(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best home programmable thermostats

Why are you going with the Lenovo instead of the GH Hub? Are you wanting the camera feature? Third party devices aren't kept up to date as well as original devices but if you want the camera featue, the GH Hub isn't for you.

Google Mini, not Dot. Dot is Alexa :)

I have had 110% flawless, drama free operations with my TP-Link smart lights and TP-Link smart outlets. They require NO hub. They set up in seconds and work. YMMV but they don't just work "most of the time" or "pretty good" and I'm not "for the most part" happy. They work ALL of the time, perfectly and I'm extremely satisfied with their products.

I don't have a Nest thermostat. My goal wasn't to buy the "it" product of the moment and I wanted all my info on the screen without having to dial it in. I have this one and it has been almost flawless. The Honeywell servers have been down a couple of times in the year I've had it. But, as with other smart thermostats, you can still operate them manually if the service goes down temporarily.

Honeywell TH9320WF5003 WiFi 9000 Color Touchscreen Thermostat

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G4CIG7M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Can't offer any advice on the TV except to say I've read that Google's Chromecast is a better product than Roku. Have no idea tho.

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well there is this one:

http://www.amazon.com/VENSTAR-P474-1100RF-WIRELESS-PROGRAMMABLE-THERMOSTAT/dp/B004F1DKSO/ref=pd_cp_hi_1

the piece there with the buttons and screen is the "sender". thats the piece you would move around the house. further down the screen is something that says "Customers buy this item with Residential Receiver by Venstar". You need both units. The receiver hooks up to where your current t-stat is. Venstar is the same as Totaline. Totaline is where we get Carrier brand authorized parts, it's a supply house for HVAC tradesmen. I've put a lot of these in and haven't had any problems. I would search around the internet to try and find the best deal.

Regarding the 2 zones, 2 zones does not mean two units. An HVAC contractor hooks up electronic controls and dampers into your system. Let's say zone 1 (we'll make that your first floor) calls for heat. The system will turn on and open the damper for the first floor but will close the damper for the second floor. So all the hot air is pushed through the ducts that go to the first floor only. Same vice versa. If the second floor calls for heat only that damper will open forcing all the hot air to the second floor and zero to the first. If both t-stats call for heat, both dampers will open and send heat to the whole house. I know my HVAC company gives free quotes so I would call around and have a few companies that give free quotes come and check it out. It may be more economical. But like you said, that'll depend on the length of time you're willing to stay there. Hell, if it's free, you've got nothing to lose. Also, I'm not sure on prices for your area. I work mainly in Fairfield County, CT and Westchester County, NY, both very affluent areas so our prices are steeper than most. Best of luck! Feel free to ask me anymore questions!

Good choices. Z-Wave in particular is a great platform. It's supported by a hundred manufacturers. It's super low power - Z-Wave devices can have battery life of several years. Z-Wave devices can run with standalone open-source hubs, so you can avoid dependencies on third parties. You can configure SmartThings so most automations happen in the hub, without Internet activity - specifically "Smart Lighting SmartApp" actions like time or sunset-based lighting, or a motion detector turning on a light.

I am not a fan of Wi-Fi smart home devices. Wi-Fi has high power requirements and generally can't run on batteries; it's often in a congested radio band; and most Wi-Fi smart devices rely on proprietary cloud services so if the vendor shuts down your device stops working.

I have a Schlage Connect lock, but that's largely because I already had Schlage locks in my home so it was easy to rekey it to match. I can remotely lock and unlock the door, check the lock status, and add codes for visitors.

For a thermostat, you can use a relatively inexpensive GoControl or Radio Thermostat model. People love the styling of Nest and Ecobee devices but they have no functional advantages over these cheaper units. I have the GoControl model with an external 24V transformer - it's worked great for three years.

Your camera setup will probably remain separate from your home automation.

A budget of $4000-5000? That's a lot for me.

I'd suggest some Smart Bulbs or Smart Light Switches depending on a few factors.

If your room has a neutral wire or not (most smart switches require it except the Lutron Casetas).

If you want color (Most Smart LightBulbs do).

And if you enough electrical knowledge or not.

