Smart home - thermostat and lights

[WeedSmellDramas]

Hoping someone can advise.

In an ideal world I'd love just one thing on the hallway wall.

(Also happy to have one on the landing)

Maybe sort of small iPad sized.

And from that I'd want to be able to control lighting and thermostat.

(And in a dream world the security system)

If any of you have that arrangement please would you share your feedback about it and also which products you have?

Many thanks 😊

We have a Hive that can do all that. Controlled from our phones or tablets, even when we are on the other side of the world.

I second Hive. I have one for the heating, and have plugs that I can control via alexa/the Alexa app for lamps and the electric fire

Thanks both. Will look at hive ☺️

My sister has a similar thing called Nest. You might want to look at that too.

Tado for heating/hot water - the geofencing is great - and switch your light switches for wifi enabled ones (I’m aiming to do tat this year). My lamps are all on wifi power points so I can just say alexa sitting room on, although they are programmed to come on at sunset and go off at 11 anyway.

What would you do for lighting and heating if the Wifi isn't working?

Another vote for hive, although you have to have two “things”, a thermostat and a hub. They’re both tiny though, the size of a beer mat, but about an inch thick. Our hub is hidden behind a plant in the hall and the thermostat is on a stand on top of a bookcase. You can’t see it. We control it with Alexa.

It’s never been an issue here, but they both have manual options too - heating you can run from the timer and the lights have a manual switch as well as the wifi option.

Yes to automatic heating and security

But I've stayed in homes of 3 friends with automatic lighting and it is HORRIBLE. Turns off in the bathroom when you are sitting on the loo, or turns on for ages and much to bright if you want to creep into the bathroom in the night and not disturb someone.

In one house, my friend (who had just moved in and inherited this lighting system) agreed it was horrible and we spent ages together taping over the sensors to stop the stupid thing triggering all the time.

Old fashioned switches are far better for lighting.

You don’t need to use sensors to turn the lights on and off. You can set a schedule or do it manually from the app, Apple Home, or the switch itself.

In the examples I am thinking of, the switches had no obvious impact on the lights and the guests don't have the app so it was only sensors.

Thanks for the feedback.

Certainly to start with smart lighting I'm only planning for living rooms and hallway/landings.

Guest loo and bathrooms I'll leave to old fashioned style until I've got my head around the rest of the house.

But also I don't think I'll be getting someone to remove my light switches anyway.

I'm more thinking lighting up/down the stairs and also from a security point of view if we're away etc.

What in the Skynet is this?

Does anyone know if Nest works with a hot water tank? I’ve never lived in a house that has one, at the moment I have combi boiler which heats on demand and heating controlled through Nest, and I really don’t understand how hot water tanks work!! The current controls are OLD and I don’t even understand how it works

Why do you need it to work with a hot water tank if you have a combi? Tado can be used with a hot water tank but I just have it stiched to off all the time as I have a combi.

I have a condensing gas boiler and a separate hot water tank, my nest works perfectly on both.

My living room and bedroom all have Alexa controlled lightbulbs They are all set up with routines like turn on downstairs 20 mins before sunset and when I say a particular phrase the downstairs lights will all turn off and bedside ones will come on

Sorry I realise my post was confusing!

I’ve just bought a house with super old controls but newish looking boiler, and there’s a hot water tank in the loft.

There’s a wall thermostat in the living room, but then a contraption next to the boiler where there are ABCD switches and you can select “off until A”, “on until B” etc and it just boggles my mind!!

I have Nest with combi boiler in my current house and it’s easy to set heating and then hot water is created when I need it.

I wanted some more information on how Nest works if you’ve got a hot water tank - do you have to set times for when you want hot water or do you set the heating schedule and hot water is available at those times?

@margleflarg you programme the hot water and heating completely separately. The hot water you just schedule when you want it to come on and when you want it to end and it also gives you the option to boost which starts heating the water instantly and stops after 30 mins- see screen shots below 🙂

Amazing, thank you!