Top 10 best Programmable Thermostats 2022 Price and Feature Comparison

I purchased this thermostat to replace a 20 year old (original) mercury analog thermostat for our upstairs unit. The main reasons I chose this unit were price, features, brand name and overall reviews (touch screen was desired but not mandatory).IN THE BOX:The package came with everything necessary for installation, including wire flags to mark each wire with before you pulled them off the old thermostat so that you could more easily identify where they go into the new one (a very nice touch). The thermostat was, of course, included along with an installation manual and a user’s manual, and a couple mounting screws with wall anchors.INSTALLATION:We have a gas furnace and ac, so for us it was a four wire job (no flags were even necessary). It couldn’t have been any simpler to mount and wire. If you have an electric furnace w/ emergency heat and/or a multiple stage unit your installation will be more involved, but if you take your time and flag the wires it still shouldn’t be overly complicated (if you don’t feel comfortable doing it, it’s better to get a professional to do the job – please don’t risk messing up your several $K system). The installation manual is pretty clear, however I can see a few places where a bit of confusion may arise for those who have never installed a thermostat before. Overall, this thermostat is just as easy to install as any other thermostat on the market (they’re all pretty much the same), if not a touch easier due to the thoughtful inclusion of the wire flags.SETUP:Read the manual!! Sorry, I had to get that out of my system after seeing many of the unfounded poor reviews on here from people who claim this thermostat is unable to do things that it actually is able to do, if they had just taken the extra couple minutes to flip through the pages in the user’s guide…With that said, setup is a bit of a mixed bag – it’s pretty easy to setup, however you MUST read the manual in order to set certain functionality, as it is code driven (the unit uses a numbering system to select functionality, and you must match the number up to that in the manual to select what features you want to activate / deactivate). Fortunately, once you set it up once, it’s good to go. It could be a bit more intuitive, but to be honest, I thought the manual was easily understandible and I had no problems with the setup.The one thing that did bother me a bit was the fact that the date can only be found and changed under the numbered setup, instead of being programmable with the time under the ‘normal’ screen setup. I guess this should only have to be set once, though, so it’s not really THAT big of a deal in hindsight (just a bit frustrating at the time).PROGRAMMING:Programming could have be bit more intuitive in my opinion, though it isn’t difficult (and you don’t have to do it often once you get it set where you want it While the manual wasn’t required for me to do this, it would have probably been helpful on my first run. This thermostat has individual daily settings, each with four time slots for when you sleep, wake, are away, and return home, and each slot with their own high temp and low temp range (the thermostat can be set to change over from AC to Heat, or vice versa automatically as necessary in the setup codes, though we kept ours manual). You can select multiple days at once to program identically, which is a nice feature and saves a bit of time. Overall it’s not difficult, however it was just a bit more tedious than our downstairs unit (a higher end non-touchscreen thermostat from another make).SCREEN QUALITY (TOUCH AND VIEW):The screen is easy to read, well lit and thus far I have experienced perfect touch sensitivity. The green glow may be ‘outdated’, but it does a nice job illuminating and we purchased this thermostat knowing that’s what it had, so I don’t understand why some other reviews have even mentioned that as a gripe… It’s nice that you can touch the screen once anywhere in the ‘touch sensitive’ areas (along the bottom and right side) to light it for viewing, then touch it again to change settings. This seems like it should be a given, though I’ve dealt with touch screen units in other homes that require a touch it to light it, however that first touch changes settings at the same time). The buttons are large enough for me to comfortably navigate without worrying about hitting the wrong button or multi-button pressing (I have good sized hands).FUNCTIONALITY:The thermostat has worked very well for us thus far. We haven’t had any of the constant cycling on/off issues that have been expressed in other reviews, however I installed it in late September so we missed the really hot season; we’ll see how it does as it begins to get really cold now. I am not worried about it though – it keeps us comfortable and does exactly as it has been programmed to do. The temperature is also a LOT more accurate than our previous mercury model…MATERIAL / BUILD QUALITY:Overall the quality of materials is good. The plastic housing is a bit flimsy – once mounted on the wall the thermostat still has some give and play, though it’s sufficiently stiff as to not allow movement during regular button pressing and such, and the electric contacts seem to be firmly in place.After I installed the thermostat, I did notice that the screen was not positioned correctly. It seems that the screen is held into place using just the pressure from the cover. I was able to use my thumbs and gently slide it back into the proper position, and it is held firmly enough so that it shouldn’t be a future issue (unless handled somewhat roughly), but it does seem that they would have secured it better with clips or something.OVERALL:For the price of this thermostat (keep an eye out for the dicounts) it is practically unbeatable, and I have no gripes or regrets purchasing it. We wanted a simple second zone therostat with daily programming and at least two time slots per day. I did my research, and the Honeywell RTH7600D has met or exceeded all of my expectations so far. While setup requires the manual, you should only have to do it once. Programming takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do a few slots it’s pretty easy. The touch screen is sensitive and well lit. Functionality is exactly as it should be.This has been a great unit for us, and it’s certainly nice not having to slide the temperature adjuster every morning, then slide it back right before we go to bed (and wait for the temperature to get back into a comfortable range).

