Honeywell Announces 'Lyric Round' Smart Thermostat With HomeKit Integration

[pgwalsh]

While it seems like a cool device, I have 12 thermostats in my house and it would be rather expensive to outfit my home with them. I don't know if they can control multiple area's, but if not, a bit pointless. Plus most of these don't work well with radiant heat systems.

 

[Dunk the Lunk]

I also have two Nest thermostats and the Nest Protect, but I'm very disappointed in the lack of iOS support: they still don't support Notification Today Widgets and Apple Watch. Their app is over 100MB and hangs frequently, and the latest firmware updates introduced several annoying bugs. So, as far as innovation goes, Nest is falling behind rapidly.

The Nest App is like 57mb.

 

[britabroad]

Another pointless overpriced piece of junk. Please no more connected home devices!

Literally you would have to optimise your energy usage with this thing for 100+years just to get your $250 back!

I see no point to these smart thermostat devices they make my blood boil to think of the wasted time making and using these pointless things has cost everyone.

Please if you want one just think for one second about how it could possibly benefit you and reconsider.

These are almost as bad as app controlled lights, i mean if you can reach a switch quicker than opening an app on your phone you need your head checked.

rant over.

They're not just about energy optimization. I travel a lot with work, live on my own, and love the ability to turn on my heating or ac before I get home. I saved just under $150 in the first year I owned my connected thermostat as I don't have to leave my system on while I'm away to return home to a comfortable environment. So.... that's the point.

 

[Dunk the Lunk]

Another pointless overpriced piece of junk. Please no more connected home devices!

Literally you would have to optimise your energy usage with this thing for 100+years just to get your $250 back!

I see no point to these smart thermostat devices they make my blood boil to think of the wasted time making and using these pointless things has cost everyone.

Please if you want one just think for one second about how it could possibly benefit you and reconsider.

These are almost as bad as app controlled lights, i mean if you can reach a switch quicker than opening an app on your phone you need your head checked.

rant over.

The point is with HomeKit you can just ask Siri to turn things on/off or set a temperature

 

[snebes]

While it seems like a cool device, I have 12 thermostats in my house and it would be rather expensive to outfit my home with them. I don't know if they can control multiple area's, but if not, a bit pointless. Plus most of these don't work well with radiant heat systems.

12? That seems.... excessive. Do you have a large house that needs that many zones? Or is this some non-standard HVAC system?

 

[Peepo]

My Nest had problems over weekend (after owning for 2 years) with complaining it cannot connect to wifi because battery is low. I tried resetting, hooking up to micro-sd charger for few hours and it would still die. I went and picked up an EcoBee 3 and although not built as solid as the Nest, it is a superior thermostat in terms of HomeKit integration, User Interface, has Apple Watch app, and is not owned by Google.

Seeing how other companies like Honeywell are now supporting HomeKit, makes Nest look even more pathetic.

 

[TheKrs1]

Another pointless overpriced piece of junk. Please no more connected home devices!

Literally you would have to optimise your energy usage with this thing for 100+years just to get your $250 back!

I see no point to these smart thermostat devices they make my blood boil to think of the wasted time making and using these pointless things has cost everyone.

Please if you want one just think for one second about how it could possibly benefit you and reconsider.

These are almost as bad as app controlled lights, i mean if you can reach a switch quicker than opening an app on your phone you need your head checked.

rant over.

Sure, if you only see yourself using these products like you use an existing product there isn't much benefit. However, your mindset can change once you have a good setup.

For example, all of my outdoor lights are on app controlled switches. Now, if the sun is currently set and either my wife or I arrive at home (proximity detected through smart phone location), the lights automatically unlock. (Well actually, my garage door opens and both man doors (garage and back of house unlock). It makes life so much easier for when I've got my hands full with other things. Plus, I have the added security that these devices shut off or lock when I am not home. Etc.

 

[FelixDerKater]

So, we've progressed from round to rectangular and back to round. Nothing new to see.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Honeywell is just flexing their muscle on this. Nest isn't as good.

Honeywell is trying to catch up to Nest, their last Lyric thermostat was a horrible flop and riddled with problems. Nest was seriously slowed down by the Google purchase, Lyric was competing with a thermostat over 2 years older than it and still lost. There's no muscle flexing, just a giant ship that is finally leaving the harbor while the speedboats are doing laps around it.

 

[centauratlas]

It seems on our network that the devices connecting via WiFi are much more reliable than the ones connecting via BT.

Nice to see!

 

[vipergts2207]

This is the thermostat I've been waiting for! I work swing shift and need something that uses geofencing to control when the system is off or on. Something like Nest would probably never be able to learn my schedule. Does anyone know if the old Lyric lets you set a min/max temp for when it's in away mode. I have pets and would need there to be limits on how low/high temps would go in cases of extreme heat or cold. If I have to control that stuff manually, then it pretty much defeats the entire purpose of this thermostat.

