22.10.2018

The world of 'smart' house heating controls is huge and confusing - and I include myself in this even though as a Marine Chief Engineer I have worked on high voltage construction vessels that would confuse military experts.The market seems to boil down to two types. The first type is probably the most common which is the type that simply starts and stops your boiler according to the settings along with all the other bells and whistles chucked onto it. The other type is more sophisticated and also relies upon individual radiator controls.Both of these do not entire work for those of us who had a dual zone plus water tank system fitted.There are also other issues of course.If you add up the cost of WIFI rad valves across your house one has to question the bonkers claim that these will save you money. Honestly, even after fitting this I'm 100% certain I will never get back the money I've spent on the miniscule fuel savings.I'll digress here a bit as well. I'm a marine engineer and as such I've worked on VLCC steam ships in my yoof. Steam ships are basically big thermodynamic experiments that use epic amounts of fuel. We would easily burn through 150 tonnes a day, so any saving no matter how small is easily seen and useful. And this is how we do it. Turn the temperature down. No, really. What we did was open up the main steam valves fully. 100% open. This is important because throttling is really inefficient. Then we dropped the main boiler pressure down to match the turbines with the control valve fully open. This is the most efficient way of not using fuel.If you take a house, every time you fit a thermostatic valve you are throttling water and this is inefficient becasue in order to maintain control temperature you need a high water temperature. And heating water is a logarithmic curve. The higher the temperature the more fuel you need un an upward curve. This is why underfloor heating is efficient. A large area with water heated to 36c not the 65c for rads.So what I do is not throttle my rads. Instead I have turned my water temp down to 57c which is above the level required for killing legionnaires but requires significantly less fuel to maintain.Anyway, going back to controls I could not find anything that met my needs exactly because a there are no dual zone + water smart systems.What there is, is this. Becasue basically what all these smart controls come down to is a remote controlled switch and this is just that. A typcial dual zone system consists of a dual zone controller - which simply puts power onto the mechcanical thermostat at set times. This thermostat will then open up the zone valve which will send a signal to the boiler to start.So, if you have a dual zone system, ignore the blurb in the Honeywell instructions, because its about direct boiler control and, well you can't do that immediately.What I did was install this in place of the thermostat in one zone and using the 240v feed to the controller power the hub unit - which the instructions say to mount close to the boiler and which I didn't. I of course played around with this on my bench to make sure I had it right then temp mounted it once I figured the best way to do it. See the pictures.You then set your original controller to 24/7 on for the zone this is controlling. From then on, this smart controller will control the temperature to your settings which you program in. Of course if like me you have got one zone working on this then inevitably you will want to do both and that means another controller. Once I do that I'll rewire the system and remove the original controller complete.Now, the only bugbear I had was setting this onto my wifi network which took me an age. The blurb is not 100% clear and I was getting frustrated. Bottom line is that you have to use your phone/tablet to log onto the Honeywell wifi - then step back using the back button. It is noted but easy to miss so read very carefully the information and carefully check your app. It does work well once you understand it.Anyway, once you are on line you can do the usual. Set up a calendar for on/off, geographic operation which means it will start up or stop depending how close you are to your house and of course allow manual remote control.A quick word about geographical operation. If like me you have a lousy mobile signal at your house you might have fitted a mobile booster that uses your internet. Which also means your location isn't your house, so you have to go and find an actual signal close to your gaff to set that up.Once fitted its a neat system that is easy to use looks smart and allows excellent control.

