Does anyone else struggle to get out of bed in the morning because the house is too cold? When it’s lovely and toasty under the duvet it is very difficult to contemplate forcing yourself out to switch on the heating.
The Tado Smart Thermostat system can help to encourage you out of hibernation by being able to control the heating straight from your phone (let’s just hope that’s within arm’s reach). The Starter Kit V3+ comes with the Smart Thermostat, Internet Bridge, USB cables, connectors, ethernet cable, mounting screws, adhesive pads, labelling for the cables, screwdriver and three AAA batteries to get you started.
The Tado works as a multiroom control with a new heating algorithm, this can save money on your heating bill, it features an improved interface on the thermostat as well as the new Smart Schedules in the app that make controlling of your heating even easier. This Smart Thermostat uses your phone’s location to control the heating, ensuring no energy is wasted and it gives full control over your heating wherever you are via your smart device. The Tado is packed with features to adjust your heating and play with the settings, with the addition of radiator controls you can change the temperature in each individual room, but it will work as a stand-alone product as well.
The Tado is straight forward to install, and is compatible with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Echo and IFTTT, letting you access the heating options with just the sound of your voice. The Smart Thermostat can be automatically controlled via the location of your smartphone as well as manually, by schedule or on the device itself with Touch Arrows on the control panel. The large and minimalist screen displays the current temperature and setting, the Internet Bridge connects to the internet via your router and the Smart Thermostat and the Internet Bridge communicate via radio.
The Tado shows how much you are saving on your heating, the Geolocation feature uses the residents’ locations to control the heating, ensuring the heating is off when nobody is home and heats up when the first person is back. You can use the Geofencing and Open Window Detection with the Auto-Assist Skill (Auto-Assist Skill is available in the app for £2.99 per month) these both work without Auto-Assist, you will simply be notified via push notifications to (de)activate the heating if the Skills are triggered. The Tado will provide you with reports to show the home temperature throughout the day and your savings, it will also use local weather forecasts to heat your home more efficiently. If there are any issues you will receive heating error messages with direct assistance and advice, over time the Tado will get to know your home and will learn how to heat it in the most efficient way, whilst giving you full control at the same time with automatic heating control, schedules or manual controls.
It is compatible with 95% of heating systems, boiler/gas central heating, underfloor heating, wireless room thermostat and wired room thermostat. The Tado is a hard working device that looks sleek and is as easy to set up as it is to use, all these features come at a price but it is worth it just to be able to poke your toes out from under the duvet without the fear of frost bite. RRP £119.99
Tado Extension Kit
The Extension Kit comes with an Extension Box, connection cable, terminal block, Euroblock connectors, RAST five connectors and mounting material and can be used to replace a hot water controlling programmer and controls heating based on sensor data from the Smart Thermostat. Compatible with the UK standard programmer backplate it works with the Smart Thermostat Starter Kit V2, V3, V3+. Enabling you to have full control of your hot water, it needs to be connected to the Smart Thermostat, if there is no room thermostat or if you have a wireless room thermostat it will then work as a wireless receiver for the heating system. It connects directly to your heating system via cable and then the thermostat communicates via radio with the Extension Kit to control the heating. RRP £79.99
- Easy to install
- Lots of useful features
- Attractive device and display
- Compatible with Apple, Amazon and Google smart homes
- Expandable
- Pricey (both Starter Kit and accessories)