Purchased this to replace an older, faulty thermostat of a differing brand. Installation and programming were very simple and straight forward. The directions in the packaging, regarding wiring and operation were very clear and easy to follow. I was up and running in less than 30 minutes. It’s only been a few days, but the thermostat appears to be running flawlessly and, this could just be placebo effect, but my furnace appears to be functioning better as a result of this unit (more consistent, warmer air being produced)The Cons: The furnace filter feature is useless. Even if you change your filter regularly (which I always do!), but forget to change the settings in the thermostat to indicate you’ve changed it, the thermostat will stop working (to my understanding based on youtube reviews) until you reset the filter setting. What if you’re away from home for a few days? Are your pipes going to freeze because you thermostat thinks your filter is dirty? How stupid!The swing setting is pointless. This is my fault for misunderstanding how it works, but I thought the swing setting just allowed the temp to dip a little lower in your home before telling the furnace to kick on, bringing the temp up to the desired programmed temperature. But it doesn’t do that. Yes, it allows you to let the temp drop a little extra, BUT, when the furnace kicks on, it also raises the temperature an equal amount ABOVE the programmed temperature setting. For example. I have my thermostat programmed for heat at 63 degrees F. If I set the swing for 2 degrees, the thermostat kicks on at 61 degrees (as I want it to) but doesn’t kick OFF until the home temperature reaches 65 degrees. Uhhhh, wut?????? No, bish, I want you to kick off at 63. THAT’S WHY I HAVE IT SET TO 63!!!!!!!!!! If I wanted you to kick off at 65, I would program the unit to kick off at 65. Thus, I find this feature pointless, as it just causes the furnace to run for a longer duration when it does kick on, negating any advantage of a wider temp drop.Finally, the face plate. An extra $10 for the cosmetic face plate? That’s insulting. It’s a little piece of plastic and you want $10 extra for that? It should be included. You can keep it! I deducted a star for this, the swing setting, and the furnace filter pointlessness. Other than these minor flaws, it’s a nice, affordable programmable thermostat that is a little bit nicer than your bottom of the line Honeywell and other brands you would find at your local wally world.