 

[Boomish69]

Well not sure I understand some of the anti Nest comments I've had a Nest a few years here in the UK and it's been fantastic, we had a super complicated remote from Valient and replaced with the Nest , what a difference.
The IOS app works fine , I've never had any bugs or crashes & not been bothered by not having home kit. It's simple & works, Apple should have bought them!

 

[james2538]

I have to admit, most if not all, of the appeal of a smart thermostat is just the coolness factor.

I'd love to buy something to replace the large rectangular hearing-aid-colored plastic box on my wall. But the price point for something as simple as I need - connect switch when temp falls to "x," with perhaps a few more bells & whistles, would need to be much lower - perhaps under $100.

big market waiting for someone I think...

Check with your energy provider. My electric provider, Georgia Power, offers up to a $100 rebate on programable thermostats. If you sign up with their "Smart Rate" plan, which varies the rate depending on time of day they'll even give you a Nest for free.

 

[Frawley]

Another pointless overpriced piece of junk. Please no more connected home devices!

Literally you would have to optimise your energy usage with this thing for 100+years just to get your $250 back!

I see no point to these smart thermostat devices they make my blood boil to think of the wasted time making and using these pointless things has cost everyone.

Please if you want one just think for one second about how it could possibly benefit you and reconsider.

These are almost as bad as app controlled lights, i mean if you can reach a switch quicker than opening an app on your phone you need your head checked.

rant over.

No. You are out to lunch. Having the ability to turn on your heat without getting out of bed is wonderful. Having the ability to turn on the heat 10 minutes before you get home is also great. Sorry to burst your bubble.

 

[james2538]

Another pointless overpriced piece of junk. Please no more connected home devices!

Literally you would have to optimise your energy usage with this thing for 100+years just to get your $250 back!

I see no point to these smart thermostat devices they make my blood boil to think of the wasted time making and using these pointless things has cost everyone.

Please if you want one just think for one second about how it could possibly benefit you and reconsider.

These are almost as bad as app controlled lights, i mean if you can reach a switch quicker than opening an app on your phone you need your head checked.

rant over.

I have the first generation version of this model and it's actually more usable than a regular old programable thermostat. Besides being able to control it via an app, the geofencing comes in handy for those of us with an unpredictable schedule.

[doublepost=1451951002,1451950789][/doublepost]It's kind of upsetting that they can't retroactively add HomeKit ability to the first generation Lyric. I bought the Honeywell over the Nest since they were an original HomeKit partner. Oh well, guess thats the price for being an early adopter.

 

[cerote]

I was just in shopping for new thermostat mode today. My nest has been all sorts of off the past few months.

Now it is down to this and the ecobee.
[doublepost=1451951902,1451951674][/doublepost]So if anyone has the Ecobee 3 should I go with that or this one? I'm coming from Gen 2 of Nest.

 

[Terrinb]

Shucks . I just bought myself the Ecobee3 for Christmas, which works really well. I might have given this a look though had it been released before the holidays.

I didn't go for the first generation Lyric because 1) it wasn't home kit enabled, and 2) the first generation didn't have the best reviews compared to other Honeywell products. I do like the visual design of the Lyric though slightly better than the Ecobee3. Specifically, I like the Lyric being white as opposed to black. I think white tends to go with more home interiors then black, but it is a minor thing, since there is a lot of black in my kitchen.

For me the remote sensors really make the difference for the Ecobee3 over the Lyric and Nest. The Ecobee3 was also packaged really well, with very good instructions. Similar to Apple products. My experience with other Honeywell products is the packaging and instructions are OK.
[doublepost=1451952377,1451952298][/doublepost]

Still prefer EcoBee. Those guys are on top of it with Apple's ecosystem. HomeKit, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch support for months now.

I just installed mine last week. I'm vey impressed. Very cool device with excellent Apple support. I do wish they had a white option though.
[doublepost=1451953355][/doublepost]

Really? The US company that offers hundreds or products and services across dozens of industries, which has over $40billion in revenue and employs 127,000 people (a small city by some standards), is a patent troll?? In your mind, is it possible to protect one's invention and not be a patent troll?

People have lost the meaning of what it means to be a patent troll. Honeywell is a practicing entity that actually does research, hires thousands of people, and sells hundreds of products.

A patent troll is generally a person or company, generally a non-practicing entity, that lies in wait quietly as another company arguably becomes successful using one of the trolls usually weak patents. Then the troll comes out of the dark, and threatens the company's success unless it pays a toll. Just like the fantasy trolls of lore. Honeywell did not lay around quietly after Nest released its thermostat waiting for Nest's success. It sued almost immediately. Honeywell is certainly not a patent troll.

