Hive heating alternative

I’ve got quite a comprehensive set of Hive smart heating devices, main thermostat, additional zone thermostat and a fair few smart radiator valves (TRVs). When it works it’s great but I’m being driven mad by their software and the need for external connectivity to control or fix anything, or even calibrate the valves. Their helpdesk is always busy. They’ve removed the option to trigger calibration from the app, you have request this via the helpdesk! We’ve had some radiators moved about and I’ve been swapping the valves around today.

The problems I have today:
– Smart TRVs will not pair. The pairing fails and but the device appears in my devices. It isn’t on the main dashboard however. I can’t control the temp with it
– Phantom duplicate device appearing on the dashboard
– Helpdesk busy, no agents available

I’m now all for getting rid of the lot on eBay and buying something more reliable and fixable without a helpdesk. What are the options out there?

I need a smart thermostat for the heating and hot water, additional zone control* and smart radiator valves.

*This only controls the master bedroom. Another option is to wire up the system valve to the main controller instead and add a smart TRV on the radiator in there for zone control. I’d have to get someone in to swap the valve for a TRV one

I have a Tado system, just one thermostat, no additional smart bits. I chose it over Hive because the Hive website was nigh on impossible to use so despite the great reputation I gave up. Tado was completely different and the system such as it is has been absolutely faultless, even somehow adapting to when I get the wood burner going.

We’ve got a Drayton Wiser setup. If you’d asked a year ago I would have recommended you forgot they even exist, but they appear to have put in some effort with the app and I can’t fault it now. We have 8 TRVs and a smart plug, they were (eventually) easy to set up, easy to use, lots of useful info in the app and I can check on the house when I’m away at work (GMT+2) and warm up the house for the family waking up if needed.

If there was anything to grumble about the batteries can be a bit short-lived, but I suspect that’s because I buy cheapo ones in bulk.

Honeywell Evohome has worked pretty well for me, hot water and 16 TRV’s setup in a dozen zones.

Could have more features and more settings to play with but very happy with it overall.

We’ve also got Evohome here, 13 zones and it just works and doesn’t rely on external connection apart from linking to the app. Guess it would benefit from an update but the only trouble it gives is having to replace trv batteries every now and then.

Tado is great, been utterly faultless for us. It does need connectivity to do most things though.

However, one issue that could be a huge issue for some people is the fact that the thermostats all need to talk to the ‘internet bridge’ over RF, and you can only have one internet bridge. Thus, if you have a large house in any one dimension, or a weird shape (ours is small but L shaped) then you can ruin into issues getting them to talk to the bridge. It’s a huge oversight IMHO.

Wiser system is good value for money, although the radiator heads seem to drink batteries. Tado X looks interesting, not least because it’s apparently silent when adjusting the valves (neither Wiser nor Evohome are particularly good at this if in a bedroom).

If you’re planning a heat pump upgrade then they’re discouraged as there’s little point in zoning a system designed to heat the fabric of a building.

Still very much love my Tado system. Because it would cost well over a grand to swap the hardware I’ve consciously prevented myself from looking at the new Tado X system.

Trouble with these heating systems is people really only have experience of the one they are invested in, so not many people can give comparative advice. When I bought my Tado system the only alternatives were Hive and Nest which where were not worth considering due to, at the time, missing the absolute basics (geolocation, TVRs).

The other thing Tado X has is rechargeable batteries on the radiator valves and spares are available to avoid having a valve out of action.

I’ve consciously prevented myself from looking at the new Tado X system

I’ll stick with my current V3 Tado’s the X’s are a bit fugly