We wanted a new thermostat for several reasons. The old Honeywell was working fine but it had several deficiencies. First, it was too easy for our grandson to change the settings. And the display was hard to read unless you stooped right in front of it. And the programming was a nuisance.Searching for a thermostat with screen lockout we discovered that none of the good ole Honeywell residential thermostats have this feature. So we moved-on to almost-as-good – almost-as-old Emerson which has this feature on most of their residential products. Out utility company offers a $25 rebate on programmable thermostats and a $100 rebate on WiFi thermostats. With a Prime Day price of $75 this thermostat is basically free. However we were concerned by all the complaints about setup and network problems. So here is what we found.The good -1) Excellent manual controls and screen visibility, copied from the refined design of the legacy Emerson line. Most other WiFi thermostats have too much screen clutter in the attempt to eliminate buttons. Old-fashioned buttons really are better for the most common functions even if they don’t look stylish.2) You can control almost anything you want from your smart phone – after you complete setup.3) You can configure this thermostat to work with almost any kind of HVAC system.4) You have plenty of flexibility to create multiple programs with as many or as few schedule steps as you wish. For example you can have separate schedules for when you are home, when you are gone temporarily, when you are gone for months at a time. Some reviewers have complained about the difficulty of programming your schedule. Maybe Sensi have improved the app, but I found it reasonably easy to program, given the flexibility.The bad -1) The WiFi setup is very finicky. Were I not an engineer with many years of experience with communications equipment I might well have floundered. Common security features in WiFi routers can defeat your efforts. I would note that I recently installed a smart sprinkler controller that is completely programmed from my smart phone and has full remote access capability. WiFi setup was a breeze. I did not have to touch my WiFi router configuration at all. Sensi could do a lot better.2) The manuals. Yes Sensi, some people do read manuals. Once you get past the simpleton stuff yours are rather poor. “See the App” (which has limited help on some topics) is not a good answer. Things like a list of the menu options and what they do – would be very helpful. The other Emerson thermostats have good manuals – so should yours.3) Don’t bother to call Sensi tech support. You will spend a lot of time on-hold and you might never actually talk to a human. And the support web site was almost as slow. The information is there but you have to be a pro to understand the more detailed stuff. Sensi needs to beef-up their tech support and/or produce a good tutorial on how to connect to a WiFi network. And if they had to write a good tutorial, they might improve their software to make things easier for their customers.4) I found it necessary to change almost every default setting. Many of the complaints about the performance of this thermostat, arise from not bothering to check every last setting in the app. Better defaults would result in fewer complaints. This problem is confounded by lack of a list of menus and options in the user manuals. If you do not browse carefully through the app, you might miss the setting that you find most annoying.5) You can control virtually everything else but not the fan schedule. A simple “Fan On or Auto” check box in each schedule step would be great.The gory details -If you have read this far, you might want to benefit from some of my experience setting-up this device for my network.1) First let me explain my network setup. Basically my network has a less-trusted domain and a more-trusted domain. In the less-trusted domain sit my smart TVs, Game controllers, a laser printer that anyone can use, VoIP and media gateways, smart home sprinkler and thermostat controllers, etc. In the more-trusted domain sit my server, laptops, a color laser printer, and a very few other devices.2) Between my cable modem and my less-trusted domain sits a simple but bullet-proof Ubiquity firewall router/switch. Hanging-off the Ubiquity switch in the less-trusted domain, are a VoIP gateway, a WiFi router/switch, a printer and a guest Ethernet port.3) The WiFi router/switch serves as a second firewall between the less-trusted and the more-trusted domains. The WiFi hub has both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels, with separate private and guest access, for a total of 4 SSIDs. The router steers the guest SSIDs to the less-trusted domain and the private SSIDs to the more-trusted domain. The private and guest SSIDs have different WiFi access codes (passwords) so both domains are “secure” (in the WiFi sense).4) By default the guest WiFi clients cannot see each other on the less-trusted domain. This is a common security feature in WiFi routers that support guest access. And it is one of the features that trips-up installation of the Sensi thermostat, but not my smart sprinkler controller.5) Observing the network interaction between the Sensi app on my smart phone, the Sensi thermostat on the wall, and my WiFi router, at some times the app and the thermostat are operating point-to-point over the WiFi and sometime via the router. So-far so-good. This is expected behavior. However some of the router traffic uses LAN (Layer 2) addresses and some uses IP (Layer 3) addresses. This mixture can mess things up if the network is not configured exactly as the Sensi software developers expected.6) Sensi should test with other common network configurations. As I mentioned my brand X sprinkler controller does not suffer from these peculiarities. If Sensi invested more money on software engineering and testing with different network configurations they could save a bundle on support costs and customer returns.My recommendations -1) Configure your smart phone to use the same WiFi SSID that you want to use for your Sensi thermostat.2) Be sure this SSID is only available for 2.4 GHz.3) Go through your router settings to ensure that every WiFi client of this SSID has unrestricted (LAN as well as IP) access to every other client of this SSID.4) Run the Sensi app through the complete installation and registration process.5) After everything is working you can restore your normal network configuration in your router and smart phone. Do not change the SSID for the thermostat.6) If you need to change the SSID for the thermostat later, go back to start. Reset your thermostat and reconfigure your network. Rinse thoroughly and repeat as often as necessary.