16.3.2017

This Wi-Fi enabled heating controller and thermostat is not a like-for-like replacement for an old-fashioned controller and thermostat. Which is not to say it can't replace the older controllers, but the thermostat does not operate on 230V (it just needs a 2-wire 20V feed from the main controller), and wiring it into an existing heating and hot-water zone valve system is not trivial, mainly because the old zone-valve system is so complicated. So you must use an electrician to fit this new one.If you put the need for separate water heating to one side, the wiring is actually very straightforward. Assuming you have a three-wire feed from the boiler, the live and neutral go to the live and neutral of the controller,and the switched wire (the one that energises the boiler) goes to one of the switched connectors. You need a short jump-lead to connect the live side to the switch centre pin. And the 20V circuit to the thermostat is completely separate, and ideally shouldn't use the cabling your old 230V thermostat used, or should at least be clearly labelled as low-voltage. There are various circuit diagrams included, including one for wiring up to a zone valve, but that also needs a separate timer for your water (this assumes you have a hot water tank, which I do).Anyway, wiring apart, I found the setup a bit fiddly. You need to connect your new thermostat system to your home WiFi (2.4GHz - it doesn't work with 5GHz), and you need to install an app on your smartphone and create an account to use the full capabilities of the thermostat. There seems to be a lot of configuring to do (I had to leave the app twice to connect my smartphone to the thermostat's WiFi), but once you've completed that part, it's fairly straightforward to complete the rest of the set up, which is choosing your preferences.The white main unit, which will probably be in your airing cupboard if that's where the old control unit was situated, has a light to show it's connected and a button with a light on it to allow you to override the thermostat, and turn the heating on and off. This is presumably your failsafe in case of computer failure.The grey/black thermostat (which will hopefully be installed in your living room) has a touch-screen display, showing the time (little numbers) and the temperature (big numbers). When you touch the display, all the options light up. There's an intuitive +/- to set a new override temperature, a schedule enable/disable, an on/off button to disable the heating completely, and an options menu that does lots of things, most of which aren't very interesting (you can set the idle display brightness and lock the controls, for example).You really need the Lyric app on your smartphone to do the fancy stuff. You can set up daily schedules (with preferred daytime and night-time temperatures) or a schedule that's different at weekends. Or you can set up geofencing, which means that the app detects when you're away from home and turns the heating down, but then turns it back up again when you're on your way back home. Because it uses your location, this does use up your smartphone battery somewhat. You can also set the dates of your holidays, so you don't need to remember to turn the heating down. And yes, you can turn your heating up and down remotely, should you feel the need.You can add additional users, so the other people in your home won't get cold when you're away, assuming they all have a smartphone.The whole thing is not completely intuitive - that's a payoff you make for having the flexibility to use geofencing or a schedule. But it's not as scary as I'd though it would be.Having a "smart" device heating your home, even one that's fairly straightforward, is a big step. It gives you a lot more flexibility and makes the heating much more controllable. On the other hand, do I want my heating remotely controllable via Honeywell's control centre? I was bombarded with automated messages to my app one night saying they couldn't communicate with the thermostat. Perhaps my ISP was working on my internet connection, but the thermostat seemed to be working fine.There's a risk from installing computers to run every part of your life. What if they go wrong? On the other hand, computers are what makes life so easy. Most of us are willing to take that risk. And a touch-screen thermostat is a lovely thing!

27.11.2016

The Lyric T6R Smart Thermostat can be used to replace a standard electro-mechanical thermostat, or for new installations with OpenTherm-compatible boilers. In the former case, it can use simple on/off control to regulate the home temperature, and in the latter communicate with the boiler using the OpenTherm protocol to directly access data from the boiler. The T6R allows you to set and change the heating schedule (without relying on a timer on the boiler), and further to extend control to a smartphone app, more of which later.The package contains the T6R thermostat itself (an attractive touch screen unit), plus a 'Receiver Box' that mounts on the wall.These two devices communicate with each other using the WiFi in your house (and this seems to be the older 2.4GHz type only). The installation process is in two parts: Firstly replacing the existing wall thermostat with the receiver box; secondly installing the T6R and smartphone app.There is a detailed wiring guide for installing the Receiver Box, which shows a number of different options, depending on which type of boiler you have. If you have no experience with electrical systems, I would advise to call in a plumber or electrician to do this part; thermostats are usually mains-powered and can easily kill you if you fail to switch off the mains power to the boiler while installing.After carefully switching off the mains ring (and testing with a meter to ensure it was off), I followed the option for S-plan, which was the most similar to the way that my old thermostat was fitted. The box is 10x10cm, so somewhat bigger than the 8x8cm of the original thermostat, but installed without a hitch. The box has a LED to show you whether it is talking to the WiFi and another to show you when the heating is on. A single override switch allows you to fire-up the boiler now. With the box installed, it is now time to install the T6R.The touch-screen unit comes with its own 5V power brick (so it needs to be within about 90cm of a mains socket). With this powered on, next install the Honeywell Lyric App in your smartphone (from your favored app store). It asks you to create an account (on the Honeywell cloud) and leads you through configuring the T6R thermostat. The T6R and the Receiver unit are already paired in the factory so know how to communicate with each other.In my case the installation didn't finish properly (the app would stop, or lose contact with the T6R), so I had to repeat the process about 4 times before finally everything was set-up. Hopefully, this is the one and only time I will ever have to perform this process though, since the unit seems to quite happily remember all the settings when not powered (which means you can safely move the thermostat between rooms if you choose).Now it is possible to create schedules in the app (and you can also edit/view them directly through the T6R touch screen), and you can view the current temperature and set-point in the app. You can invite other users to the system as well (using their email address), whereupon they can also install the Lyric app and also control the heating system.The app also allows geofencing, which means that your smartphone communicates when you go a certain distance away from your home. This allows the heating system to run when you're around the house, but power-down when people have gone out for the day.The schedule settings can be quite sophisticated, with separate programmes for each day, or in groups of days (e.g. weekdays versus weekend). You can also create a special 'holiday' schedule to run minimal heating when you're away.This is an attractive unit, offering the promise of reduced bills thanks to more detailed control over the heating than you normally get from the conventional timer and on/off thermostat. Also, being able to control the heating via an app (what's now called the 'connected home') is an interesting new facility that I'm looking forward to experimenting with.

