Amazon Smart Thermostat – Save money and energy - Works with Alexa and Ring - C-wire required

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.

This took less than 5 minutes to set up and get into my routines. Checking the compatability prior made the hassel of this, non-existent since I had an older Honeywell thermostat, So all i really had to do was snap on the new face. Extremely pleased with the auto feature that keeps my temps within my comfort zone. It's not too big, low profile, pretty accurate, and immediately started to work. I also like the brightness feature as my last was blaring at night. Very happy with my upgrade. Thanks.

Replaced my old Honeywell thermostat with this smart device. My old thermostat was tested to be not accurate in sensing the current temperature and usually triggers start/stop of my furnace or AC at +/- 2 degrees of current room temperature. This amazon smart thermostat may not be as smart as others on the market (such as Nest, EcoBee, etc) but it does the job well, easy to control from your phone thru Alexa app and it does not break your bank with a reasonable price. Btw, my local utility PG&E company is giving me a rebate making this purchase completely free. My house does not have a 5-wire cable connection from my furnace/AC to the control location in the hallway. Instead of ripping it out to put in a new 5-wire cable and all the extra work of patching up the walls etc, I decided to install it with the G (green) wire to be the C (central) wire and short connect the G (green) and Y (yellow) terminals at the control board of the furnace system. You may search for this method on Youtube as there are lots of video clips showing this method. CAUTION: Note that you must be comfortable working with the wires at the furnace system control board, and make sure that you switch off electricity at your main control circuit panel to avoid damaging your furnace/AC system components. If you are not comfortable, you can hire a professional to do the job for you. Installing the thermostat over the existing location is quite easy and straightforward. The package provides everything (a face plate, the screws and anchors, mounting bracket). You will need a drill to properly put in the anchors for the whole assembly. The wire connection to the assembly is made easy using the connectors spring clips (instead of the old screw methods of connection). The amazon web link for the installation will walk you thru all the steps, connecting it to your home wifi, and testing it out the furnace/AC system once done. Connecting the thermostat to the Alexa app on your phone is simple as it is quickly detected once your thermostat is connected with your home wifi. But navigating the Alexa phone app can be quite intimidating since there are so much more option and setting to set up. This is due to Alexa being a hub to allow control of many other smart devices that may exist at your home, such as smart outlets, smart bulbs, etc. I only give 4 stars to this device since it only allows 3 setting profiles: Away, Home and Sleep. For most usage, 3 would be satisfactory but I need more than 3. As this is a software function, it can certainly accommodate your individual creation of your own profile with your chosen name and integrate them all into the control of your furnace/AC system. Other than this little inconvenience, I am happy with the product and would highly recommend it.

Integrates perfectly with the rest of my Echo devices. It is so convenient to control the thermostat with voice commands. Programming is very easy and multiple times and temperatures can be set throughout the day. Installation was very easy and the box looks modern.

I’ve done a few small electrical projects as a 31F and this was by far the easiest. The instructions are pretty clear. I wish the faceplate guidance and optional usage was a little more clear. However, the install went great. We replaced our old Honeywell and this wiring matched up perfect. The app was responsive and quick set up. It looks great on our wall and much more modern. 10/10.

-- Update -> 10/23/2023 Amazon reached out asking for feedback... hopefully somethings will be improved in a future software update: 1) Buggy nature of getting stuck in a mode - potentially due to preferring to adopt the current settings whenever the settings are changed via the app (i.e. heat and fan was on when i saved the settings, so now the fan and heat becomes always on) 2) Fan stopping for a second and then starting back up (probably when transitioning between heat and circulate air) 3) Alexa app being really busy - all i want to do is use my thermostat 4) Inability to control how long or how often circulate air kicks on 5) Easily see the hours on the filter --- Currently it works but not all that impressed, i should have gotten something 'better'. The old thermostat liked 30 seconds heat/cool cycles... so i figured i'd get a 'smart' thermostat... During the first day, I've ran into the fan being stuck on (fixed by going to the alexa app and cycling through all of the options and leaving it on air circulate) and heat being stuck on (fixed by going to the alexa app and turning it off and then back on). We now use the same temperature settings all day and night so maybe that helps. We do have some hotter and colder spots in the house so the air circulate option (runs 15 minutes or so an hour, every hour) helps a lot. But read what other folks are posting, this device is not 'smart' enough... my dumb 2001 thermostat didnt stop the blower fan and then turn it back on after a half second pause... but that seems to be the only thing it seems to be getting wrong now. It just did it again... i think its switching between heat and air circulate modes and does so by turning everything off and then back on (@Amazon - can we get a bug fix please?) Installation is easy enough, really nice to turn the temperature via the App whilst still in bed... talking of the app, wow, all i want to do is control the temperature buts buried along with a turn of other stuff i dont want to see. Now if i can figure out how many hours the current filter has so i know when to replaced it then maybe its worth another half a star....