The Gosund Light Bulbs are great for the price based on reviews and price.

https://www.amazon.com/Multi-Color-Controlled-Compatible-Assistant-Equivalent/dp/B07G2CM96F/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=gosund&qid=1558588469&s=gateway&sprefix=gosund&sr=8-5

And for Light Switches. The Martin Jerry dimmable switches are great as well, I use them personally, pretty reliable for me.

https://www.amazon.com/Martin-Jerry-SmartLife-Dimming-Assistant/dp/B07FXYSVR1/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=martin+jerry&qid=1558588565&s=gateway&sr=8-6

If you are a homekit user, I don't know what to do for you.

Anyways.
Another thing I'd recommend is smart plugs, find out which devices would turn on automatically or go back to it's plugged state after being plugged in.

My personal recommendation for smart plugs would be the TanTan smart plugs, I also personally use them, found them in the Flea Market, 4 plugs for $10. If you could find them for the same amount and price, it's a go.

https://www.amazon.com/TanTan-Wireless-Required-Anywhere-Upgraded/dp/B071VYFJRL/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=tantan&qid=1558588840&s=gateway&sr=8-5

They even use the same app as the light devices I just mentioned!

Now for thermostats.

It really matters on what smart speaker system you're using.

Ecobee = Alexa compatible

https://www.amazon.com/ecobee-EB-STATE3LT-02-ecobee3-Smart-Thermostat/dp/B06W56TBLN/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=ecobee&qid=1558588938&s=gateway&sr=8-2

Nest = Google Assistant compatible

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/nest-thermostat-e-white/6051016.p?skuId=6051016


If you're a DIY guy...
The Sonoff switch is going to be perfect, it's only $5 at Sonoff's website anyways, but I can't find the buy page, so I'll put an amazon link instead.

https://www.amazon.com/Sonoff-Electrical-Household-Appliances-Compatible/dp/B07BDFDHX9/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=sonoff&qid=1558589310&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Last thing, is a smart speaker, there are so many different brands, but I'll just suggest 2 from different Assistant Platforms.

Alexa:

https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Dot-3rd-Gen/dp/B0792K2BK6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=amazon+echo&qid=1558589424&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Google Assistant:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-home-mini-smart-speaker-with-google-assistant-chalk/6082194.p?skuId=6082194

Okay, that's just my long list of unnecessary suggestions, you don't have to take it, it's just the products i'd say to consider.

I so very much want to justify purchasing these for the two A/C units in our house, but the truth is that it would probably result in very little cost savings compared to the programmable thermostats we currently have, at $68 a pop on Amazon.

Looked purely in terms of of cost savings, the only advantages I can see the Nest has over the conventional programmable thermostat are:

1. Able to change temperature remotely, so if you're away for a while (e.g. on vacation) and don't remember to change your settings, you can still do so from remote
   
   
2. Sensing your absence, so it can automatically shut off when you haven't been around a while, though this is less useful if your thermostat is in a place you don't usually pass by in your daily living
   
   Of course, aside from a purely cost savings point of view, there's advantages like convenience of programming (learning vs. punching in settings for every day), seeing your usage history, and, of course, coolness factor. But, looking at the cost savings point of view, it's hard to see how much the above advantages would add up to ($250 2 thermostats) - ($68 2 thermostats) = $364 in savings when the programmable thermostat is already reducing my energy usage a good amount.
   
   It's somewhat similar to hybrid cars, where the premium you pay for a hybrid often outweighs the cost savings from less gas over the lifetime over the car. Has anyone switched from a regular programmable thermostat to the Nest and noted significantly reduced energy usage? As I said, I'm just itching to get these, but so far it just doesn't seem like a good investment over what I have now.

Looks like you have what the Nest requires based on their information. Y1, Rc, and W1 are all there. https://nest.com/support/article/Power-Specifications-for-the-Nest-Learning-Thermostat#!

However, like Bluejuju543 I have a honeywell that has served me very well for a simple time based schedule - https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-TB7100A1000-Multipurpose-Programmable-Non-Programmable/dp/B008HP2UBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487099661&sr=8-1&keywords=honeywell+multipro

Costs USD 100 less than the Nest, runs on backup batteries (or on your power source as you have) and is very very reliable.

So the question really comes down to - How fancy do you want to get vs. need to get? What's your budget? Good luck! It's a great DIY project and very straight forward.

I am not sure how much "under the hood" work you want to do, but Insteon makes a thermostat compatible with heat pumps, and its significantly cheaper than ecobee, albeit with less features.

