First thoughts of Wyze thermostat with radiator heating

My heating system is a zoned radiator system. I just installed a Wyze Thermostat on the upstairs level. Upgraded from Honeywell non-schedulable battery thermostat.

First thoughts: packaging is nice and well put together. Screen is medium resolution, and has a good appearance. The backplate seems slightly oversized, but no biggie. Dial is easy to spin - pushing in is a little more difficult than it should be. Yes, it’s shiny, but fingerprints have not been a problem for me yet. Quick start guide is simple, but there is virtually no documentation in the box on how anything works though.

Installation

  • Super easy with the app, the wizard is really straightforward. Videos seemed helpful.
  • My heating system only had 2 wires, so I bought a 24V AC transformer and hooked it to Rc and C, using directions here. The electronic test failed, saying I had something on the * terminal, but was able to skip that, and all is good. Wyze - consider adding setup with external power to your documentation or setup wizard?
  • Schedules are very easy to set up and the UI is excellent. Do schedules change or learn eventually?

How it works day-to-day

  • Heating time estimates- I’m only on day three, and time estimates continue to say “3 min” and even “<1 min” no matter what I do. Obviously with a radiator, those times are more like 20-30min. Will this system learn and provide a real estimate? Also, will this turn into making the schedule more smart (e.g. heating up ahead of time to hit target temps)?
  • Overruns the heat by a degree, so when I set it to 68F, it usually ends up becoming 69F. Probably because of the radiators pushing out extra heat after they are off. The honeywell old thermostat did not overrun. Will it learn and get better?
  • Room Temp accuracy - I have my old honeywell near it, and the temps are generally the same, but it seems like the Wyze is 0.5-1.0 F higher than honeywell. Could be the slight location difference, unsure.
  • Motion sensor - when I’m within 1-2 feet, the display turns on and shows the current temp (and the mode icon - sleep, home, away). Does motion trigger anything else? Like if it was set away, would motion activate it?
  • Other: Have not used “Auto switch” for location setting of home/away. Cannot find the “Differential Temp” setting. App and thermostat seem pretty stable on firmware 1.1.1, no real bugs at this point.

Alexa

  • Linked to alexa using the Wyze app which authenticated easily into the Alexa app. Had to do it twice, since I had an audio group named the same name as the thermostat.
  • Reading the temp, setting the temp work great. I’ve used it in a routine and it can set a temp, but not go into a mode (e.g. sleep) which is fine.

Enhancement requests

  • Configurable display would be nice - I would LOVE to see outdoor temp or even target (set) temp when walking by.
  • Tracking the house temperature minute by minute or similar would be cool. Not exactly sure how I would use it, so maybe lower priority.
  • Add .5 degree (or smaller) increments to temp correction
  • Would like safety temps higher than 50F… (maybe for households with pets)

Overall Review: 4/5

  • Excellent value thermostat with solid features for $50
  • Pros: easy scheduling and setup, can use app or alexa
  • Cons: unclear how “smart” it is or what future features are coming
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