This works really well. I am happy. I have to say, turning it on and off and changing heating, to cooling etc., is a little odd.. not very easy, I had to have the family gather around for a tutorial. The online app works well and it syncs with my Amazon ECHO/Alexa very well.. no issues. If you don’t use the app for a while you will be logged out, which is a bit annoying.I think it keeps the temperature stable within the house and I am expecting some savings from my cooling costs this year. I will provide an update later.Overall, works well. one start reduced due to the confusion on how to turn the system on, off and change the cooling to heating mode. Could be way easier.******Update 9 Months: The thermostat is great. No issues. Seems very reliable and stays connected to the internet. It sends the signal to the furnace and air conditioning unit quickly. Unsure if I experienced an energy savings this past summer, but I have to say that it seemed to manage the temperature very well. Good product.

I’m a big Nest fan had it on my old house the problem that I have with them it’s the cost, and even with gas company great rebate didn’t justify the cost especially with my new home having a total of 5 thermostats (t-stat). I was excited when I found that Amazon partner with Honeywell to get this t-stat created as Honeywell has been creating t-stat for years which make me feel better when making the purchase.—COST—Now let go over the details for cost it’s good and I got two of them which at the end of the day will be free due to the electric company rebate for a smart t-stat. I didn’t get a C- adapter and I will explain later (INSTALL session) why I purchase a 24-volt transformer for my first-floor unit.—INSTALL—Love the package it reminds me of the NEST when it first starts came with everything that you needed the only additional tools, I need was a harmer, and drill but this is normal for these installations.Now the biggest question that everyone has is the C (common) wire. This is where you need to do your research regardless of what company you go with when upgrading to a smart thermostat, due your homework on what you need. For me I have a spill unit (boiler & A/C) first for my second-floor unit it was super easy I had an extra wire and I use it for Common the t-stat startup and finish within 30 min. Now for my first floor I utilize a 24-volt transformer because I didn’t have spare cables and I didn’t want to run a new cable which drove me to make the purchase again do your homework before and see what option best works for your use case.I connected the transformer to the C wire and the other end to Rc and that works like a champ. This is critical if you have a split unit since Honeywell power their t-stat via Rc only when you have two RED Wire (R (heater) and Rc(cooling)) and the blue tab (internal jumper is down position. If you only have one RED Wire you are fine just keep the blue tab up and your t-stat will turn on without any problems. I did reach out to Honeywell and explain to them they need to explain this on their site and white papers that when you have split units’ power for the t-stat will come from Rc and not from R this is critical because my house previous owner installed a switch to keep the A/C unit down through the winter to avoid accident turning on the unit which is great idea. Please keep in mind this is NOT an Amazon problem that is Honeywell they did acknowledge their mistake and agree to update their site and documentation.Running my transformer cable and installing the unit took me about 60 minutes because I wanted to look perfect with the transformer cable going through the wall this make the installation look cleaner.—-SETUP—-Once all wire were connected the setup of the t-stat was simply and when I say simple it was super didn’t have input the WiFi password or anything else since it automatic joined my account that was amazing and simply just like setting a fire table that was a great experience. Amazon did an amazing job doing this some users this my not be as good, but I look automation the less click I must do the less chances of mistake A+—LOOK—The t-stat looks great after the final install the wall panel (included but optional for install) made it easier for me since I didn’t have to paint (if you had a different color paint I would recommend adjusting before completing the install but that is just me)—Interface (GUI)—-For me the GUI is great for some it my but I’m one of those people that like to have one application on my phone or tablet rather than 2 and this is where Amazon did another amazing job. Please keep in mind that Google who purchase NEST is doing the same thing I see the NEST application going away in the future all new NEST is configure from Google Home and they also did a great job The GUI it’s simple and allows you to setup multiple schedules and copy them to different days or week. Huge plus on my book because for the NEST I had to do manually per day I can setup one day and copy to another. You can setup away and home schedule or utilize your current Amazon device to tell the t-stat that you are home or away. Another item that I love from the Amazon you can setup MAX cooling or heating this allows for mistake not to happen and getting your house too hot or cool really go option to have and you can set filter replacements without your assistance (optional) for me this is great no more remembering air filter as they will show up at my footsteps.Energy saving incentives can also be done via the application. The dashboard its great too it tells you how much energy you utilize each day and where you can save.Now the only downside for that I experience is only scheduling session on Android because it forces close my Alexa application all the time, I don’t have this problem with anything else on the application just the scheduling session. This option works perfect on my wife new iPhone and iPad pro and new Android phone. My old Android is the one with this problem, but I experience this kind of thing on and off since it’s an older device.——-Final judgment —-The device is good option for a smart t-stat and would recommend for anyone some of the problems that were reported it was on day one which is expected with any new launch overall I see this t-stat giving Google (NEST) and others a run for their money as now you have a great option for smart t-stat and you don’t require to break your budget to acquire one. In addition, love the one application for everything as previously mentioned all big companies are doing this model to stop the install of some many other applications. In a scale from 0 -10 this t-stat gets a 9 please note that the NEST 3rd gen got a 9 from me. Hope this helps everyone make the correct decision and I will update this review in a few weeks to report back.