I just started putting together a custom sensor/insteon system with their hub and OpenHab, and so far everything works wonderfully. My theromstat comes next Tuesday, so I cannot speak to how well they work personally. I have found in my research that there is always someone who has a bad experience with any home automation product.

What I like about Insteon is not only how well it integrates with OpenHAB through the hub, but they have extensive documentation about how to send devices direct commands to the hub via IP. I have set up individual light dimmers and scenes with tasker (android), and can even activate them on my watch. When I am connected to my home network, there is little to no latency.

I can give you more details on my setup if you like. My next project is to create a series of temperature sensors using Arduino Micros, akin to Ecobee's room sensors, for my own setup.

EDIT: sorry, I re-read your post and noticed you're on the fence for ecobee vs. zwave. Both are great and I didn't mean to intentionally throw a 3rd option in! I just hope this is informative in some way.

My thermostat is within arm's reach of where I'm sitting right now and it reads 70. I can agree, it's very different from 70 in the summer. I generally use blankets as necessary to keep things comfortable. Having a cat on your lap also helps.

I have an unfinished basement with field stone foundation. It doesn't leak, thankfully, but it is a little damp after the rain from the past couple days. The dehumidifier prevents things from getting too humid, though. I have forced air heat with a gas furnace and the dehumidifier is near it, keeping the air that's circulated fairly dry.

A cold basement could be part of your issue. Warm air rises, so if you can get the basement warm, it could go a long way to keep the first floor warm. It will take a lot of energy to get the air in your living room so warm that it makes the floor warm. I can keep things tolerable in my house by winterizing my basement - the cellar door and windows are sealed with weather stripping - and opening one of the air vents. Most of the air still comes into the rest of the house, but the floor is warm, and that goes a long way.

edit: If you have forced air heat, I highly recommend a programmable thermostat like this Honeywell Thermostat. I've had that one for about two years now and I love it. Letting the house get a little colder when I'm asleep or at work cut my heating bill in half compared to the year before I got it. It's set to 70 when I'm here and awake and 62 otherwise.

Hi, your gh is just like one of my first. Here is what worked for me and is still working but slightly modified with my 16 foot gh.

Considering where you are, passive solar heating is a must for pots that will be on the ground. Easy to make .. just take 2 ltr bottles, paint matte black and fill with water. Lay them on their sides and put pots on top of them.

Next get a forced fan milkhouse heater, portable thermostat and either a small box fan or oscillating fan. Here is a link for the thermostat:

Portable Thermostat

Make sure you put the thermostat on the ground. I set mine to start the heater when the temperature got below 45°. The fan will circulate the air - keep the fan on 24-7.

Here is another link to the set up and also how I used the bottles for passive solar heating:

http://www.nerii.org/ghheat.jpg

Be advised that you are going to have an algae problem if you use the bubble wrap.

All the same heaters (except the one in the bathroom) and yea it works via water. My Heaters look quite exactly like this one: http://energie-strom.com/strom/stromspartipps/Images/heizung.jpg - except that the thermostat isn't angled. So these would fit perfectly: https://www.amazon.de/eqiva-Bluetooth-Smart-Heizk%C3%B6rperthermostat-141771A1A/dp/B014VHFR6Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485976525&sr=8-2&keywords=eqiva+heizk%C3%B6rperthermostat - I could unmount my current thermostat and mount this new one and it should basically work, Bluetooth should be turned on then and I can receive the information needed via HA.

But well there might be a problem... what's with the battery?! Is it common that here is a sensor for the battery load? I don't want a huge suprise when I come home and it's hot as fk in my apartment, because the valve is fully opened.

But the "read-off thing" in the middle of the heater (on the picture is no such thing...): https://www.kesselheld.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/heizung-ablesen.jpg - this is electric here in my apartment.

I hope that it helps!

Yes, this is called ambient temperature keeping (also known as the "Terry Phillip method"). Plenty of people do it. Blood Pythons don't like it hot anyway so ambient keeping works perfect for them. It will work for all those species pretty much, 81/83f day temperature with a night drop to about 78/79 degrees is what most people do. An important thing to note if you keep like this is not to feed your animals huge meals (for obvious reasons).

