5 Best Smart Thermostats for a Smarter Home

For the first week or two that you own the Nest Learning Thermostat, you change the temperature manually based on your comfort level so that the thermostat can get an idea for the temperatures you like at different times of day. After the learning period, it will automatically adjust the temperature for you throughout the day.

We like that it alerts you when it detects extreme temperatures, but it also has light sensors to compensate for direct sunlight, so you won't have to worry about wonky readings. And if you get additional temperature sensors, the thermostat will adjust based on temperature readings in rooms that might be far away from the thermostat itself.

If you like your Amazon Alexa, you'll love the Ecobee4. It has an Alexa digital assistant built right into the thermostat, so you can use voice commands to change your temperature settings and more. In fact, you can perform all the same skills with your Ecobee4 that you can do with your Alexa, but you might want to leave the tunes to your Echo—the Ecobee4's sound quality isn't great for playing music (it is still a thermostat, after all). Also, if you don't want to confuse your other Alexa devices within hearing range of your Ecobee, you might want to change its wake name to "Echo" instead.

The Ecobee4 comes with an extra temperature sensor to help you regulate temperature throughout your home, and it's compatible with a wide variety of HVAC systems.

When compared to some of the other smart thermostats on our list, the Honeywell Lyric T5 shines when it comes to price. At just under $100, you won't get a motion (occupancy) sensor or as many set points each day as Ecobee or Nest, but like those two, it does have a touchscreen, extreme temperature alerts, and geofencing. The screen lock feature makes this a great thermostat for rentals because it prevents anyone from messing with the thermostat settings without a specified PIN.

Honeywell's biggest flaw is the same as the Ecobee4's: it frequently loses Wi-Fi, and it alerts you on your phone every time it does. Most users say it comes back quickly with an app refresh, but the frequent lost signal alerts can get annoying. 

While the Nest Thermostat E has many similar functions to its more striking and expensive big brother, it's not as universally compatible with HVAC systems, putting it into our Honorable Mention category. It also doesn't have the "Farsight" motion sensor with different display options like other Nest thermostats. But it does have an attractive white frosted screen design, it learns your schedule, and it uses geofencing to know when you're out of the house. If it's compatible with your system, it might be a good option for you.

Like the Nest Thermostat E, the Ecobee3 Lite is a little simpler than its big brother, the Ecobee4. It doesn't come with an extra sensor and there's no Amazon Alexa inside, but it is compatible with Alexa and other smart home hubs like Wink Hub, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. You can buy extra Ecobee sensors if you want your thermostat to use temperatures in other rooms. The Ecobee3 Lite doesn't have as many Wi-Fi network issues as the more complicated Ecobee4, but it's not quite as user friendly as Nest.