Exact model I was looking for. The top plugged right in without needing rewiring.

old stat had a few mechanical switch problems. This stat better quality.

We needed to replace a 25 year old programmable thermostat, but didn’t want it wi fi controlled. Sets and controls weekend temperature zones separately from weekday. zones. We loved our old one, but this one is a great replacement.

I really liked the presentation of this device, it is clean and well built, although the software is atrocious. Google Home is so convoluted that make you feel an idiot because all you want to do is set up the thermostat temperature range.By default the device require wifi to even activate; but the process is simple. Overall you will have hard time depending if your AC/heater has the blue wire or not (which is the one carrying the power from what I can understand reading comments online). This device has its own set of batteries but I had hard time setting up my system because it was complaining that a wire was not set (yellow; which was set); so reading online I found that the software require the blue wire connected/shorted to be physically connected to the device, for the system to work. Please check online about this issue and you will find very detailed instructions about how to solve it.Clearly the issue is purely on the software side: the app ask you to tell how many wires you have, so you need to connect the blue wire but tell the app you do not have it connected; and magically the thermostat will work. YMMV depending on your AC/heater system of course; they have different number of wires so check with someone knowledgeable.Other than that; setting up a simple range of temp for the whole day was a challenge, because this thing is so smart that it think that you need 4 different setup for different time of the day, as if you want to keep your temperature constant. After a lot of jumps and hoops, I was able to keep the bloody thing in a range where it turn on only when it is too hot or too cold, and stay off the rest of the time.Also not sure why the option to set a range is disabled by default, but I assume it is because people use those for AC only and not for heating and AC combo? My system has a combo for AC and heater so I needed the setting that turn on heater when too cold, and AC when too hot; and had to dig in the settings to change this, while it should be a simple option right on the main app page.The controls on the unit are OK; there are no buttons and the screen is not touch screen, you have a strip on the right side which is hard to use unless you got some sort of dexterity or your fingertips are super conductive I guess. I am a tech person for living and this interface was quite weird to handle; would rather have 3 buttons to do everything instead of the strip but once you know how to handle the device, it is usable.

So I didn’t have any help beside YouTube videos. The instructions were great but the videos helped to trouble shoot if it didn’t work right away. One thing that would’ve been faster is if I went into the attic to see where the color wires were supposed to go. Mine were painted over so I had no clue. Also “b” means brown not blue. But if you can get to your fan blower board in the attic take a picture and mirror the image to your thermostat. It will save you time. Also make sure you turn the breaker off. It took me two hours only because I should’ve taken the picture. I had to trouble shoot. My third YouTube video told me that. I was also able to peel back the paint to know my colors.

