learning Thermostat are that it doesn't offer zone control and that if you're a tech newbie, it can be a little tricky to set up and use. The lack of zone control means that although you can digitally control your entire property, you'll still have to manually adjust individual radiators. That said, if you're looking for a high-end system, the Nest is a good solution. Plus, with Google behind it, Nest is a good system to invest in if you're planning to build a larger smart home setup.
Active hive heating 2
An awesome little thermostat with the smarts to combineDimensions: 100 x 100 x 48mm | Display: 3,5-inch TFT color display, 320 x 480 resolution | Sensors: temperature | Zonal control: with active multi-zone heating | Connectivity: Zigbee HA 2.0 Beautiful design Easy to use Must be installed by a professional. Does not work with Apple HomeKit Hive is owned by Centrica, one of the UK's leading energy providers, so you can be sure you're in experienced hands when it comes to your heating needs. Although the company is British, Hive products have been available in the United States since 2017. The thermostat itself is a collaboration between Hive and Swiss designer Yves Béhar, who is responsible for everything from the August smart lock to the identity. of the PayPal brand. This premium styling makes the Hive Active Heating Thermostat something you'll be proud to have on your wall. Also, Hive has a great ecosystem, so you can control a wide range of Hive products using a single app. And its thermostat is not to be outdone, picking up our "recommended" tag thanks to its simple interface and easy voice assistant integration. It should be noted that, like the Nest Thermostat above it, the Hive Active Heating doesn't support Apple HomeKit, so it's best to avoid it if you're already invested in Apple's smart home ecosystem. With a small dial in the middle of its compact temperature control design, the Hive Active Thermostat gives you the flexibility to keep things extremely simple, while being loaded with features for those who want better control of their system.
Honeywell Evohome
The simplest zone control available.Dimensions: 139 x 101 x 21mm | Display: 24-bit color LCD, 480 x 272 resolution | Sensors: temperature sensor | Zone control: yes | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Incredibly simple controls Excellent expensive zone control Not the most aesthetically pleasing Honeywell Evohome gives you full control over your home, with individual thermostats for each radiator that allow you to set an independent heating schedule for each room in your home. It's hard to understand what difference this feature makes until you try it for yourself. If you live in a house where different residents prefer a different temperature, or if one room always seems warmer or colder than the others, this system will be a great help. Plus, it also works with underfloor heating, so even if you have a big and complicated heating system, Evohome gives you full control over it all through one app that's fun to use. The control panel and radiator thermostats won't win any price for design, coming in solid white plastic, but that's not really the Evohome's purpose. It's a simple system, without the bells and whistles of the Nest or hive, but if you have a complicated heating system that you want to control digitally, it's hard to beat.
Tado smart thermostat
The most beautiful zone control on the market.Dimensions: diameter: 104 × 104 × 19mm | Display: LED matrix | Sensors: temperature sensors, indoor humidity, ambient light | Zone control: yes | Connectivity: Via Tado Internet Bridge connected to router using Ethernet port Elegant design Zone control The app is difficult to use. LED Matrix Displays The Tado Smart Thermostat should be great. It offers the zonal control of the Honeywell Evohome, a sleek design that rivals the Hive, and the geofencing is smart to match the Nest, but it somehow fails to bring all these features together in a cohesive system. It's really beautiful, by far the best looking area control on the market, but the app isn't intuitive to navigate and compares to the app's incredibly easy to use app. Evohome is really difficult. That's not to say it's a bad system: it's still a 4-star product, and we can't imagine anyone who buys the Tado regretting their purchase. And it's so close to being the perfect system, one that combines the best features of other offerings. The problem is that he simply can't beat any of his rivals. Apple HomeKit integration is one of the things that knocks the Tado off this list: whether you're the proud owner of a HomePod or firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, this is probably the best smart thermostat for you. It should also be noted that the things that prevent Tado from standing out are software issues and not hardware ones, so these issues can be resolved over time. The Tado Smart Thermostat isn't currently available in the US, but since Tado's cooling system is sold there, we'd be surprised if it wasn't available at some point.
Nest Thermostat E
Dimensions: diameter: 81 mm, height: 29 mm | Display: 24-bit color LCD, 480 x 480 resolution | Sensors: temperature, humidity, proximity, ambient light | Zone control: no | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low energy Inexpensive compared to original Nest Super smart Not universally compatible Plastic screen can be hard to read. If you like the look of the Nest Learning Thermostat but don't want to spend money on it, there is a cheaper alternative. It looks significantly cheaper - it's white plastic, with a white coating on the plastic screen that can make it difficult to see the information on display - but it does echo the design language of the original Nest Thermostat. , so you will be more than happy to have it on your wall. As Nest's little brother, it packs cutting-edge smarts, missing only the more advanced features of the premium model that most users probably won't enjoy anyway. The Nest E is a great example of stripping down a flagship to be a cheap alternative without compromising the qualities that made the original. Make no mistake, this isn't the best quality for the bargain price, but it's a great value for what it is.
Ecobee4 smart thermostat
(US only) Probably the smartest thermostat on the marketDimensions: diameter: 109 mm, depth: 26 mm | Display: 3,5-inch color LCD touch screen, 320 x 480 pixel display | Sensors: temperature, humidity, proximity, ambient light | Zone control: no | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low energy
Amazon Alexa built-in Easy installation Very well supported Not widely available If it's available where you live, it's worth giving the Ecobee4 a try for your smart home setup. Like the other smart thermostats on our list, you can control the Ecobee4 using a smart speaker or smart hub, but unlike all the other inputs, the Ecobee4 comes with Alexa built-in. This not only means that it's a great thermostat that can save you big on your energy bill each month, but it also serves as a conduit for Alexa and her library of 10,000 skills. In addition to being able to order a pizza (yes, really), the Ecobee4 can be controlled from anywhere in the world, if, for example, you forgot to turn this thermostat off before your international flight. While the Ecobee may not carry the same weight the Nest has gained in recent years, it's still one of the best thermostats on the market, bar none.
