recommend smart thermostat or smart home system best for iphone?

[Italianblend]

We just moved into a new house and I'm going to install a wifi thermostat for our iphones to control, but I was wondering if there is a recommended system we can use to also control lights, etc? I have no experience with this so any recommendations would be helpful. Thanks

 

[bkrbyndr]

For light system I’d recommend to you Philips hue !! I have at home in every light I’m really happy !

 

[kilcher]

I have the ecobee3 thermostat and love it.

 

[Italianblend]

has anyone used iDevices? https://www.amazon.com/iDevices-The...508338525&sr=8-1&keywords=idevices+thermostat

 

[Ant2369]

100% ecobee3. It works wonderfully with HomeKit. I have been more than satisfied with it.

For lights I personally went with the Caseta set up as it allows me to install the dimmers and switches where I want and use my own LED bulbs. For the areas on my house (home theater with 10 recessed lights and basement bar area with another 10) to use 3 switches(2 in HT and 1 in bad) at 59.99 each and my own bulbs vs the hue bulbs at 15-20 a piece was more cost effective. Both are excellent systems.

 

[Luminor24]

We just moved into a new house and I'm going to install a wifi thermostat for our iphones to control, but I was wondering if there is a recommended system we can use to also control lights, etc? I have no experience with this so any recommendations would be helpful. Thanks

I have a Nest thermostat and it works flawlessly with my iPhone/iPad. The app is well designed and makes it easy to monitor control the A/C system.

 

[MacWorks916]

Nest works great and is easy to install.

 

[vipergts2207]

Ecobee is among the best, if not the best, HomeKit compatible thermostat. Personally, I think that iDevices one is ugly as sin as well.

 

[rhett7660]

I use the Ecobee 3 along with Lutron Caseta for my lighting.

 

[Italianblend]

I have a Nest thermostat and it works flawlessly with my iPhone/iPad. The app is well designed and makes it easy to monitor control the A/C system.

Can you use the Home app for this or do you have to use Nest's app?

 

[Kg4zlb]

I use the Ecobee 3 Lite and would highly recommend it - their Customer Service is really good and it was a breeze to set up. Also its HomeKit compatible which I find invaluable.

 

[MistrSynistr]

The best one is Ecobee (3 or 4 if you want Alexa on it.)

It also has the best design and the best features.

I have it.

 

[Ant2369]

Can you use the Home app for this or do you have to use Nest's app?

You have to use the Nest app as it is not HomeKit compatible

 

[cynics]

I have the Ecobee3 Lite I picked up from Home Depot recently for ~170. The main difference between the Ecobee3 and Ecobee3 Lite is they Lite does not include occupancy/temperature remote sensors. Depending on your house these sensors can be beneficial because they can be set to cool/heat based on the sensors location and temp (ex. a room that is warmer with a sensor can be set to cause the unit to run the A/C longer trying to prioritize that room). The sensor can be added to the Ecobee3 Lite but need to be purchased separately. I didn't need nor want them so the Ecobee3 Lite was a no brainer.



I would have preferred the nest because of its solid construction. Plus it can be purchased with a brushed bronze ring which would have matched my ceiling lights and such. However no HomeKit was a deal breaker.

Only thing I didn't like about the Ecobee was the non standard mounting. Years ago Honeywell somewhat forced a standard mounting with screw holes ~3-4" apart horizontally. Other manufacturers adapted that. While the Ecobee includes a wall vanity plate to cover holes and mismatch paint it looks like crap. So not only did I have to paint (not a big deal) I had to fill the holes left by the previous half dozen thermostats.

As far as lighting goes I recommend Philips Hue or Lifx for lamps without switches and Leviton or Lutron smart switches/dimmers for lights with switches/dimmers. Personally I prefer to control lights at the source (switch/dimmer) that way other people in the house or guest don't need to figure out how the lights work.

iHome plug is a easy way to make a plug "smart" as well. It just plugs into an outlet and then you plug devices into that.

All that stuff above is HomeKit compatible.

The benefit of being HomeKit compatible is you keep all these accessories in one place, the Home app.



Being baked into iOS makes it work very reliably. Although I would recommend doing your research, HomeKit is not by any means the end all be all of home automation, not by a long shot. However for a modest home automation setup its pretty nice and very convenient.

 

[pesos]

Ecobee for sure (Nest is not homekit compatible). Having the extra sensors is very handy unless you have a 1 bedroom apartment.

