Wyze Thermostat
MSRP $74.00
“The Wyze Thermostat and optional Room Sensors make it easy to maintain your property warm and comfortable.”
Pros
- Reasonably priced cost
- Sensors feature an always-on display
- Easy-to-use and versatile smartphone app
Cons
- Installation is usually a pain
Wyze has quickly grow to be the go-to company for inexpensive, practical, smart home gadgets. That holds true for the Wyze Thermostat and its recent Wyze Room Sensors, which help keep your entire home comfortable with little upkeep required. No matter the scale of your property or feet running around it, this smart thermostat and its optional Sensors are greater than as much as the duty of keeping its temperature consistent.
The Wyze Thermostat does require a C-wire, although an included adapter permits you to upgrade nearly all existing setups. There are a number of quirks that may make it lower than perfect for some households, but most families will find heaps of value within the frugal Wyze Thermostat.
Sleek, functional design
When you’re upgrading from a decades-old thermostat, the Wyze Thermostat will feel futuristic as soon as you are taking it out of the box. Buttons are completely absent on all sides of the black, pill-shaped product, with only a small, motion-activated IPS display and a clickable temperature wheel on its front. It’s a slick-looking thermostat considering its price, and it feels rather more expensive than you’d expect.
Each unit also comes with an optional wall plate that might be used to cover unpainted areas out of your old thermostat, or in the event you’d identical to to offer it a more outstanding place in your wall.
The one downside to this sleek design is that much of the Wyze Thermostat’s functionality is paired with a smartphone app. Alternatively, you should use Alexa or Google voice controls to quickly change settings. Wyze does allow you to toggle through different options directly on the unit using the temperature wheel, even though it’s a bit cumbersome to fight through all its menus, and clicking the temperature wheel doesn’t feel as premium as the remaining of the product.
Powered by your smartphone
Jon Bitner / Digital Trends
Thankfully, the Wyze smartphone app gives you a staggering amount of control over your thermostat. It could actually actually be overwhelming to envision out all its features in a single sitting. The important screen is straightforward enough to navigate, because it shows the present temperature in your property together with what it’s set to. This screen can also be where you’ll be able to quickly activate or off your HVAC system — which is useful in the event you’re laying in bed and don’t need to rise up to activate your air conditioner.
The Wyze smartphone app features a nifty chart that tracks your usage.
At the underside of this important screen is the Controls menu. This permits you to switch between different States (Home, Away, or Sleep), Modes (Auto, Heat, Cool, Off), together with a number of other settings.
The Settings menu is where you’ll find the true functionality of your Wyze Thermostat. You may tell the thermostat whether you’re involved in Comfort or Savings. You may program different temperatures for various times of the day. You may even enable Auto Switch — which monitors your phone location to find out if it should follow your Home or Away settings.
When you’re inquisitive about your usage, there’s even a nifty chart that permits you to see what number of hours your HVAC is engaged each day. It’s relatively basic (offering a bar chart showing usage and nothing more), however it’s technique to monitor your energy consumption and helps pinpoint ways you’ll be able to decrease your bills.
Whether you really need to use all these functions is as much as you, however it’s great that such a budget product gives you that option. It’s even higher that they’re all only a click away, while the important features are front and center on the Wyze app.
Ease of installation depends upon your setup
Using the Wyze Thermostat is straightforward, but getting it installed is one other story. Proper installation requires the presence of a C-wire. In case your existing setup has one, congratulations — your recent thermostat might be up and running in minutes.
But in the event you’re unlucky, you’ll must install the included C-wire adapter. This implies heading over to your furnace, popping open the front panel, and wading through a sea of wires. It’s not necessarily difficult, however it does take a while. Wyze gives you all the things you wish for the installation, although you’ll need to allow a bit greater than the advisable 30-minutes. It also doesn’t hurt to have an assistant nearby to double-check your work (and for moral support).
After the C-wire is installed and also you’ve got the Wyze Thermostat mounted in your wall, it’ll run through a fast series of tests to confirm all the things was done properly.
The installation process is the important reason the Wyze Thermostat won’t be for everybody. When you don’t have a C-wire and also you’re not involved in rewiring your HVAC, you’ll must either call on an expert or consider alternatives that don’t require a C-wire. But putting up with an additional 20 minutes of fuss is a small price to pay for the thermostat’s inexpensive price tag and flexibility.
Improved by the Wyze Room Sensor?
Jon Bitner / Digital Trends
When you’re trying to get essentially the most out of your Wyze Thermostat, you’ll be able to pair it with as much as six Wyze Room Sensors. These are sold individually ($25 each or a bundle of three for $70) and help eliminate cold and warm spots throughout your property.
After placing them in key locations (I’d recommend at the least one in essentially the most used room on each floor), the Wyze Thermostat will essentially average these readings together to enhance its performance. They also can sense motion, giving priority to rooms which can be occupied.
I used to be capable of get my entire home to stabilize to the identical temperature, with just a number of degrees of wiggle room.
They sound great on paper, but I had mixed results through the initial phase of my testing. One sensor is placed up in my loft, while a second is downstairs in my living space together with a 3rd in my office. Some days I had readings that were only a number of degrees apart, while other days it’d be nearly seven degrees warmer up in my loft.
After a little bit of tinkering with my Wyze app settings, nevertheless, I used to be capable of get my entire home to stabilize around the identical temperature, with just a number of degrees of wiggle room. There are still days where some areas are warmer than others, but little doubt the Room Sensors help mitigate these warm spots — but I’d hesitate to say they’re entirely eliminated.
The Wyze Room Sensors definitely enhance the bottom performance of the Wyze Thermostat, and despite requiring some manual adjusting, I’d still recommend them to most users. They perform as much as their price tag, and although they’re not perfect, it’s helpful to see temperatures throughout the house at a look and help reduce hot spots.
Our take
The Wyze Thermostat and Wyze Room Sensors are a reasonable option for folk trying to upgrade their smart home. With sleek designs, friendly price tags, and admirable performance, only those with out a C-wire should think twice before making a purchase order.
How long will it last?
The Wyze Room Sensors can last for a shocking three years before needing to exchange the AAA batteries, and the product itself comes with a limited one-year warranty. The Wyze Thermostat also comes with a one-year warranty. Each products are solidly built and, unless something goes terribly unsuitable otherwise you ram into them while moving furniture, they need to last indefinitely.
Is there a greater alternative?
That depends upon the way you define “higher.” If higher means cheaper, then probably not. Few products on this price range can compete with the Wyze Thermostat, although the Amazon Smart Thermostat is definitely value a better look. If higher means more features and easier installation, then perhaps. You’ll want to take a look at our greatest smart thermostat roundup, which incorporates the Google Nest Thermostat, Ecobee SmartThermostat, and more.
Do you have to buy it
Yes. The one individuals who might need some hesitations are those with out a C-wire and who don’t need to fiddle with rewiring their HVAC system. But in the event you’re willing to undergo the installation process (or in the event you have already got a compatible setup), the affordability and functionality of the Wyze Thermostat are impressive. If you will have a number of extra bucks to spare, syncing it with a number of Wyze Room Sensors only makes things more enticing.
Editors’ Recommendations
