What were your first impressions of the product?
The Netatmo Smart Thermostat comes as two components: a relay and the thermostat. The kit also contains a mobile stand, bracket, adapters, mounting plate and screws for easy fitting. The relay is a small white box, with a light in the centre that glows when your heating is on. It also provides the wireless internet connection for the thermostat.
The battery-powered thermostat is a nice, compact size (83x83mm) and can either be wall-mounted or attached to a stand, so you can place it where you want or even move it around your home. It offers a clean, minimalist look and clearly displays the current and target temperature, while all the other settings and data can be viewed easily on your phone or tablet. The five interchangeable colour bands that come with the product allow you to match the customer’s room and decor.
What job was the installation required for?
The customer was looking for better control over his heating and hot water at home, so the Netatmo Thermostat offered an ideal solution for his needs. Of course the energy savings that a smart thermostat offers to home owners over a period of time are always going to be appealing to them, and this particular customer was also interested in the smartphone/tablet compatibility so that he could control his heating from virtually anywhere in the world.
What were your thoughts on the usability of the unit?
The Netatmo Smart Thermostat has two modes of installation. The first allows you to replace an existing two-wire thermostat by connecting the control cables to the Netatmo Smart Thermostat’s built-in relay. In this mode, the relay unit isn’t connected to your boiler and needs to be plugged into a wall socket via the provided adapter to provide the internet connection. The second requires you to wire the relay into the boiler via the bundled boiler connector kit. In this mode, the relay takes power from the boiler and uses its own relay to switch your heating on and off. The thermostat unit becomes completely wireless and communicates directly with the relay.
Whether it’s wireless or hard-wired, the installation shouldn’t hold any fears for qualified electricians as the whole process is very simple. Guidance videos are available in the event that you require some extra help, however.
Were there any features of the product that you particularly liked?
The two special modes – Away and Frost-Guard – really stand out. Both will set a constant temperature until you switch them off, so can be used as a default setting when you’re away on holiday or business, for example. As a fan of modern technology I also really liked the app and how easy it was to set up and use.
Over time the product has the capability to learn your preferences and use the outside temperature as a guide to make automatic adjustments, so this is where you really start to see the extra benefits that smart technology can offer.
Would you recommend the product to other electricians?
Yes I would! Smart Thermostats offer great flexibility and control to customers and I hope that more home owners wise up to this type of technology in the future.
For more information about the Netatmo Smart Thermostat visit: www.netatmo.com/en-GB/product/energy/thermostat