Hue works great for lights.

 

[chiefsilverback]

Another vote for Ecobee 3 for heating. For lighting I've gone with the Leviton Decora HomeKit switches and dimmers. They look nice, they work well and they blend in nicely with non-smart decora switches and sockets. The only 'downside' with their remote switch solution is hardwired and therefore doesn't give you the flexibility that Lutron Caseta does for installing a remote switch anywhere you want.

 

[Julien]

Had both Nest and now Ecobee3. Prefer the Ecobee3 plus it is HomeKit and he Nest isn't.

 

[tgara]

I would not be too hung up on working only with HomeKit. There are a lot of alternatives out there, so I would suggest you do some research and figure out which automation system meets your needs first before diving in. I recently added a lot of home automation pieces to my house over the summer, so I'll share my experience.

I started by replacing two aging Honeywell thermostats with new units. I considered the Ecobee because it works with HomeKit. However, they do not support variable speed air handlers and are a bit dicey with whole house steam humidifiers, both of which I have in my HVAC system. So the Ecobees were out. I ended up going with Trane XL850 units, which work with my existing Trane HVAC gear seamlessly and are wifi enabled to work on the Nexia system. In addition to controlling the HVAC remotely, I get local weather and alerts via the internet right on the screen, and I can link into my HVAC service technician's network for diagnostics if he needs that.

Nexia is great, btw. They have an iOS app with voice control so you can use it with voice commands, as well as Geofencing. Nexia supports Z-Wave devices, and there are plenty of those. The Trane thermostats act as hubs for all the other devices. After the thermostats were installed, I added two garage door openers.

Regarding lights, my advice is to NOT use Hue lights in any light with a wall mounted switch like a ceiling light or an outdoor fixture. They may be fine in table lamps, but for wall or ceiling lights, they are a terrible solution IMHO because you have to keep the wall switch in the ON position in order to activate the Hue bulb. Instead, I recommend adding wifi switches to replace the regular wall switches that activate the lights. Leviton, Lutron, GE, and a few others make these, and you can get them at Home Depot or Lowes. Once installed, just add them to your wifi network.

I also added a couple of wifi enabled wall receptacles. The one I like best is outside near my front door, where I can plug in holiday lights and not have to use a separate timer. Yep, just add it to the wifi network and program it however you like. Now, the trick with this one was that in my town's building code, outside plugs need to be GFCI due to possible water hazard on outdoor plugs. However, there are no GFCI wifi receptacles. I searched and could not find any. So instead, I had my electrician install a GFCI breaker on that circuit, which meets code.

I next added a Kwikset motorized deadbolt to my garage door, and a sensor strip to our patio slider door. Now I can open the garage and unlock the door remotely, and tell if I left my slider open.

My advice is to start with a couple of basic devices and build out from there as your needs grow.

 

[vipergts2207]

I would not be too hung up on working only with HomeKit. There are a lot of alternatives out there, so I would suggest you do some research and figure out which automation system meets your needs first before diving in. I recently added a lot of home automation pieces to my house over the summer, so I'll share my experience.

I started by replacing two aging Honeywell thermostats with new units. I considered the Ecobee because it works with HomeKit. However, they do not support variable speed air handlers and are a bit dicey with whole house steam humidifiers, both of which I have in my HVAC system. So the Ecobees were out. I ended up going with Trane XL850 units, which work with my existing Trane HVAC gear seamlessly and are wifi enabled to work on the Nexia system. In addition to controlling the HVAC remotely, I get local weather and alerts via the internet right on the screen, and I can link into my HVAC service technician's network for diagnostics if he needs that.

Nexia is great, btw. They have an iOS app with voice control so you can use it with voice commands, as well as Geofencing. Nexia supports Z-Wave devices, and there are plenty of those. The Trane thermostats act as hubs for all the other devices. After the thermostats were installed, I added two garage door openers.

Regarding lights, my advice is to NOT use Hue lights in any light with a wall mounted switch like a ceiling light or an outdoor fixture. They may be fine in table lamps, but for wall or ceiling lights, they are a terrible solution IMHO because you have to keep the wall switch in the ON position in order to activate the Hue bulb. Instead, I recommend adding wifi switches to replace the regular wall switches that activate the lights. Leviton, Lutron, GE, and a few others make these, and you can get them at Home Depot or Lowes. Once installed, just add them to your wifi network.

