Wireless vs. Smart Thermostats: Which Option Is Better?

We hear the terms wireless, Wi-Fi and smart bandied about when referring to thermostats. What’s the difference, and which is best for your home? Let’s have a look at wireless vs. smart thermostats.

Wireless vs. Smart: How Do They Differ?

Wireless — or Wi-Fi, as they are often called — thermostats require logging onto the internet to operate them. Users access the thermostat through their phones, tablets, or speakers and change the temperature or perform other tasks. You can perform these tasks from near or far, as long as you can get on the internet.

You must also have access to the internet to operate a smart thermostat, accessing it through an app on a smart device, which you can do with a Wi-Fi model.

Smart thermostats are smart because they can learn. They “observe” your comings and goings, noting your habits and then adjusting the home’s temperature accordingly. For instance, one model of a popular smart thermostat will note that you leave the house every day at 7:30 a.m. and return at 6 p.m. After a couple of days, it will (in summer) reflect this activity by raising the temperature a few degrees after you leave the house, then lowering it a few degrees before you come home so you’ll be comfortable.

A Wi-Fi thermostat can only be set to perform actions; it will never make decisions on its own.

Wireless vs. Smart: Which Is Best?

When you’re ready for a thermostat upgrade, which is best, wireless vs. smart? As you shop, consider a few things that some well-known brands of smart thermostats can do:

• Analyze your energy usage.
• Notify you if you need maintenance or a repair.
• Provide “geofencing,” or the ability to sense when you’re close to home so the thermostat can be adjusted.
• Manage hot and cold spots.

Still pondering wireless vs. smart? If your HVAC system is compatible with a smart thermostat, it might be preferable to go with this more advanced option, since smart thermostats can do more than Wi-Fi units can.

For more on wireless vs. smart thermostats, contact CCAC of Corpus Christi.