I need some info about smart thermostats

[Captante]

I refuse to have a speaker in my house that is always listening to everything. But I don't mind a thermostat that will set my temp to an eco mode when I leave the house in case I forget to change it myself.

I see both sides of the argument don't get me wrong. Personally however I'll stick with the internet connection from all of my devices (except phone) being PHYSICALLY disconnected unless I'm actively using them.

It's just that having been directly or indirectly in IT security for approaching 30 years now I've seen it all *A LOT. Point being very little surprises me anymore even the "impossible" stuff.

*(phew glad I caught that ... I would have been ransom-wared out of existence within minutes for talking $hit per Murphy's law of malware)

 

[MtnMan]

As part of my job, my first involvement in network security pre-dates the internet. Even in the Netware 3.1, and Windows NT days I was installing security software on customers servers.

After retiring from that, I then taught college level networking and network security starting in 2000.

Needless to say, there will be no smart thermostat, Amazon Echo, or whatever in my house. Yes I'm on the internet, but no social media, and my router is running multiple protection from a firewall to Threat Prevention software.

 

[Captante]

Hacker reveals smart meters are spilling secrets about the Texas snowstorm


And even better! (just for example)

It's the details you fail to consider which usually lead to being pwned.

 

[MrSquished]

My free entry level nest arrived yesterday. Installed it last night with the optional trim accessory. Easy install and works with my 4 wire system. Tied it to Google Home and the app is fine. Will see how it does picking up when I leave home and when I'm getting close to returning home.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

My free entry level nest arrived yesterday. Installed it last night with the optional trim accessory. Easy install and works with my 4 wire system. Tied it to Google Home and the app is fine. Will see how it does picking up when I leave home and when I'm getting close to returning home.

Yeah I liked my nest. App is just right the way it is set up & control. Displays just the right amount of stuff. Looked retro cool in our 1960 home. Sadly it did not talk right to our Bosch heat pump, can’t really say what was wrong but small problems became big problems and service guy after service guy said nests can be peculiar about what equipment they work with. I suspect this is due to them having to enroll and pass a test to become a certified “nest pro” but I don’t blame them for not wanting to pay google for a certification for one device.
Changed over to an ecobee. Nearly one year and no problems so far.
Things I liked about the nest:

Style, nest looks far more attractive than the ecobee imo
nests dial is a much more natural way to use a thermostat. The touch screen on the ecobee brings nothing to the table, plus many are plastic screens.
nest app is fantastic see above

Things I like about the ecobee:
Talks to my equipment seamlessly
Monthly reporting is formatted better than nest plus gives more info
I do like the mini weather forecast on the screen, don’t look at it often but I enjoy having it
Features aren’t as buried as they are with the nest not that important but when you have a dual fuel system it is good to have these available

Stuff I am not sure of:
Home automation. I don’t like the idea of smart hubs at all. If I were to do it I’d probably go amazon as opposed to google.

 

[MrSquished]

Yeah I liked my nest. App is just right the way it is set up & control. Displays just the right amount of stuff. Looked retro cool in our 1960 home. Sadly it did not talk right to our Bosch heat pump, can’t really say what was wrong but small problems became big problems and service guy after service guy said nests can be peculiar about what equipment they work with. I suspect this is due to them having to enroll and pass a test to become a certified “nest pro” but I don’t blame them for not wanting to pay google for a certification for one device.
Changed over to an ecobee. Nearly one year and no problems so far.
Things I liked about the nest:

Style, nest looks far more attractive than the ecobee imo
nests dial is a much more natural way to use a thermostat. The touch screen on the ecobee brings nothing to the table, plus many are plastic screens.
nest app is fantastic see above

Things I like about the ecobee:
Talks to my equipment seamlessly
Monthly reporting is formatted better than nest plus gives more info
I do like the mini weather forecast on the screen, don’t look at it often but I enjoy having it
Features aren’t as buried as they are with the nest not that important but when you have a dual fuel system it is good to have these available

Stuff I am not sure of:
Home automation. I don’t like the idea of smart hubs at all. If I were to do it I’d probably go amazon as opposed to google.