Programs super fast and easy. Nice big easy to read display. Great copy features, just program one day, copy to all and your done or just change other days as needed.Now the bad, this thing was so close to being returned 😣 with a 1 ⭐ review. The install should have taken 10 minutes (replacing same existing 4 wire setup). I spent over an hour because the screws, wholes for wires and the terminal are all so small and poorly placed that it is close to impossible to get the wires into terminal and then tighten them. I was very lucky to fine a Philips head screwdriver small enough to do the trick. It would have never work with their directions. You can’t do it with the base mounted to the wall as defined. Mount base first, then remove it and wire terminal and remount it. Could be so much easier if the terminal was not attached to the base. Wire terminal, clip on to base, mount base, plug in thermostat, done 😉!

Very easy to install, but I think the instructions instructions are a little complicated. Basically match the color wire with the letter on the bottom plate. Though I don’t have central air, it should be similar for these connections if not have a professional install it. But once installed it works great. Easier than the Honey well I had before, plus it’s backlit so that makes it easier to see without having to turn the lights on.

Works with 2 wire Heat. This replaced my Google nest first generation that stopped working because I had no common C wire. I connected my 2 wires to the W and R and it works perfect.

Shipped promptly in condition as described. Does what it says on the tin! Works extremely well given the low cost. Highly recommended!

I purchased three of these to replace much older battery-operated Honeywell thermostats. I am not a DIYer, but I installed the three myself, including attaching the C wire. I was lucky in that an unattached blue C wire existed and my control panel, next to the furnace, was C wire compatible. Installation of two of the three units was seamless and fast as were WiFi set-up and online registration, for which there is a “Thermostat ID Card” with each unit containing two sets of alphanumeric figures. The third had an ID card with incorrect figures. I sat on the phone on hold with tech support for a half hour, exactly the length of time predicted when I called. The tech support person was immediately responsive and resolved the issue within minutes. So far so good. As of now I’m quite happy with the purchase.

The overall unit is a nice size. The backlight color is appealing. Numbers and words are easy to read. The temperature setting numbers could be bigger. The room temperature number size is fine. Installation was done professionally. Here’s my complaint and why this thermostat did not get 5 stars. There is no detailed, complete User/Owner/Operator Manual included. And that’s just not with the unit in package, that includes online searches. Also, Residio customer service was not able to locate a manual for this model (RTH8560D) although they genuinely tried when I called them on the phone (that’s why they only got 3 stars). The unit did come with a quick installation and set-up guide. But that document does not take the consumer, step by step, through the process of programing the thermostat. It puzzles me why Honeywell, a respected and trusted name, would not include a manual with their product. Even on-line. I will continue to try and find one for this specific model. If I do, I will update this review (if possible). This model does not have Wi-Fi capability. I did not want Wi-Fi because I was told the power company could control the system through the thermostat and Wi-Fi units are often hacked into. So, I chose the safe route, if all that’s true. But I like this model for its size and easy-on-the-eyes backlighting. As installed, it operates our totally new HVAC system very well. I just don’t understand how Honeywell dropped the ball by not making a complete, detailed, user manual available, anywhere. We like the thermostat and recommend it if you’re considering an upgrade, just be aware that programing and a few other features are not explained in detail in the quick install/set-up guide. We’re on our own to figure that out for now. Oh, the price was fair too.

I replaced and existing Wi-fi Enabled Honeywell that never worked very well. Overall the Nest Thermostat it’s a very positive upgrade : better aesthetics , better UI and much better “smart” features meaning i am saving money right away.If you are a Google Home / Nest user then there is a lot of added value due to the automation and reporting features . The home and away detection using Google Home App works well to reduce usage while you are away from home. the daily reporting helps you estimate your bill. and the scenario-based scheduling gives you useful control over heating to balance comfort and usageThere are some failures though . the initial wire detection failed , i believe due to firmware issues . also my furnace has a semi automated fan, so the green wire detection failed while the timed fan was enabled . after 3 iterations the setup completed fine and the unit has been working great . Once active, my furnace now cycles less frequently which reduces noise in the housethe device UX is great but not intuitive for guests . yet another “one click does everything “ UI that takes time to understand . This could be good if you don’t want guests to fiddleFinally, the Google HOME UI is very clumsy for basic features like setting schedules and reading the temperature . the app has too many features and functions that get in the way of basic thermostat usage . I recommend commanding via google assistant or setting hold temperature via the Device UI. Once you set a schedule , you won’t be adjusting temps often so it’s a minor hindrance .Overall it’s a very positive purchase and with the rebate and cost savings you’ll save at least $100 in the first year . It’s a classy device —easily the best looking Thermostat on the market with the glossy mirrored finish and high contrast display .All in I highly recommend it with some reservations that will likely be cleaned up with software revisions . If you are eligible for a rebate or a heavy Google user, it’s an obvious upgrade to pursue

