Update: 4 day in with this unit. Having spent a large amount of hours getting this Wyze device to work, I will give an update. I still do not have full functionality on the Thermostat no 2nd stage cooling. But it does now work.
The good stuff. The design is great looks clean and I will say nicer than my Ecobee thermostat it replaced. The big winners are the easy to use interface that is operated with the knob and integrated push button. Super simple, extremely intuitive. Great Job Wyze on that part. The screen changes colors to show the operation, Very nice touch! Integration with the App is really good.
Now for the bad part. I have a modern new HVAC system that is super common. It’s a Goodman 18 Seer 2 stage 3 ton system. Millions of them are installed . The system did not ,and does not work as it should with this system. No 2 stage cooling. Yes, it worked perfectly with the ecobee.
Another note, when in testing mode. There should be a pause in the firmware when the thermostat changes from testing the heating, to testing the cooling. The head pressures should be allowed to equalise before the reversing valve is switched. This rapid switching could cause damage and possibly void your warranty. I could plainly see an issue when I hooked up gauges to the system. The thermostat instantly switches the HVAC system from Heating mode under full operation and pressures to Cooling mode the reversing valve does what the thermostat commands it to do. Quite the backflow of refrigerant in the system, Impressive in a bad way… This Goodman unit has safeguards to prevent damage but some older heat pumps might not. If you have gauges and want to see something pretty crazy run the testing and watch the system pressure when the thermostat changes from heating to cooling! This would be an easy firmware fix with a pause before the switch after a shutdown. This is a flaw in the thermostat TESTING routine and should have been identified during Beta.
Basically the thermostat is a pretty cool value for the money IF they can get the problems worked out. I commend Wyze for trying to offer this unit because of the complexities of HVAC gear and the DIY crowd.
I will still stick by my main complaint of Wyze using the paying customer to Beta test the gear after release, to fix issues that should have been caught in Beta testing.
Now lets see if Wyze can fix the problems with a firmware update. Before people destroy some equipment!