I think you had the nicer nest, with the ring that turns, etc.. This is the $100 nest, the screen is mirrored and has no touch interface, the right side of the unit has a touch interface that is ok for changing the temp, a bit clunky for anything else, but workable. Best to use the app. Your nest was probably the $249 one

So far this thing does what I want it to do. I have no schedules set up because my schedule is all over the damn place being a freelancer and add in social outings, so it's random. I want this thing to go into eco mode when I leave the area, and go into comfort mode when I am getting near home again. So far so good. It's very simple on the app to see how long the HVAC ran for each hour per day, so I can see when I leave it does its job.

For just about free, this is a fantastic deal. The nicer nest, at $99 after rebate, also sounds great.

 

[Indus]

Necroing this thread..

Has nest thermostat been good for most people now or it's still buggy?

Is honeywell still better and hasslefree in comparison?

 

[Brainonska511]

I have had an Ecobee Lite with 2 sensors for a bit over 3 years in my apartment. It's been great for controlling heat and central air.

Can't say anything about the Nest.

 

[bbhaag]

Necroing this thread..

Has nest thermostat been good for most people now or it's still buggy?

Is honeywell still better and hasslefree in comparison?

I'm rocking a gen2 Nest from 6 years ago and so far no problems. App from my phone is solid and logging in from a PC is good to.

I think a lot of the early problems were from people not having a fifth wire(24v common)to power the Nest and recharge the battery as needed.

 

[K1052]

On a Honeywell T6 Pro right now because it's basically the only thing this system likes. Their app sucks but it's HomeKit integrated so don't really use it anyway.

 

[MrSquished]

I have a nest with two sensors. It has been 98% great so far. There have been a few times where presence sensing did not work and kept the hvac running when I was not home. But it's been rare.

I've heard good things about ecobee - but since I use Google Home, I stuck with nest. But Google has to get their shit together with google home and make it more seamless and powerful - however, for a doorbell, lights, and a nest temp control in my sized place it's all good and works very well.

My local utility had over $100 instant rebate off the newer Nest earlier this year or last. They always have deals like that going. Check your provider.

also, I don't have a fifth wire, but it all works great. including just straight up fan control.

 

[Indus]

I have a nest with two sensors. It has been 98% great so far. There have been a few times where presence sensing did not work and kept the hvac running when I was not home. But it's been rare.

I've heard good things about ecobee - but since I use Google Home, I stuck with nest. But Google has to get their shit together with google home and make it more seamless and powerful - however, for a doorbell, lights, and a nest temp control in my sized place it's all good and works very well.

My local utility had over $100 instant rebate off the newer Nest earlier this year or last. They always have deals like that going. Check your provider.

also, I don't have a fifth wire, but it all works great. including just straight up fan control.

I just have 2 wires and was looking at this one:

Google Nest Smart Thermostat, Snow - GA01334-US for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Google Nest Smart Thermostat, Snow - GA01334-US at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I just have 2 wires and was looking at this one:

Google Nest Smart Thermostat, Snow - GA01334-US for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Google Nest Smart Thermostat, Snow - GA01334-US at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

email the ecobee folks, they give good concise answers.
I felt the google folks gave me preachy not so helpful answers.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I just have 2 wires and was looking at this one:

Google Nest Smart Thermostat, Snow - GA01334-US for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Google Nest Smart Thermostat, Snow - GA01334-US at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Long story short, get a common wire connected if at all possible

 

[Red Squirrel]

Funny to see this thread again, that DIY system I posted is over 10 years old now, where has time gone. It was actually suppose to be a temp solution until I do something more modular and cleaner and well that never happened.

One option with only 2 wires could be to put a sensor at the end of those two wires, then the thermostat itself can be at the furnace room. Not ideal, but it could work in a pinch if running more wire is too hard.