The Best Smart Thermostats For Easy Heating Control

tado°'s V3+ arrives as a full kit, with the thermostat, the internet bridge, mounting hardware, accessories and an installation guide in the box. We found it relatively easy to set up, and the instructions in the box were genuinely helpful. Our photo above shows a tado° thermostat at the boiler during one of our installs.

Once it's running, the app uses your phone's location and the weather forecast to decide when to heat, and it spots an open window and stops heating that room. You get multi-room control and smart scheduling, and the system grows with you, taking tado° radiator valves, smart plugs and other accessories. tado° says it works with 95% of heating systems, and it supports Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant for voice control.

The third generation Nest is the most expensive thermostat in our roundup, and it feels like it. The round display is bigger and the body slimmer than earlier Nests, and you can swap the surround to suit the room, which was one of the things we liked most when we tested it. The one in our photo has a copper surround.

Nest learns your routine and builds an auto-schedule, then uses geolocation and built-in sensors to turn the heating down when the house is empty. It supports OpenTherm, letting a compatible boiler modulate its output rather than simply switching on and off. Google says it works with most heating systems, including gas, oil and condensing boilers, underfloor heating and heat pumps, and that one home can run up to 20 thermostats. Everything for the install comes in the box, from the display and base to the Heat Link, trim plate, screws and guide.

Netatmo's thermostat is one of the more affordable ways to get app and voice control, with support for Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit. You can screw it to the wall or stand it on a shelf with the stand in the box, and adhesive coloured strips let you change its look.

The kit is generous for the price, with the stand, relay, adapter, mounting plate, a USB cable and three AAA batteries. Netatmo says it takes less than an hour to install, and it works with most types of boiler. You get absent and frost protection modes, and the same app runs Netatmo's other smart products, including its radiator valves.

Hive is the thermostat we've installed ourselves and use to run both underfloor heating and radiators at home, and it's changed how we schedule the heating. The dial and colour screen are easy for anyone in the house to use, and the Hive app is just as simple.

You can split each day into six time slots to match the household's comings and goings, and a boost button gives up to six hours of extra heat when you need it. There's automatic frost protection, a holiday mode and a PIN lock that stops guests or children fiddling with the settings, which earns its keep in a rental. The thermostat can go on the wall or move around the house as a portable unit. You'll need the Hive hub and receiver if you don't already have them, and the hub then takes smart plugs, lights and other Hive kit. The one niggle is batteries, as ours needed changing every six months.

The Honeywell T6R is a simple touchscreen thermostat at a friendlier price than the premium models, and it works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Home. Our photo shows it running on its table stand, which suits a wireless install where you'd rather move it between rooms.

Setup is mostly done through the app. You download it, follow the on-screen steps and connect the receiver box to your router, and you can choose a wired or wireless installation depending on your existing wiring. Location based control turns the heating down once everyone has left, and the app is user friendly. Honeywell doesn't include a wall bracket, so if you want it fixed to the wall you'll need to source one separately.

The Wiser thermostat is the control centre for Drayton's smart heating range, and it comes into its own once you add Wiser radiator valves. One app can run the whole house, up to 16 rooms, 32 radiators and 10 smart plugs, with eco, away and comfort modes to switch between. Our photo shows it reading 21°C with the room humidity displayed alongside.

It fits a standard UK back plate, which keeps installation simple, and it integrates with Alexa, Google Assistant and IFTTT. Drayton sells separate kits for combi and conventional boilers, so check which system you have before ordering. The wireless range is limited in large houses, where Drayton's extender is needed to reach the far rooms. The square white design is plainer than the Nest or Hive.