Also, you need a thermostat for that heater (I assume it's an oil radiator?), the Herpstat HP is a good option. Note that the Herpstat HP doesn't work with heaters that have an electronic thermostat, it only works with analog ones. Since your entire collection is now relying on one heat source it's highly recommended you get a wifi thermometer so that you can monitor your room when you aren't there. A failure could possibly mean the death of your entire collection.

There's also products like this Inkbird C929 which is actually a wifi wall thermostat which you can control the heat source and monitor it from your phone, however I haven't really seen much mention of this product in the reptile circle so it has unproven reliability. If paired with the temp stick it could be an option worth trying.

Look on eBay. There are a lot of standard zwave thermostats that were originally installed with security systems. Mine is a Trane Z-wave thermostat. It has scheduling and all of the advanced features you would expect from a high end NON-learning or smart thermostat. Even humidity. If you are like me, you want the smarts in the ST Hub and just want a ST comparable Thermostat. I put mine into hold temp mode, which disregards it's internal schedule. Then I made ST routines to change temps based on time of day, followed up by making it turn that set point for the heater way low if we are all away from home. Great energy saver and I have full control of schedule in ST.

https://www.amazon.com/Trane-TZEMT400BB3NX-SL-Management-Intelligence/dp/B008DNAGBO

BTW in this field of thermostat, you will find many identical rebranded thermostats that are all the same. I finally settled on Trane because of user base.

You will find many on eBay for around $60, and usually in perfect condition.

If you are looking at the Sensi Emerson at $120-$140 I would probably just go for the ecobee lite. I have the regular ecobee and it is pretty cool. It gives you all kinds of data and is really easy to program and their app is pretty good. Plus it's compatible with all smart home ecosystems.

It also comes with an adapter thing if you don't have a common wire. So you can install it either way.

No doubt your remark was meant in jest, but to set the story straight, the ecobee3 got its name because it was the third hardware model of thermostat released by ecobee (the ecobee Smart Si and EMS Si were more or less identical, with one targeting home owners and the other targeting commercial establishments). Here's a complete list of their thermostats:

• ecobee Smart Thermostat
  
• ecobee Smart Si & ecobee EMS Si
  
• ecobee3
  
• ecobee3 2nd generation with HomeKit support
  
• ecobee3 lite
  
• ecobee4
  

This is probably way overkill unless you have the latest and greatest smart equipment. A nice simple programmable stat for a standard system would be a Honeywell Focuspro 6000.

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-FocusPRO-6000-Programmable-Thermostat/dp/B000UQ2GCY

We have Electric Baseboard heat and it works very well with a good digital thermostat like this one, you can find it on eBay for cheaper:

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Honeywell RLV4305A1000/E 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat for Electric Baseboard Heaters

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https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-RLV4305A1000-Programmable-Thermostat-Baseboard/dp/B008DF626K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537890358&sr=8-1&keywords=honeywell+rlv430&dpID=41FGJhIQGWL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

A touchscreen programmable thermostat. I bought a couple of these for friends and they love them.

If not this, how about a big Japanese wave?

Oh, awesome, thank you! I have a lux tx9000ts.

Just out of curiosity, is there one that has a Wifi connection that goes up to 99°?

I like my Lux GEO (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010PTKWW6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DqpyCbRSCRJ40)

I don’t have a c-wire, so the option to power the GEO with a 5W USB adapter works great for me with an outlet located near where my existing 2-wire “dumb” thermostat cable comes out of the wall for my furnace.

Edit: as this might be a furnace or boiler there is a safety concern here. I don't know what the skill level here is but this isn't something that anyone can play with. Putting in an approved stat is one thing but making your own stat is asking for trouble.

HVAC controls person here, almost all equipment is 24vAC these days for control voltage. Something else that's a problem when converting from these old mechanical stats is they never ran a neutral/return wire. What you likely have is a 24v hot wire and the call for (assuming) heat wire. So now if you want to power something you are missing a wire to do that. If you get lucky you'll find they ran a multiconductor wire and you can just connect (blue or brown) to ground and have at it.

The amount of hassle here isn't worth it when you can go with a cheap battery powered stat like this
Lux Products TX9600TS Universal 7-Day Programmable Touch Screen Thermostat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044UYVFW

There are less expensive HomeKit thermostats.

