Smart thermostats are increasingly in demand by users, to reduce consumption and waste in the home: here are the 6 best on the market.
Among the technological devices that have appeared on the market in recent years, smart thermostats or intelligent thermostats certainly represent one of the most appreciated products by consumers. Thanks to these solutions, in fact, it is possible to perfectly control your domestic heating and cooling needs, with advantages both in terms of consumption and environment. Being able to plan temperature levels and operational cycles in a meticulous way, even remotely, reduces the weight on the bill, as well as harmful emissions into the atmosphere. But which are the six best devices for a smart home on the market? We will tell you.
Before starting, it is good to specify that it is necessary to have an environment with good thermal insulation. It is necessary to obtain optimal results with intelligent thermostats. In fact, heat loss could affect the advantages of these instruments. Here are some of the proposals that are most popular today for users.
Also, read our other guides on the best electronic door locks, smart light bulbs, and the best Google Home compatible devices.
Smart Thermostat: the 6 best on the market with great deals
Smart thermostats are the best products for those who seek to regulate the quality of the environment in their homes, without being able to go to the air conditioning, to control the temperature in the room. In order to buy the best intelligent thermostat on the market, we have selected the best and the most trustworthy models. After this comparison, you will also find a brief buying guide that will help make the right decision. Are you ready? Let’s start then.
Also, read our reviews of the WiFi Thermostat for multiple zones without C wire.
Nest Intelligent Thermostat
The Nest line does not need too many presentations, as it certainly represents one of the most famous on the market in terms of intelligent thermostats. In particular, the Learning Thermostat is ideal for those looking for high quality, enclosed in a minimal design and integrated with all Google functions. From the circular shape, the Nest Learning Thermostat offers a large color screen, as well as a ring with which to set the controls. Fully wireless and, therefore, also remotely controllable with smartphones and tablets, it sees automatic learning functions, as its name suggests.
It can, in fact, regulate the temperature of the house thanks to special algorithms, which study the characteristics of the house, its inhabitants and the weather to guarantee an always optimal action. It supports voice commands, can also be programmed away from the home via the Internet and is integrated with the appropriate apps on both iOS and Android. Want to know more and read user reviews? Just follow the link below.
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ecobee4 Smart Thermostat
The Nest usually gets all the attention, and the company deserves credit for having shaken a market that once slept. But we believe that the Ecobee4 is the best choice when it comes to intelligent thermostats. The big change in the Ecobee4? The new model comes with built-in Alexa, in addition to other updates. All the other smart thermostats we have tested depend on measuring the temperature of a home in one place: where the thermostat is located. The problem is that this place is usually found in a corridor or in another place where time never passes.
The Ecobee4 allows you to place sensors in several rooms of your home. So you are always comfortable where you spend most of your time. The Ecobee4 is also compatible with almost any other smart home device you can imagine, including Samsung SmartThings, Wink, Haiku ceiling fans and the Apple HomeKit ecosystem. Want to know more and read user reviews? Just follow the link below.
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Netatmo Smart Thermostat
With its minimalist design and simple screen, Netatmo is one of the smart thermostats that has garnered the most success on the market. With its square shape, it is characterized by its monochromatic display, effective for monitoring the heating level of the house with a single glance.
The thermostat promises to significantly reduce consumption, even by 37% in optimal conditions and does not require a power supply for its operation, thanks to the common AAA batteries. It interacts with smartphones and tablets via the applications for iOS and Android and manages the heating system in an intelligent manner with the Auto-Adapt function. It installs easily and can be programmed remotely thanks to wireless connectivity. This device is also compatible with the voice commands of the main voice assistants on the market, such as Alexa and Google Assistant. Want to know more and read user reviews? Just follow the link below.
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Honeywell Wi-Fi Programmable Touchscreen Thermostat
A very simple and elegant solution to regulate the heating of the house: the Honeywell Lyric T5, proposed between 170 and 199 euros depending on the suppliers, guarantees versatility and ease of installation. It is, in fact, available both with a battery and with an electric power supply, it is also compatible with relay modules.
With a square shape and a dark display, the device allows wireless connection with devices such as smartphones and tablets, for immediate management of all its functions. It has time programming, and geolocation functions and guarantees intelligent communication with the boiler through special protocols, for really fast switching on and off. In addition, it is compatible with Apple’s HomeKit and Amazon’s Alexa. Nor should its minimalist design be underestimated, as already mentioned, which can be perfectly integrated into any type of furniture thanks to its dark body. Want to know more and read user reviews? Just follow the link below.
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Wattio Intelligent Thermostat
This pack includes two devices. The first of these is the Gate, which works as a domotic control unit to connect not only the thermostat, but any other intelligent device of the firm: smart plugs, monitors of electricity consumption, motion sensors or surveillance cameras. All of them can be configured as a group so that if one detects a predefined event, all the others will start up. An example is that when the motion sensor detects that you have entered the house, the camera is turned off and heating is activated.
The second element is the thermic thermostat, equipped with up to four different modes of use. One that allows establishing a target temperature and ensures that the home is always close to it; another that prioritizes the number of times the boiler is turned on and off (the less it does, the greater the durability); a third that allows you to establish a personalized calendar; and, another echo, which takes into consideration the recommended temperatures to save the most. Want to know more and read user reviews? Just follow the link below.
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Nest Thermostat E
At first glance, it stands out for its careful design and its ease of use. It consists of two elements: the thermostat itself, which replaces the one that was already installed on the wall and looks a lot like a Google Home Mini loudspeaker; and a unit (Nest Heat Link E), which can be placed anywhere in the house and which is really the one that connects the system with the mobile.
