Emerson, Ecobee, and now Honeywell were hard at work producing connected models with large smart-home partnerships that cost substantially less money. At the same time, Nest was busy pushing out next-gen versions of what is effectively the same thermostat that costs $250.
THE GOOD
The $150 The geofencing feature of the honeywell home t5 7-day programmable smart thermostat with touchscreen display performed very well continuously. It successfully automates the Home and Away settings every time without making any objections and sent prompt alerts alerting me to the adjustments.
THE BAD
Although experts appreciate the general design of the thermostat, the typeface and layout of the touchscreen interface seem to be from an earlier period. Integrations with Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, and IFTTT are all things experts want to see in the future.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Lyric T5 from Honeywell is a smart linked thermostat that works well and gives a better value than other connected thermostats. It is compatible with Siri, Alexa, and geofencing.
At under $150, Honeywell’s Lyric T5 is the most affordable Wi-Fi thermostat I’ve tested. That’s a significant savings of $100 compared to the price of Nest. In addition to being compatible with Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa, it also offers geofencing capabilities.
Even though the display of the thermostat uses an old-fashioned font that seems like it was lifted from the Sandra Bullock blockbuster “The Net,” released in 1995, experts appreciate everything else about it, especially the pricing. If you are looking for an economical smart thermostat that delivers reliable results, you should seriously consider Honeywell’s Lyric T5 model.
There is a wide variety of home heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), wiring configurations, and adjustment options. If you have any issues regarding your specific setup, you should consult a professional or a friend who is experienced in doing DIY projects. Honeywell’s Lyric T5 is quite simple to set up provided you already have a C-wire arrangement.
You should be able to have this thing up and running in ten to fifteen minutes if you already have a C-wire installed, are fortunate enough not to drill additional holes in the wall, and do not need to repaint any new ones exposed areas. After there, you can either register a new account or log in to an existing one by downloading the Lyric app for Android or iOS and using the credentials you already have.
The software guides the user through each stage of the pairing procedure. Simply navigate to the tab in the app labelled “Select a device to install” and choose “Lyric T5” from the drop-down menu. Then, answer the questions that appear to finish setting up the device. You’ll start to get the hang of using the touchscreen when it switches over to letting you pick settings directly on the thermostat itself at some time.
The text and general arrangement of the display on the thermostat is a little off. It seemed like a weird combination to have a modern touchscreen paired with a screen that appeared to have been taken from the early days of personal computers. But after some initial adjustment, you’ll find it’s quite responsive and simple to use.
The meat and potatoes
You can stop there if you want and simply use the app to create custom schedules for 7-day programming (you can also create schedules directly on the thermostat), adjusting the temperature when you wish. Alternatively, you can also create schedules directly on the thermostat.
However, you also have the option of activating Apple HomeKit. This feature enables users of iPhones to operate the thermostat with Siri and geofencing. This feature enables you to define a perimeter around your home using mapping software. This radius functions as a Home/Away threshold linked to your phone’s GPS location. When you leave the house, the thermostat should automatically move into the Away mode. Also, when you return, it should automatically switch to the Home mode.
HomeKit and geofencing are features that can be used, but they are not required and are simple to set up straight within the app. Additionally, they worked quite well. With HomeKit, you’ll be able to give Siri a variety of orders, such “Set the Thermostat to 70 degrees” and others, and she’ll carry them out for you. In the same way, geofencing works the same way.
It is important to remember that geofencing performance can change depending on your location, your cellular carrier, and other circumstances. According to a spokesperson of Honeywell who spoke with me, “The most recent version of the Lyric app offers upgraded Geofencing features, including the addition of a sleep setting, improvements to the app’s performance and triggering, and refinements to save battery life on mobile devices.” It is tough to predict how effectively geofencing will function for any individual user based on my experiences with the Lyric T5.