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For example, the Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat

Or the iDevices IDEV005AND5 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat

If you can find a ct-101 (was the iris one) then you’ll be set. I have had three and they’ve all been great. SmartThings community has a device handler for them.


Radio Thermostat CT101 Zwave Thermostat/Batt Operated https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E0LQ3I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KjP4DbAPWTWRZ

Ignore the reviews

You can have all the features you listed above if you use the device handler and the eco stuff if you use core utils and spend a little time. Also I think the new SmartThings app device handler has some more abilities built in.

Although it may not look as cool as some of the others, I can recommend the Lux smart thermostat. It actually gets its power from 2 AA batteries, as opposed to having to hardwire the thermostat to your electric system.

https://www.amazon.com/Lux-Products-GEO-WH-Wi-Fi-Thermostat/dp/B010PTKWW6

Have you looked at the Ecobee 3 lite?

https://www.amazon.com/Ecobee3-Thermostat-Wi-Fi-Works-Amazon/dp/B01K48T09Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1481110668&sr=1-1&keywords=ecobee+lite

Or the Ecobee Smart Si?

https://www.amazon.com/ecobee-Thermostat-Heat-2-NON-Touch-Screen/dp/B008F40R4C/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1481110747&sr=1-9&keywords=ecobee

Yup, the CT100 is pretty ugly - this is about as good as it gets and it's no Nest asthetic:


Remotec ZTS-500 Z-Wave Plus Smart Thermostat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072JY98VG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Idz5Cb9AERK68

You really wouldn't want something like a smart switch due to the power draw when you initially turn on the air conditioner AND you wouldn't really be able to control it. You'd want something that can shoot commands to the AC (assuming it comes with a remote that's IR).

The following products all fulfill that niche!

• Remotec Z-Wave ZXT-120
  
  
• Tado
  
  
• The Pebble
  
  
• Ambi
  
  
• Altris
  
  
• Broadlink
  
  
• Flair Puck
  
  
• Nature Remo
  
  
• Rumy

https://www.amazon.com/Lux-TX9600TS-Universal-Programmable-Thermostat/dp/B0044UYVFW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499881374&sr=8-1&keywords=lux+programmable+thermostat

I like it a lot. The 7-day programming is perfect for my work schedule (which changes day to day but not week to week.)

Good news is you have the wiring in place for pretty much and standard wifi thermostat. bad news is the new thermostat you have isn't "standard".

Sounds like you want the remote wifi capability since its for a rental (and the "smart" won;t come into play as much since there will be less of a set pattern?)? I might suggest this thermostate. Cheaper than the brand name "smart" thermostats, but still has all the programming and wifi capabilities. Would work with your wiring also.

FYI, that unit is available on amazon for $30 cheaper

I was actually trying to install a bunch of these which claim to support both: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DF626K/. In general, thermostats for baseboard heaters seem terrible. But regardless, I didn't actually attempt to wire it up, I merely put back the existing thermostat after seeing it only had 2 wires to connect. It seems these thermostats support both single and double pole by making you combine wires.

I got one of these.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010PTKWW6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can install it with a c-wire but if you don't have one you can put in batteries instead. I don't have a c-wire either and it's worked fine for several months.

For what it's worth, I also have a Honeywell. I've not had any connectivity issues.

Where did you get the lux wifi thermostat for $100? I only see it for $125-150 on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Lux-Products-GEO-WH-Wi-Fi-Thermostat/dp/B010PTKWW6

I believe it may be OEM'd by Honeywell. Looks kinda similar:

Honeywell TH9320WF5003 WiFi 9000 Color Touchscreen Thermostat, Works with Amazon Alexa https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G4CIG7M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_DbaOAbZC429FG

This one here?

Honeywell RLV4305A1000/E1 Rlv4305A1000/E 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat, 240 V, 1 Deg F, Whites https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008DF626K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QXGTDb46Z62V1

You should be compatible with this Sensi Thermostat with no c-wire (but not the touchscreen model). It runs on AA batteries, so no c-wire is required.. unless it's a heat or cool only system, but it doesn't look like it is.

The thermostat in question is this guy:

http://amzn.com/B008DF626K

I'm not sure what a C wire is, but I'm going to guess no since it only has 2 wires for line voltage. The thermostat I'm trying to replace is similar to this:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Hha1OhAlsSA/hqdefault.jpg

It's just one of those dumb knobs, but 4 wires.