Wyze Thermostat Review: Affordable Technology, Powerful Features

If you’re upgrading from a decades-old thermostat, the Wyze Thermostat will feel futuristic as soon as you take it out of the box. Buttons are completely absent from all sides of the black, pill-shaped product, with only a small motion-activated IPS display and a clickable temperature wheel on the front. It’s a slick thermostat considering the price, and it feels a lot more expensive than you’d expect.

Each unit also comes with an optional wall plate that can be used to hide unpainted parts of your old thermostat, or if you just want to give it a more prominent place on your wall.

The only downside to this sleek design is that much of the Wyze Thermostat’s functionality comes with a smartphone app. Alternatively, you can use Alexa or Google voice control to quickly change settings. Wyze lets you toggle through different options directly on the device using the temperature wheel, although it’s a bit cumbersome to fight through all of its menus, and clicking the temperature wheel doesn’t feel as premium as the rest of the product.

Thankfully, the Wyze smartphone app gives you a staggering amount of control over your thermostat. It can even be overwhelming to see all the features at once. The main screen is easy enough to navigate as it shows the current temperature in your home along with what it is set to. This screen also allows you to quickly turn your HVAC system on or off — which is helpful if you’re in bed and don’t want to get up to turn on your air conditioner.

At the bottom of this main screen is the operating menu. It allows you to switch between different states (Home, Away, or Sleep), modes (Auto, Heat, Cool, Off), along with a few other settings.

In the Settings menu you will find the true functionality of your Wyze Thermostat. You can tell the thermostat whether you are interested in Comfort or Savings. You can program different temperatures for different times of the day. You can even enable Auto Switch – which checks your phone’s location to determine if it should monitor your Home or Away settings.

If you’re curious about your usage, there’s even a handy chart that shows you how many hours your HVAC is running each day. It’s pretty simple (with a bar chart showing usage and nothing more), but it’s a good way to monitor your energy usage and help identify ways to lower your bills.

Whether you actually want to use all these functions is up to you, but it’s nice that such a budget product gives you that option. It’s even better that they’re all just a click away, with key features taking center stage in the Wyze app.

Using the Wyze thermostat is simple, but installing it is another story. Correct installation requires the presence of a C-wire. If your existing setup has one, congratulations: your new thermostat will be up and running in minutes.

But if you’re unlucky, you’ll need to install the included C-wire adapter. This means you go to your oven, flip open the front panel and wade through a sea of ​​wires. It’s not necessarily difficult, but it does take some time. Wyze gives you everything you need for the installation, although you’ll want to allow a little more than the recommended 30 minutes. It also doesn’t hurt to have an assistant around to check on your work (and for moral support).

After the C-wire is installed and you’ve mounted the Wyze thermostat to your wall, it goes through a quick series of tests to make sure everything is done right.

The installation process is the main reason why the Wyze Thermostat is not for everyone. If you don’t have a C-wire and you’re not interested in rewiring your HVAC, you’ll need to hire a professional or consider alternatives that don’t require a C-wire. But putting up with 20 minutes of extra hassle is a small price to pay for the thermostat’s affordable price tag and versatility.

To get the most out of your Wyze thermostat, you can pair it with up to six Wyze room sensors. Sold individually ($25 each or a bundle of three for $70), these help eliminate cold and hot spots throughout your home.

After placing them in key locations (I would recommend at least one in the most used room on each floor), the Wyze Thermostat will essentially average these measurements together to improve performance. They can also sense movement, giving priority to rooms that are occupied.

They sound great on paper, but I had mixed results during the early stages of my testing. One sensor is located in my attic, while a second is downstairs in my living space and a third is in my office. Some days I had readings that were only a few degrees apart, while other days it was almost seven degrees warmer in my loft.

However, after a bit of tinkering with my Wyze app’s settings, I was able to stabilize my entire house around the same temperature, with just a few degrees of wiggle room. There are still days when some areas are warmer than others, but no doubt the room sensors help reduce these hot spots – but I’d hesitate to say they’re completely eliminated†

The Wyze room sensors certainly improve the basic performance of the Wyze thermostat, and despite requiring some manual adjustments, I would still recommend them to most users. They live up to their price tag, and while they aren’t perfect, it’s useful for seeing temperatures around the house at a glance and reducing hot spots.

The Wyze Thermostat and Wyze Room Sensors are an affordable option for those looking to upgrade their smart home. With sleek designs, friendly price tags and admirable performance, only those without C-wire need to think twice before making a purchase.

How long will it stay that way?

The Wyze Room Sensors can last up to three years before needing to replace the AAA batteries, and the product itself comes with a one-year limited warranty. The Wyze Thermostat also comes with a one year warranty. Both products are built solidly and, unless something goes horribly wrong or you bump into them while moving furniture, they should last indefinitely.

Is there a better alternative?