1000% REQUIRES A "C" WIRE if you are upgrading from a Nest or other thermostat that did not need one. Straight forward installation. A socket labeled "G" is above the "C" to plug in the continuous 24Volt power so be careful that you do not confuse them because plugging the 24Volt wire into the "G" socket will not make the thermostat work; it won’t harm it but it won’t work until you corrected. ~Yes, I committed this faux pas and no, the thermostat did not work until I fixed this after taking a closer look, when I thought that my idea of a 50-50% shot on two labeled "C" sockets did not make sense design-wise as I do not believe there is a good reason to daisy chain continuous power on the "C". This thermostat will blend into a white wall and is quite unobtrusive even if your wall isn't white. A large covering base plate is included if you like the look or have a lot of sins to cover up. It felt very solid on the wall and the setup, via the Alexa app was very clear and straight forward. Display is on the low powered side. Getting the socket out of the thermostat is a bit tough, but you can do it with a small bladed screw driver, or the tool that they provide. Integrates to Alexa Needs Alexa app to install it It works and provides smart and remote programming. Price point is 30% that of the Nest newer generation thermostats. Sub $80 USD vs $250+ USD

I installed several of these at my church to help control our multiple HVAC units. As such, my experience is not a typical home with 1-2 thermostats but rather wanting to control many units in unison. Also, I use Ring and was hoping that this product was designed with similar user experience in mind. Sadly, it was not. The initial install was rather quick and easy once I got the C-wire installed. However the issue is control and that where I found the limitations of this device. The manual controls are very limited which is actually better as we want people to just adjust the temperature and not get confused with all the settings something like an Ecobee or Nest would have. Smart presence control would not work in an organization environment as only a handful would have the app. First, there is no account sharing for different people to have access. Even if I were using this in a residential setting, it would be nice to share control of this device with other Amazon/Alexa accounts. For example, I have housemates that I don't share my Amazon account with but would be willing to share common area smart home devices. Coming from Ring, I was surprised that Alexa devices lack a similar sharing feature. Google Home has the ability to share devices with others in the household. Second, each thermostat has individual temperature preset and schedules. Thus the more devices, the more tedious it is to control. There is no option to group them to use the same schedule and/or settings. I understand in a home setting that different thermostats are usually different zones / floors. For a church or office use, grouping would be much more preferred as multiple HVAC units be for one large room. There might be some need for groups like office vs. chapel space. Furthermore, it is possible a large home may have multiple units for a single floor so some grouping would still be a benefit in residential setups. Third, I would like timer functions. For example, I've had Hive and basic Nest thermostat and each had someway to heat/cool/fan for a set duration. This is very useful for users with well insulated homes who want to run it a limited time. There is a fan schedule in the app for auto/on/intermittent but it's nice to set the fan to run for a few hours or for temperature. I think it possible to make a routine but that feels like tedious for something simple. Fourth, it seems in the past that Alexa had a feature called Guard that allowed for security system integration beyond normal skills. Per a Q&A from another user, it would have allowed Ring Alarm status to update Alexa Guard status which also updates the thermostats. So when someone disarms the system, the thermostats go into Home temperature preset and if they arm it goes into Away. This would have been especially useful in an organization like a church. However, it is now gone and Alexa has a replacement paid feature called Emergency Assist that does not seem to have security system integration. Fifth, Alexa devices including this thermostat can be linked to the Ring app. However, the controls are very limited - just mode (auto/heat/cool/off) and temperature. Furthermore, it cannot be shared to other Ring users as native Ring devices can be. Sixth, the actions that Alexa can do with thermostat are limited to set target temperature, adjust brightness, and control fan. It does not have selecting modes or temperature preset as an action. I found that Alexa voice/custom commands can control modes but not temperature preset. Combining with Ring skill to trigger arm/disarm, I could partially replicate the missing Alexa Guard control of thermostats. However, it takes time to setup and requires an Echo device as Alexa custom commands seem to require it to speak a confirmation. Also, it can only target a temperature and not a temperature preset range. I plan to try out an Echo Show device to see how the smart home integration is and will update when I get a better feel. Final score is: -1 for lack of sharing access / user accounts. -0.5 for lack of grouping / zones. -0.5 for lack of timer functions. -1 for loss of prior existing integration with security setting that needs a workaround. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: 3/2025 At some point in the past year, there has been a minor improvement in smart home controls via the Alexa app. I only noticed a few weeks ago when making adjustments in the Alexa routines to control temperature. There is now the option to set the mode and temperature range (for auto) directly instead of using voice commands as a workaround. But still not temperature presets which are only for schedule.