I recently began a two-part review of the Vivint home automation/security solutions. Read the review here before you move on to part 2. The system has definitely become an important part of our home. Part 2 will cover the Playback DVR, door locks, thermostat, smoke detector and other detectors installed.
One thing I’ve been super excited about as a smart home enthusiast is seeing products being announced at CES 2017 for Apple’s HomeKit. And one Carrier smart thermostat, in particular, has caught my eye.
This post is brought to you by Schneider Electric. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Gear Diary. I’ve spent a good bit of time adding smart functionality to Raina’s and my new home. When the chance to check out Schneider Electric’s Wiser Air was offered, how could I resist?
Raina and I continue to add smart features to our home. We love the Haiku Smart Fan we installed and reviewed here on Gear Diary. (Read the review!) The next step in the process was adding a smart thermostat. I received a Lyric Round Wi-Fi Thermostat for review. This second generation unit is small but packs a punch. It’s awesome!
When we bought our house, one thing the builder was proud of was radiant heating installed throughout. One downside it is slow to respond – so when the temperature here went from +50 to -30 back to +40 within 5 days our house seemed to always be too hot or too cold. The upside? The floors were never cold!
Every now and then I review a product that I quickly realize I’m not only going to continue using after the review but will likely purchase more for use elsewhere. That is the case with Hunter’s Universal Internet Thermostat. The thermostat is simple to install, uncomplicated to set up, and it works phenomenally well. In fact, just this morning, Elana said to me, “so before I even got out of bed, I used the iPhone application to make sure the temperature was going up in the kitchen and living room.” That’s enough for me to want to continue using it and…
When I had my house built in 1998, one thing I wanted but could not afford at the time was a programmable thermostat. Thankfully, Trane was kind enough to send one that I probably would not have considered, the Trane XL800. The first thing I had to do was install the thermostat. To do so, I had to turn off my HVAC system — which mean going into the depths of my garage and flipping the breakers. Then I went back inside, removed the existing thermostat and replaced it with the programmable thermostat. Make sure to pull the little plastic strip out…