7.10.2017

This Internet enabled thermostat has many great features but two key ones are:+ Works with both Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa. (Great for families with both Apple and Android devices.)+ Can be fully programmed and controlled directly via the thermostat touchscreen or via the Lyric App.Another great feature, which is as a result of the second key point, is the unit will remain fully functional as a programable thermostat even without an Internet or Wi-Fi connection. Few other units can say the same, especially many of the other popular models on the market.The unit is an ideal replacement for those with a combination boiler and can eliminate the current time clock and directly replace the current thermostat.However, even those with a fully pumped system (valves control if the boiler heats the radiators or the hot water in a cylinder) may appreciate this unit if they are just replacing a thermostat and don't need to control the hot water separately (still controlled by an existing time clock). This was my situation partly driven by my wife wanting to be in full control of the heating but not having to rely on an App. Those who have technophobes in the family will appreciate this point!Wiring up any thermostat is not a simple task unless you are competent or employ a electrical or heating engineer. Although on the face of it this Honeywell looks complicated it is reasonably straight forward if you know what you are doing. I have added a image of how I connected my unit and this may assist others in installing their own unit. Providing your current thermostat has three wires (must include a Neutral wire) then replacing the existing thermostat with the provided control box is easy, especially if you opted for the T6r wireless version. If the wired regular T6 then you will need a bit more work to run some extra connections but again this is not too difficult, especially when the thermostat is wired to a wiring centre. Honeywell supply additional wiring diagrams on their website which may prove useful.Once installed and powered up the setup process, using the App (on a phone or tablet), is quite simple and I had it configured with my desired switching times and temperatures quite soon. I noticed not long after it was setup a firmware update was pushed to the thermostat via the Internet, so it is nice to see updates are automatic. I did not try but I think you could make the setup only via the thermostat touchscreen but of course without any Internet or Wi-Fi setup included.Once I showed my wife how to use it via the touchscreen she actually commented as how it seemed better to use and see what was going on than our old programmable thermostat. I then added the Lyric App to her Android phone and showed how simple it was to use. She said she would probably not use it but a few weeks later she was out and wanted to check she had turned the heating down after she went out so used the App and confirmed the setting! Now she is a convert to Internet enabled thermostats!We also like the fact the thermostat display is backlit all the time and have found it provides great low level nighttime illumination in the hall to prevent accidents in the dark (you can set the light level via the touchscreen). The icing on the cake has been that the temperature regulation has been far better than the old thermostat, which of course is the primary function of the unit.Overall the Lyric T6 has provided all the features I wanted and would recommended it to anyone. Just be sure to read all the literature available to ensure you know it will work with your current system and you have the skills to fit or employ someone who does.

