I've searched around a lot and the Lux Geo is the thermostat I finally decided on. It's been installed for almost two months now, and has pretty much lived up to expectations. It's not perfect, but it's plenty good enough that I purchased a second one for upstairs.
What I finally decided to be my "must have" feature is usage history data. I want to see what the temperature was and how long my HVAC operated. After reading many different articles on home energy, I confirmed that there's almost no significant energy savings to be had by using a "smart/wifi" thermostat as opposed to a just a "programmable" one. All the big savings claims are in how it's used. So I wanted something more significant when going from "programmable" to "smart/wifi" than just claims of savings.
And it also meant that I didn't want one that attempted to "learn" what I wanted. People feel hot, cold, or comfortable at the exact same temperature, depending on what their body is doing at any given moment. And every body is different. Yesterday, I had to put on a jacket and socks, yet the temp was 2 degrees warmer than it normally is inside. Sometimes I run warm. Sometimes it feels warmer/cooler than it is due to the outside temperature differential. Sometimes I'm comfortable, but others are not. And for whatever the reason, there are those in my family that feel that if they change the thermostat to an extreme hot or cold, it'll make it get to that temperature faster somehow---this happens in the car. All. The. Time. The thermostat is at 74 where everyone normally likes it. But the car is hot after sitting in the sun for a while. Change it to 65 so it gets cold faster! ...and I digress. :) Basically, a consistent climate for the house is always better than one that bends to whims. And a "learning" thermostat will always be playing catch-up.
The main points I looked for in a thermostat were the following:
* Usage history data
* WiFi (access through a phone App)
* Auto change-over (automatically switches between heating and cooling as needed)
* Continues to work when the Internet and/or WiFi is unavailable.
* Console lockout (something to deter a passer-by from messing with the thermostat)
I looked at a bunch of thermostats, considering reviews as well as perusing the user manuals. All of the Honeywell WiFi thermostats dropped out because none of them offer usage history. The Emerson (Sensi/1F86U-42W) models dropped out for the same reason. The Vine "Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat" (TJ-610B) also has no history, but there were other red flags for me on that one that would have kept me away regardless.
That left the Nest (3rd generation), ecobee3 (2nd generation), ecobee Smart Si, Schneider Electric Wiser Air (1st generation), and the Lux Geo. The ecobee3 is the nicest, but was 2.5 times as expensive as the Lux Geo; it's nice, but not 2.5 times as nice. The Nest is in the same boat with the ecobee3, but looks like one of those old Honeywell thermostats from 50 years ago, and it has that irritating habit of thinking it knows what you want more than you do. The Schneider is the next one on the list as you go down in cost, but the "only 24 hours of history" and the repeated reports of a clunky phone-app experience made me feel that I'd rather spend extra to get an ecobee3. In the same price range as the Schneider is the ecobee Smart Si. That has the same functionality as the ecobee3, minus the added temperature sensor functionality---and people don't feel it looks as nice. There have been complaints about ecobee's servers going down, but those were resolved years ago, so that didn't worry me. However, complaints that you can't program an ecobee at all if the Internet is down felt significant to me.
And now we arrive at the ~100 mark. Here we have the Radio CT50 and the Lux Geo (well it was back when I bought mine). I was originally favoring the Radio thermostat, but there has been talk (Amazon reviews) of the company starting to abandon the product line and enough people have had issues with WiFi connectivity that it gave me pause. I might have gone for the ecobee Smart Si if not for finding the Lux Geo. It hit all of the major points on my list, and ~100 is better than ~150.
Cons
* Usage data is only in the "cloud", not local. (ALL thermostats with history have this problem.)
* Cannot operate the thermostat through the phone app if the Internet is down. (Almost all "cloud" connected thermostats have this problem.)
* No "recovery" functionality. (Where the thermostat automatically figures out how to get the temperature to the setpoint before the next schedule starts.) This isn't really important to me.
* The setup couldn't find my WiFi network, so I had to manually enter the SSID. However it did connect perfectly after that and it has stayed connected since---and I did not have this same problem when setting up the second Lux Geo upstairs.
* The time that the fan runs in "Clean Cycle" mode is not reflected in the history.
Pros
* The least expensive thermostat offering usage history data (well, it was at the time I bought it).
* I like the look more than I thought I would (don't mind the up-close jaggies in the temperature readout).
* The history data display makes it easy to see how your schedule is working out.
* Automatic change-over between heat and cool.
* Works without Internet access (physically, not through the phone).
* Has a console lockout feature (on the Home screen, hold the green triangle-button for ~11sec).
* The displayed temperature is very easy to read from a distance.
* Leaving the backlight on provides a bright night-light.
* It allows offset of the temperature readout.
* I like the simple dial interface; the soft audible clicks when turning or pressing are nice feedback.
I now have one Lux Geo on the main floor and one upstairs. Both have been calibrated with an offset of -4.6F which brings them into the range of other various digital thermometers I have available around the house (they're all within about 1F of each other). Both are running off the 'C' wire and use the batteries as a backup. I've also figured out, thanks to the history, that having the upstairs temperature set one degree hotter, both HVAC units run about the same amount of time each day. So I feel they're working together fairly well.
Everything is presently working well enough that the thermostats fade into the background. Every few days, I might check the history on my phone to see how much the HVACs have been running, or what the variance has been in temperature through the day. On occasion, I turn on the "clean cycle" mode for a day, but I haven't see a clear benefit in the present weather; I'll probably experiment with it again when it's colder. (Clean Cycle makes the fan run for 6min every 20min to push air through the system; some people like/need it in their home to even out the temp through the house.)
On a final tangent, the Lux Geo's sensitivity to temperature changes has revealed that I've got an issue with the location of my downstairs thermostat. There's either a draft, or I have something wrong in my wiring that occasionally builds up some heat. I originally had feared that the thermostat was broken, since occasionally it would read 3-5 degrees (F) warmer than thermometers I'd put next to it. However, when I took it off the wall and moved it a foot away, it would change to match the other thermometers. So if you think your thermostat is reading the wrong temperature, get at least one other thermometer to check it against. When it's "off", move them all to another location. I've seen the Lux Geo adjust within 10 seconds, but it really depends on the temperature difference how fast it changes (which is a good thing).
| Brand | LUX |
|---|---|
| Model Name | Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat |
| Controller Type | Vera, Amazon Alexa, iOS, Android |
| Special Feature | Programmable |
| Color | White |
| Connectivity Technology | Wi-Fi |
| Included Components | thermostat |
| Power Source | Battery Powered |
| Item Weight | 0.95 Pounds |
| Voltage | 220 Volts |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Display Type | Digital |
| Control Type | Button Control |
| Control Method | Voice |
| Connectivity Protocol | Wi-Fi |
| Style | Smart,Wi-fi |
| Backlight | Yes |
| Number of Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. |
| Manufacturer | Lux Products Corporation |
| Part Number | GEO-WH |
| Item Weight | 15.2 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 5.81 x 1.5 x 3 inches |
| Item model number | GEO-WH |
| Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Special Features | Programmable |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | Yes |
| Battery Cell Type | Lithium |
| Average Battery Life | 365 days |
