Thermostat - Ideas for temperature setting range and differential

For thermostats the range setting is a great way to keep comfortable. However: if you realize you want the heat a degree warmer and that degree would violate the minimum 5-degree separation between “heat to” and “cool to” you end up having to edit the “cool to” first.

The cleaner way would be to eschew the two dials altogether and let me specify a target temp on a dial and a +/- spread in a slider under it.

On the device you could do this as a two stage: one dial at to set the target, another to set the spread.

[Mod Edit]: Title Modified to Enhance Search Clarity.

I personally am very dissatisfied with the range functionality and limits. I only installed one of the two thermostats. If the thermostat can’t be updated to simply specify a temperature and heat can cool when it gets a couple or three degrees outside the temperature I’m returning both. Having the range setup the way it is basically means I’ll never have the house at the temperature I want…EVER…without constantly changing it based on the outside temperature. one day the heat may be on because it is 55 degrees and warm up to 68, a warm front moves in the next day it is 75 or 80, and my house will only cool to 73. So if I want the temperature 71 both days, I’m basically manually adjusting the my “smart” thermostat each day. Am I missing something. I’m a fan of Wyze, but this is a deal breaker!!

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I agree the range is a bit much and doesn’t work for me. I went into the app and changed my setting from “auto” to “heat” and it allows me to select one temp. If I want the ac on I’ll just go into the app and change it to “cool”. This to me is an acceptable solution.

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I agree. I work from home and the 5 degree variance is ridiculous, I would have to constantly change the temperature to stay comfortable with a 5 degree range of variance. I so far have set mine on “hold” to keep the temperature where I need it.

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Totally agree. This is not a smart thermostat. It is as dumb as the Honeywell one I replaced this with. I want to say that the temp should be 70 and have it figure it all out. You know, Smart!!! Guess this proves you cannot make a $50 smart thermostat.

Maybe they should call this what it is. A Wi-Fi connected thermostat.

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I agree as well. While having to set the stat to heat instead of auto is a little less “smart” than I’d like, it’s an acceptable solution for me (for now). I suspect the Wyze team will get this remedied in a future update.

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They way I understand it is the temperature range in full auto is so you never have to think about the therm summer to winter.
This isn’t really a function I desire…and…
if your goal is to have a specific temp, turn off auto mode and go to heat or cool and set the temp.
Works great.
What are the smarts to this?
So far simply more scheduling flexibility than my dumb therm.

I haven’t checked out the 5 degree deadband stated above, but all thermostats that have an auto setting to go from heat to cool automatically have a deadband. Yes I mean ALL, regardless of price and/or use, this includes highly advanced stats used in commercial buildings. Wyze should make this deadband a user defined, 5 degrees is too wide of a spread. They could easily add this adjustment into their app. I really wanted to like this stat, but it’s low price brings a lack of features. They should also have a max heating setpoint as well as a minimum cool setpoint. Hopefully, Wyze will add features over time. Currently Ecobee/Nest have nothing to fear.

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While this does seem like something that is easy to fix, would you really want a 3 degree difference, where your heat or AC could be alternating being on in a day?
Example, here in the south it may get in the 50s at night, then could get upper 60s or low 70s in the afternoon. I don’t want my AC kicking on in the winter.
The full auto is not a selling point for me.
I will be testing it out, but I’d rather push the limits of comfort in spring/fall and have doors/windows open rather than have the HVAC kick on.

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A slight temp spread combined with a time delay between heat and cool would be a nice choice to have. And/or factor in outdoor temp. I never have understood why thermostats don’t let the user factor in outdoor temps with preferences.

Yep, outdoor temp should be a usable factor. That’s where a different thread discussion was going with SmartThings integration.

Severely disappointed in the inability to set a target temperature and expect the thermostat to maintain that by using heat or cool without my input. As others have posted, just trying to change the temperature by 1 degree will require too much manipulation of the “range” than I want to fool with.

I’m sending it back.

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I’m not sure what the complaint is.
You want to use auto?
Looks like the closest allowed is a min 5 degree split.
Other than that, you can set the temp.
Sure, seems like you should be able to set less than a 5 degree split, but do you really want to do that?

The complaint is that adjusting that window is tedious. In Texas 9am and 3pm may differ by 30 degrees. A 5-degree spread of “warm to 70, cool to 75” is fine until someone finds 70 too cold or 75 too warm.

You cannot move the spread without first pushing the side you don’t care about adjusting to make “room” to move the side of the temp you do care to adjust. That’s a ludicrous UI.

Of course you can manually set it to heat or cool. It wouldn’t be a thermostat if you couldn’t. But we all bought this to get a smarter unit. I am fine that there is a 5-degree window. Most auto units have that, despite it being kind of a ridiculous width.

The problem is that adjusting that window is incredibly tedious. It would be like saying before you can set your cam’s resolution you had to first set the resolution back to 320. Or saying you can’t set the bulb from blue to a warmer blue without first setting it all the way to yellow.

We got past that kind of sloppy interface decades ago.

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Ah, adjustment pain.
I’m with you. There are additional smart things/adjustments I’d like to make.
Hoping as the UI matures, these will appear.

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The thermostat is not smart. It doesn’t save any energy. Its a wifi controlled thermostats, that’s it.
Example: Its turns on at 9:28pm (balanced mode) when it’s scheduled to turn off at 9:30pm. Basically my heater went on and before it could heat up it turned off. Very disappointed.

I think what would work for me is that if the schedules followed the mode selected. For example, if i have HEAT selected, the schedule should ONLY let me set one temperature.

For example, the schedule should have a HEAT temperature and a COOL temperature. But, if i have HEAT mode only, it should use the HEAT temp, and not worry about the 5 deg window.

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Seems to be how it works for me. I have heat selected and it only deals with said lower number

We need separate schedules for Heat and Cool. Auto will never run in my house. The temp spacing is far too great to get comfortable temps plus you can’t run an air conditioner in the winter, if it did kick on it would ruin itself according to my HVAC guy.

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I agree, I don’t see auto working for me, but it appears there is separate heat/cool. I’m using it now and working great on the heat side.