27.11.2016

The Honeywell is our first foray into smart home devices. I have deliberately stayed away until now to let the tech standards settle and the glitches so common to first to market products to work themselves out. The Lyric T6 is Honeywell's latest smart thermostat and it is really good. It has a great app, plays nicely with Apple HomeKit and best of all does geo-fenced heating settings! The T6 comes in two different variants: wired to replace wired thermostats and wireless for systems already wireless or wanting to break free from wires.Inside the smart and well put together packaging are the thermostat, the control box and the a stack of paperwork in various languages. First off,this is relatively simple to install if you are DIY and heating literate, if not the included installation instructions are next to useless... The majority of UK properties are on y-plan heating systems i.e. you have a 3 port valve that diverts hot water from the boiler through your tank or through your heating or both, the water path looks like a y hence the name. This isn't even in the installation instructions! The QR code on the instructions does give access to the honeywell wiring diagram library that would allow you to figure it out. That said, it isn't too hard to figure it out but be really careful: ISOLATE THE POWER and BEWARE for LIVE WIRES that aren't properly marked... Heating engineers seem to have trouble complying with wiring regulations. Time spend working it out will not be wasted!! Put simply, disconnect your thermostat from the main junction box (watching out for L/N feed that is not needed) and connect it to the Lyric control box. Then connect the control box back to where the thermostat was connected (red and yellow usually) and run a power spur (L/N/E). At the other end, simply connect the thermostat back plate to the red/yellow wires, check everything and power up! Don't forget to set the heating programmer to 'on' for the heating otherwise it will override the thermostat...To set up the thermostat you need to download the lyric app and step through the system menu. There is a bit of back and forward to get the wireless to connect to your home network but the app is well designed and easy to use, leading you through the steps. You can set nearly all the functions from the app and then just tweak things like optimised start from the face plate. Once set up through Lyric, you can then add to Apple home kit very easily to combine with any other smart devices.What I like: the geo-fencing is brilliant, home kit allows Siri integration and it is incredibly simple to use. You need separate honeywell user accounts for each device in the geofence but it is simple to share access with both home kit and Lyric. Both my wife and I have it on there and it will lower the heating temperature when we are out and bring it back up when we get close to home. You will be able to work out the distance you need but for us it is about 10 mins travel time. Siri integration is a bit of a gimmick but fun nonetheless.Overall, not the highest specced smart thermostat out there, but isn't the most expensive either. Installation is relatively straightforward but if in doubt get a professional to do it (30 min job, max).

19.11.2016

As I have been using a Netatmo system for about a year, I thought I would compare the two systems.Firstly, fitting. This took me about 30 minutes, hooking into my combined heating and hot water controller.(*)I liked the fact that this is a mains operated thermostat. I am not too confident about battery operated ones like the Netatmo. The Lyric also has a far superior display, as it can use LEDs. The ePaper display of the Netatmo is OK, but all you see is the set temperature, the current temperature being almost invisible. Plus, apart from boosting or lowering the target, Netatmo offers no control whatsoever without having to dig out a phone, computer or tablet and firing up the appropriate app.The Lyric Thermostat has a full touchscreen control, far more user friendly. In standby, it elegantly displays the current temperature and a small time.One thing I disliked in the Lyric is that in programming it, you have either 5+2 or 7 individual days, not the same program every day. My needs are simple, though, and two periods, low at night and warm in the day, suited me fine.The Lyric uses WiFi to communicate with the Honeywell servers.Communication between thermostat and base unit is also wireless. I will report back on any problems there, but the Netatmo uses the same mechanism.One consideration to bear in mind is the complexity and user friendliness of current technology. Although you can achieve more with the Netatmo, it is at the expense of excluding other members of the family from using it if they are not confident enough, and let's face it, who wants to use a mobile to adjust their heating, as the ONLY method available? Theoretical efficiency meets practicality head on.There is no IFTTT control, surprisingly. I have used this to cut out heating if the conservatory gets hot or to boost it if it is freezing outside, but again, such features would only perplex my wife and result in her having to install a new simpler system if I died. Also, IFTTT is currently undergoing a transformation which is making it unreliable. I have had it turn off my heating and not turn it on again more than once.The geofencing on the Lyric is complex, far more so than is possible using IFTTT at present. IFTTT has geofencing, but if you set it up on two phones then you will find there are conflicts. One person leaves and the other is left to shiver. The Lyric has a system which links a number of phones to the system, turns off heating when the LAST person leaves, and turns it on when one person returns. There are all sorts of restrictions, though, as each person must have the app running in the background at least, have location services enabled, not have a flat battery or in some cases not be speaking on the phone, etc, so I am leaving this disabled. There are too many things to go wrong. As for the Nest solution, well, having to walk past the thermostat occasionally to let it know you are still in is just plain silly!It is early days yet, I only just fitted this system, but I am impressed at its general usability. Just being able to read the temperature without having to walk up to the Netatmo thermostat is well worth it. I will report back on any issues I have.

1.3.2017

The T6R (wireless) was easy to install. There are some really well made and easy to follow instructions provided and you can go on YouTube or Honeywell's site for even more if needed... I was replacing a Salus RT500RF wireless thermostat and it took about 10 minutes (and only took that long because I'm not a professional and was being careful). If you really don't feel confident and you need a heating engineer or electrician then this should really cost you no more than a basic callout charge - if it does you're being ripped off. I don't know if the wired/wall-mounted version is more complicated.I read some reviews that suggest it's not flexible enough with scheduling - I have to disagree...