Defective, ordered another one to see if it is better.

Only when I adjust temp does it turn blue. Did I do something wrong? I bought this so I could see it at night. If this is how it works…let me know!

The original thermostat was a Honeywell with a C wire. I had done the research to ensure that the wiring was compatible – no 110/220 high voltage wiring, no separate strands. However the wizard after checking the boxes on wires found said it was incompatible. Feeling a bit frustrated having researched first. I read the inside of the Honeywell thermostat which had already been removed and wires attached to the Google nest, the inside read that C wire was not required if batteries were used. So I disconnected the C wire, wrapped it in electrical tape to keep it from making contact with anything and tucked it inside. Then returned to wizard and unchecked the C wire box. Wizard completed and it is now scheduled to start warming the house at 8am and lower temp starting at 9pm. Love being able to make micro adjustments using the app which clear once the next scheduled temp change kicks in.

I purchased this device for several reasons, mainly because my Google Nest stopped connecting to the WIFI. Now, normally I would just replace a device that stop working. However, this was the second Google Nest (only because the house already had one installed and it was so easy to pop on the other one), that had the same problem, and no matter how much troubleshooting I did they never connected back. The other reason I decided to go with an Amazon brand product was that my home is already having a vast majority of Amazon products (Ring cams, Ring doorbells, Astro, and Alexa) so when selecting the next device to add, was a no-brainer.INSTALLThis was a very straightforward process. Due to my home already being decided with a “C” wire. All I had to do was detach the Nest device and prepare the location for the Amazon device. Now, the only challenge I had with the installation was more on my house than the device. The location for my thermostat used a junction box for the wiring and harness. The Amazon device does not have a junction box adapter, so make sure you verify the location requirement. An easy fix to this was simply moving the housing unit on the Amazon device to the right (or left) where there was exposed drywall for me to mount.WIRINGHonestly, this was the easiest part. Now prior to buying the device I did read another post about not having wiring labels in the box, this was not the case, I did have label with my device. I would recommend before removing your old device, make sure you take a photo of the wiring and where they connect because it’s pretty much detached “red wire” from the “R” slot on the old device and connect “red wire” to “R” slot on the new device. This was the easier wiring I have done electrically. Now, please be advised that the “blue wire” does not connect to the “B” slot (there isn’t one). The “blue wire” is actually “cyan” and goes into the “C” slot. The other colors do align normally.CONNECTIVITYMake sure you already have the Alexa application already installed on your phone. If you do not, just go to the applicable store and download it. Once you have the application, simply go into the application, select devices, and add a new device. From there, the process is very straightforward. As I mentioned, make sure you take a picture of the wiring that you completed, to ensure during the setup process you can recall the color of the wires you connected.OVERALLThis process took me less than 15mins to install and the bulk of this was figuring out how to mount without having a junction box harness. Once I got past that hurdle, it was a 5mins attachment, wiring, and connecting. I recommend this device for anyone that is looking to update their “smart thermostat.”

PROS: Comes in the mailCONS: IF THE MAIL IS LATE YOU WILL NOT HAVE HEAT (unless you are just replacing an older model then you’ll be fine)PRO: Has cooling functionsCON: Is not bullet proofPRO: Raccoons can’t use itCON: most likely orangutans could.PRO: my mother-in-law doesn’t visitCON: have to constantly be told by my father-in-law at what a ” beut she is” ( referring to the thermostat)