The unit works through Wi-Fi and has to be connected to the power supply. It has a wide screen in which the status of the system is displayed and from which it is possible to make adjustments such as turning on and off the heating or regulating the temperature, among other functions. The finish of this surface is matte. So the visualization is something different from what we are used to. The quality is positive, although we have encountered some problems when the sun directly affects it.
It comes standard with a pre-programmed calendar that is based on information obtained from users of Nest devices, although its operation is also controlled manually and, perhaps best, fits the daily routines. For that, yes, we must bear in mind that it is necessary to use it manually for a few weeks. Want to know more and read user reviews? Just follow the link below.
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Smart thermostat: unique advantages and key features
Here’s what distinguishes a smart thermostat compared to a traditional thermostat:
- Intelligence is based on external weather with self-regulation functions (eg: if it is cold, turn on the heating, if it is hot turn it off).
- Self-learning is based on the human habits of the inhabitants.
- Energy and economic savings, thanks to smart functions that are also based on learning.
- Management from outside the home via smartphone or tablet with a dedicated application.
- Connection via WiFi
- Air conditioning management in winter and summer.
- Temperature control is based on the areas of your home (Living room, bedroom, bathroom … etc).
- Integration with various temperature sensors, radiators, thermostatic valves and so on.
- Statistics and historical data with practical graphs.
- Voice commands (like Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa to adjust the temperature with your own voice).
- Automatic software updates
In short, as you may have understood, there are so many advantages of having a smart thermostat to regulate the temperature of your home in addition to the “simple” fact of saving on your bill and on energy consumption. A smart thermostat will not make your home’s energy class jump towards A, but it is definitely an important improvement and in some respects necessary.
Buying a smart thermostat is not just a reason to be able to control it from your smartphone remotely and show your friends how good and beautiful we are, but an important step toward the future of technology to come.
How to choose a smart thermostat?
The smart thermostats are equipped with WiFi to connect to the Internet and the home network to the Internet. They can be controlled from a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet via a free app; only some particular brands make available a web app and therefore the possibility of using the functions with a browser.
The basic controls allow you to raise and lower the temperature, create a fully customizable heating program and change the temperature according to our position: if we are going back home we can increase the temperature, or we can customize a function that will turn off the system heating on our return.
Nest thermostats are really smart because they change the various options according to our routine: they manage to create a real program to optimize costs and temperature based on our commitments or based on our distance from home.
Some features are to be found in the single model: for example, the Honeywell Lyric T5 shows the time and temperature exclusively if the screen is touched, unlike the Nest thermostat screen which lights up when we enter the room.
Humidity and weather forecasts
To choose the best smart thermostat, one needs to understand all the needs of a user.
For example, if you need to measure the humidity or if you want an overview of local weather forecasts you should opt for models like the Ecobee 4, equipped with precise sensors capable of performing quality measurements.
Geofencing and localization
Just as mentioned above, the WiFi smart thermostats use the location of our phone to customize the temperature of the house based on our distance from it.
It is even possible to create a virtual perimeter that allows us to act and personalize a program based on when we enter or exit this perimeter!
Statistics and maintenance notices
Since all the various data are transmitted via Wifi, it is possible to receive and check all kinds of statistics directly from our smartphones.
Depending on the model and the application in use, it is possible to check, beyond the temperature, a real history of a certain period of time.
Now it’s easier than ever to keep costs, efficiency and relative savings under control with a traditional thermostat.
Some models warn us if they need maintenance, indicating a possible failure of precision, or reminding us when it is time to change a filter.
Also, check the WiFi signal and the location of the router. If your router is too far from the thermostat you may need to add a wifi extender or an access point in order to extend wireless connectivity and get to the smart thermostat.
Check compatibility with other smart devices
One of the current problems in home automation is the compatibility of a device with other intelligent products already present in a home.
If you are buying a wifi thermostat, you should first check the compatibility with other smart devices. Nest thermostats work with other Net devices, such as Nest Indoor and Outdoor cameras and numerous smart switches, smart lamps and more.
At the time of purchase, I suggest you check the support with IFTTT, a very popular feature that allows you to activate the thermostat based on certain conditions, this is the reasoning:
“If the temperature drops below 14 ° C, then start the smart thermostat, but turn it off when the temperature returns to 22 ° C.”
Compatibility with voice assistants
Today many wifi thermostats are compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. Voice control allows you to perform operations such as changing the temperature, detecting the current temperature and much more.
One of the smartest thermostats richest in functionality from this point of view is the Ecobee 4: it integrates Alexa and for this reason, it can be used to discover the weather forecast, listen to music and everything an Amazon Echo speaker or alternatives with Alexa can do.
Can I install a smart thermostat by myself?
Smart thermostats are very easy to install, but it is important to check the wiring. For this reason, we recommend installing only to those who have a basic notion or have done so at least once.
Most devices have pre-printed labels that help connect the wires and identify them during assembly.
Some complexities may emerge if the house has an HVAC system that also includes heat pumps, ventilation systems, etc. Should you have any doubts, we advise you to contact an official installer to avoid a long series of damages.
Also, see the best Apple HomeKit accessories on the market.
Conclusion
Having reached the conclusion of this brief review, our choice falls on the smart thermostats designed by Netatmo. It is a product that offers a wide range of options at a price that is ultimately sustainable. In addition, it is easily adaptable to almost all heating systems. This device also has the right level of technology. This is a factor that makes it easily controllable and reliable even for inexperienced users. It connects easily to your Wi-Fi network, is stable, and has an intuitive and functional App. What more could you ask for?
Also, see the best smart scales for home use.
In any case, as is always our custom to repeat, make your choice taking into account your needs and your family’s needs, as well as the potential of the object you are going to choose to save you time and, of course, money.
That’s all for now. This is our selection of the best smart thermostats to buy. Do you know any other quality device? Let us know the name and we will review it as soon as we can. Thank you.