19.7.2017

The Honeywell Lyric is one of a new breed of Smart Thermostats that allows you to connect your heating system to the internet so you can control it from your smartphone. This useful for a number of reasons such as:a) its easier to adjust your controller. You don't have to climb into a cupboard and fiddle around with tiny switches in the dark to change the preset programme. You can save money on heating as a result.b) can be operated remotely even away from home. Handy if you suddenly get the afternoon off and you can boost the heating before you get home so you don't arrive to an igloo.c) extra peace of mind while you're away on your winter sun holiday.

14.1.2018

This review is for the T6R (R = Radio) internet enabled thermostat which works very well with Apple HomeKit (apparently - not tried it) and Amazon Alexa (tried it for a short time, as I don't use the service usually). As another reviewer has pointed out, this is useful if you have both an Apple and Android fan in the house - but then again, you can get the Nest app (and the Lyric app) for both platforms anyway.Unlike the Nest, probably it's nearest competitor (though, recently the pricing was about equal for a time, with the Nest being on deep discount for the festive period) it is a bit more traditionally styled, and you don't have to pay £25 for a stand with the Honeywell - it's included.

9.12.2016

As an early adopter of the internet of things, thermostats have long been an option to connect and with good reason. The likes of Nest and Hive, which offer similar features to this Honeywell model, made a market based on energy efficiency and the ability to have things at just the right temperature. Would Honeywell, a long time heating manufacturer do the same?Installation first and with other similar devices it's recommended you get a professional to do the complicated bit. There are essentially two components to this thermostat, a box that you connect to your boiler or heating system and then the remote unit which you can plug in anywhere in your house.

29.11.2018

Now that that I have it up and running I like the product. However it wasn't entirely straight forward and hopefully this will be of use to others who struggle to get the android app to complete the initial registration sequence at setup..After physical installation, which was pretty straight forward and the instructions are good, I installed the android app on my phone. It starts off well and seems to connect to the thermostat, but then eventually just timed out saying that it couldn't connect and suggested that turning off mobile data on my phone could fix the problem. Tried this and didn't work. Tried my wife's phone, also android and it didn't work either - same problem..

18.12.2016

The Lyric T6R is available in two versions – wired and wireless. I chose the wired version. For this version there are full detailed instructions for installing the box, including several alternatives depending on the type of boiler used. My best advice is to have it installed, or at least checked by, an experienced electrician in all cases.There are two units - the thermostat itself plus the receiver unit, which connect with each other via your existing home WiFi. The system in turn is controlled via your smartphone after downloading the appropriate app.The display unit is a 9 x 9cm black box with easy to read display, which I don’t find particularly attractive on the wall.

15.2.2018

This is a lovley looking device let alone everything else - it took me a whiLE to choose the right make - I wanted one not just compatible with Alexa or works with Alexa. I wanted one that worked directly with my Echo set up which starts with the Echo Plus.This device works with it and of course req some set up with no extar outlay for a hub device.The phone app needs installing and the Amazon skill to make everything work together which is now does and its marvelous.Being able to set a routine on yoru phone and any temp - ytrun on or off if you are out is great.Being able to say simply Alexa set temp 20 degrees and it does it is amazing to me as my smart home gradually grows.The room thermostat

9.2.2020

I’ve been using two of these thermostats for over a year, in a dual zone setup (downstairs and upstairs) and they have been working great.The thermostats have a lot packed in, including the ability to schedule your heating and setup geo-fencing to automatically turn on and off your heating when you leave home. You can only use one or the other, which is a shame as it would be good to have a schedule in place but also the ability to turn off the heating if when you leave and then jump back to the schedule once home. All these controls are setup through the Honeywell Home app, although I prefer to use Apple Home once scheduling has been setup.These thermostats are OpenTherm compatible too,

27.11.2016

I gave this unit to my parents to install as I already use Google Nest - I will review based on there experience and then mine on a comparison with the Nest.They like this device. Although according to the person who installed it it was a little tricky (Cannot comment on whether that was their limitation or the heating system in the house) they love the fact that they can still easily manually control it in a physical and intuitive way, it has nice and bold numbers on it and they can still occasionally use their smartphone app to control it (They use the device to control it as much as the app to be honest) so it works well for them.

Honeywell Lyric T6R Smart Thermostat - Reviews

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