Honeywell, however, may be an example of a company that uses patents to stall innovation to protect its marketshare. While morally suspect, it is not an example of a patent troll.

 

[mainstreetmark]

If we mention that, we'll have to mention what the Nest looks like.

And if you mention that, you have to mention what Honeywell looked like before the Nest shakeup:

Obviously, Nest takes cues from the legacy of thermostat dials, but the "smart thermostat" industry had not, until Nest.

 

[Terrinb]

I was just in shopping for new thermostat mode today. My nest has been all sorts of off the past few months.

Now it is down to this and the ecobee.
[doublepost=1451951902,1451951674][/doublepost]So if anyone has the Ecobee 3 should I go with that or this one? I'm coming from Gen 2 of Nest.

I've had my Ecobee for almost two weeks. I really like it. First, it is very well integrated with Apple's products. Second, the remote sensors give it a big advantage over the Nest. The sensors allow the Ecobee to know when the house is being used [e.g. so it can shut the unit off if nobody is at home], and know the temperature of various parts of your home. Third, the Nest is focused on learning your habits, which takes time and can be off. The Ecobee has better user control.
[doublepost=1451954304][/doublepost]

And if you mention that, you have to mention what Honeywell looked like before the Nest shakeup:

Obviously, Nest takes cues from the legacy of thermostat dials, but the "smart thermostat" industry had not, until Nest.

Not sure why you say that. The Honeywell thermostat was released well after the Nest. Honeywell also still offers this thermostat. In some ways it is better than the Nest [and the Lyric], allowing you to customize the screen, and providing the user more information. It is also cheaper.
[doublepost=1451954420][/doublepost]

Well not sure I understand some of the anti Nest comments I've had a Nest a few years here in the UK and it's been fantastic, we had a super complicated remote from Valient and replaced with the Nest , what a difference.
The IOS app works fine , I've never had any bugs or crashes & not been bothered by not having home kit. It's simple & works, Apple should have bought them!

I'm not bashing Nest, I just think the competition has caught up and surpassed the Nest.

 

[Zirel]

With such great looking thermostats, it's a shame that my house doesn't need central heating.

 

[TXCherokee]

Still prefer EcoBee. Those guys are on top of it with Apple's ecosystem. HomeKit, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch support for months now.

Very happy with most aspects of my Ecobee3.

Agree - I installed an ecobee and it's great.

True that. I highly recommend the Ecobee 3 with Homekit support.

Agreed. I highly recommend the Ecobee 3 with Homekit support.

Then maybe one of you can answer this, because their customer support sure couldn't. I have a two story home. Two thermostats, one on each floor. However, I have just one HVAC unit that is controlled by those thermostats. Can I use just one Ecobee with multiple sensors or do I need two thermostats?

 

[appledefenceforce]

Another pointless overpriced piece of junk. Please no more connected home devices!

Literally you would have to optimise your energy usage with this thing for 100+years just to get your $250 back!

I see no point to these smart thermostat devices they make my blood boil to think of the wasted time making and using these pointless things has cost everyone.

Please if you want one just think for one second about how it could possibly benefit you and reconsider.

These are almost as bad as app controlled lights, i mean if you can reach a switch quicker than opening an app on your phone you need your head checked.

rant over.

Why buy a smartphone when you can reach for your flip hone and your desktop?

 

[techwhiz]

So, we've progressed from round to rectangular and back to round. Nothing new to see.

That's what I say; yawn.
Mine is programmable and cost under $30. It has a single AA battery and works just fine.
These devices seem like a solution looking for a problem.

If it's that cold in my house I can get up and turn on the furnace.
But then, I have a furnace that was made in the 1960's or 1970's that had no computer control and uses thermistors, etc.
Wonderfully low tech and works great.

Yeah, this from a guy that designs technology.
Sometimes technology is more trouble than it's worth when a good low tech solution is viable.

 

[macs4nw]

So are we pretending this doesnt look just like the nest? It's not even mentioned.

Yeah, it is round.....

 

[BuffaloTF]

Then maybe one of you can answer this, because their customer support sure couldn't. I have a two story home. Two thermostats, one on each floor. However, I have just one HVAC unit that is controlled by those thermostats. Can I use just one Ecobee with multiple sensors or do I need two thermostats?

1 thermostat. And I think there's now 3 pack in sensors. Each sensor connects directly to the stat (you don't need to use all of them). And each sensor can have a target temperature set for it. For example, if you have a baby and you want that room to be 70 degrees, and to hell with the rest of the house, you can make the ecobee respect that, whether that means the temperature is 60 or 80 where the actual thermostat resides.