Nest or Hive Smart Thermostat?

• So what’s the best smart thermostat,

  

  
  

  Nest or Hive, and how easy are they to install?

  In my opinion, both thermostats are of good quality, both will do the same job, but in different ways.

  Both thermostats connect to the internet via your broadband.

  Once connected they collect information on the local weather and adjust the boiler accordingly.

  Nest connects to the internet through the thermostat, you enter your broadband details,

  once connected it will ask you about what type of heating system you have,

  like do you use gas, oil or electric to heat your home.

  Hive comes supplied with a hub, that you plug into your router, the ethernet cable is supplied in the box.

  It takes around 5 minutes to connect to the hive server,

  once connected, you connect the receiver to the hub, quite straightforward to do,

  then the thermostat connects to the receiver.

  Both automatically update themselves, as and when updates become available.

  Should your broadband go down, both have override buttons that you can use bring on your boiler?

  You can control both manually,

  also via a smart app that can download for your phone and tablet,

  which is very good when you want to adjust the heating when you are not at home.

  You also have the ability to control both by Amazon Alexa if you own one.

  Nest, which is owned by Google, was once the outright winner when it came to smart thermostat technology.

  Now hive, which is part of the British gas group, has been updated and is on the same par as Nest.

  Both thermostats can be used on combination boilers,

  as well as the traditional heating and hot water systems, where you store hot water.

  The installation process for both nest and hive is quite straightforward,

  but I would always advise a professional person carry out the installation.

  Both have a receiver which replaces your time clock or programmer.

  The thermostats talk to the receiver to carry out your commands.

  The hive thermostat is totally wireless, it comes supplied with six batteries that should last around two years before they need replacing.

  Nest has rechargeable batteries built in, so it comes with a fly lead that needs to be connected to a power supply.

  Normally when installing a nest,

  you use the old thermostat wire, which may have been high voltage before.

  Now the wire will be used to trickle charge the thermostat from the receiver.

  Both Nest and Hive offer thermostat stands that you can move around with you from room to room,

  the only difference is the nest needs to be plugged into the power supply.

  Both now offer a range of other smart products like cameras, smoke detectors and so on, that will work on the same network.

  When searching for a smart thermostat,

  be it a nest or hive do some research first, speak to a local installer and ask questions about each one.

  Both do the same job, just in different ways.

  Nest or Hive?