I also added a couple of wifi enabled wall receptacles. The one I like best is outside near my front door, where I can plug in holiday lights and not have to use a separate timer. Yep, just add it to the wifi network and program it however you like. Now, the trick with this one was that in my town's building code, outside plugs need to be GFCI due to possible water hazard on outdoor plugs. However, there are no GFCI wifi receptacles. I searched and could not find any. So instead, I had my electrician install a GFCI breaker on that circuit, which meets code.

I next added a Kwikset motorized deadbolt to my garage door, and a sensor strip to our patio slider door. Now I can open the garage and unlock the door remotely, and tell if I left my slider open.

My advice is to start with a couple of basic devices and build out from there as your needs grow.

With respect to Hue lights in lighting fixtures, one option is to replace the old switches with Lutron Connected Bulb remotes. Then you’ve got the best of both worlds.

 

[chiefsilverback]

With respect to Hue lights in lighting fixtures, one option is to replace the old switches with Lutron Connected Bulb remotes. Then you’ve got the best of both worlds.

Those aren't wired devices, simply remote controls, you still need a switch to isolate/power cycle the fitting/bulb. One option would be something like this, which prevent accidental on/off but still allows for control.

'Traditional' switched control of smart lights is something people need to consider though, which is why I like the Leviton Decora. Anybody walking into my house can turn the lights on or off without even thinking "how does this funky 'switch' with lots of buttons work?", but I have full control from my phone/watch.

 

[vipergts2207]

Those aren't wired devices, simply remote controls, you still need a switch to isolate/power cycle the fitting/bulb. One option would be something like this, which prevent accidental on/off but still allows for control.

'Traditional' switched control of smart lights is something people need to consider though, which is why I like the Leviton Decora. Anybody walking into my house can turn the lights on or off without even thinking "how does this funky 'switch' with lots of buttons work?", but I have full control from my phone/watch.

It doesn't matter if the switch is actually wired to the fixture. You hardwire the fixture to always be on then install the Connected Bulb Remote where the old switch was with the help of a PICO-WBX-ADAPT wall plate. The lights should always be 'on' since they're smart bulbs and if you do need to power cycle the bulbs for some odd reason, you just unscrew it from the fixture. This solution is easily the most elegant one I could find to allow control of smart bulbs from a switch as one would've with their old bulbs. The switch you linked isn't convenient at all. Guests can't readily control your lights, there is potential for someone to leave the switch off, and if you do want to use the switch you have to go and get the key which defeats the entire purpose of an easy to access switch in the first place.

 

[chiefsilverback]

It doesn't matter if the switch is actually wired to the fixture. You hardwire the fixture to always be on then install the Connected Bulb Remote where the old switch was with the help of a PICO-WBX-ADAPT wall plate. The lights should always be 'on' since they're smart bulbs and if you do need to power cycle the bulbs for some odd reason, you just unscrew it from the fixture. This solution is easily the most elegant one I could find to allow control of smart bulbs from a switch as one would've with their old bulbs. The switch you linked isn't convenient at all. Guests can't readily control your lights, there is potential for someone to leave the switch off, and if you do want to use the switch you have to go and get the key which defeats the entire purpose of an easy to access switch in the first place.

The switches I linked were to work in concert with a remote type unit. They allow you to isolate the fixture/circuit, which I think is a code requirement, but don't allow someone to accidentally turn the switch off and render your smart bulb dumb...

 

[vipergts2207]

The switches I linked were to work in concert with a remote type unit. They allow you to isolate the fixture/circuit, which I think is a code requirement, but don't allow someone to accidentally turn the switch off and render your smart bulb dumb...

Most codes, though not all, allow for hardwiring on. What remote type unit does it work "with"? It looks to me like nothing more than a basic switch that requires a key to operate. In which case, it offers no convenience other than making sure that nobody can inadvertently turn it off. That doesn't help anyone wanting to operate their light switches like they used to.

 

[chiefsilverback]

Most codes, though not all, allow for hardwiring on. What remote type unit does it work "with"? It looks to me like nothing more than a basic switch that requires a key to operate. In which case, it offers no convenience other than making sure that nobody can inadvertently turn it off. That doesn't help anyone wanting to operate their light switches like they used to.

the lutron unit you linked to.

 

[vipergts2207]

the lutron unit you linked to.

Then the keyed switches are unnecessary unless someone really needs the ability to power-cycle their bulbs without unscrewing them from their fixtures. Even in those cases you can always do it from the electrical panel.