Honeywell Home RTH9585WF1004 Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat, 7 Day Programmable, Touch Screen, Energy Star, Alexa Ready

This is actually my second purchase… I purchased one for my last house, and I loved this thermostat so much that I made sure that I purchased another one for my new build. Initially, I purchased a Google nest and I hated it. I didn’t like the look of it or the functionality. This one is good looking and easy to function. The numbers are large enough that if you’re across the room you can see the temperature and humidity. It has the ability to change the color of the background to your liking or to match your surroundings, and is a smart set up so this can be accessed from your phone so that if you travel or go away from home, you have control over your heat and air conditioning from your phone. I have not hooked mine to the phone yet so I cannot comment on the ease of use of that particular feature, but I intended to download the app.

Embarking on a journey with a new thermostat felt like being thrust into a modern-day fairytale, where technology and comfort intertwine to craft a realm of perfect temperature. The thermostat, a beacon of promise, promised to usher my abode into the era of automation, a dream where warmth and chill danced in harmony at the behest of my mere whims. With the guardians of customer support as my loyal allies, the path seemed clear, the quest straightforward.However, as in all great tales, a twist awaited. Despite my meticulous adherence to the ancient scrolls—manuals and instructions—the magic of automation proved elusive. My abode remained a realm of either eternal summer or unyielding winter, with no passage between. The scrolls spoke of a schedule, a mystical timeline that the thermostat was to follow, yet the dance between heat and cold remained a dance unperformed. It was as if the very essence of the thermostat, its ability to transition seamlessly from heat to cool, was locked away behind an invisible barrier.Compelled by necessity, I sought the wisdom of the customer support sages, who guided me through a labyrinth of menus, each step a closer approach to the heart of the enchantment. And there, hidden away in the depths of arcane settings, lay the key—a feature of automatic control, the very soul of the thermostat, yet inexplicably veiled and guarded as if it were a secret of the highest order.Why, oh why, would the creators choose to obscure such fundamental magic? The feature that is the quintessence of the thermostat's purpose was not just disabled by default but ensconced behind a veil of complexity, unmentioned in any scroll or tome. This choice, a puzzling enigma, left me to ponder the ways of those who craft such devices. Is it a test of our resolve, a rite of passage for the modern homeowner? Or perhaps a reminder that in a world teeming with automation and convenience, the human touch remains indispensable, a beacon of warmth in the mechanical coldness of our times.In this epic tale of automation and temperature control, another subplot thickens the narrative, adding a layer of intrigue and challenge. The thermostat, our protagonist in this saga of modern comfort, was heralded not only for its ability to orchestrate the delicate balance between warmth and chill but also for its alliance with a powerful mage known in the lands far and wide: Alexa, the voice of wisdom and command.The scrolls and heralds spoke of a seamless union, a partnership where voice could command the elements, summoning warmth or summoning chill with nothing but a whisper into the ether. This promise, a beacon of convenience in the digital age, was a symphony of technology and magic, a dream of living in harmony with the elements through the mere power of voice.Yet, as the journey unfolded, it became apparent that the alliance with Alexa was not as it seemed. The integration, though present, was akin to a distant friendship rather than the promised deep and intuitive bond. Alexa, for all her wisdom and power, could only partially command the thermostat. The native integration, a term that conjured images of seamless interaction and effortless control, was, in truth, a tapestry with threads loose and missing.This revelation, much like the hidden feature of automatic control, added layers to the quest. It was a reminder that in the realm of technology, promises of harmony and ease often come with their own trials and tribulations. The partnership with Alexa, overstated in its capabilities, was a beacon that guided the narrative toward a truth often found in the modern age: that the magic of integration, of different realms of technology coming together, is a journey fraught with complexity, a path that requires patience, understanding, and sometimes, the guidance of sage customer support.Thus, the tale of the thermostat and its ventures into automation, temperature control, and voice command becomes a saga not just of triumph and technology, but of expectations, of understanding the fine print in the scrolls of marketing, and of navigating the realities of our interconnected digital landscape. It's a story that continues to unfold, as we, the seekers of comfort and convenience, chart our path through the ever-evolving world of smart homes.In the end, the thermostat saga was a tale of triumph, a testament to the enduring spirit of inquiry and the boundless patience of customer support. Yet, it leaves a lingering question in the air, like the subtle shift from heat to cool—a question of design, of user experience, and of the journey we embark upon with the technology we invite into our homes.

I had a standard, basic "Dumb" Honeywell for many years and worked perfectly, although I had to manually change settings from the basic 5/2 day schedule to override them. Having Alexa, I wanted to have the ease to change it via voice as well as when I am not home, so I bought the "Smart" Honeywell.After a week, here are my pros and cons:PROS- INTERFACE: Despite what other reviewers have said, I find the interface intuitive and just fine to configure the device.- TOUCHSCREEN: I had none of the horror stories about the touchscreen, listed throughout these reviews. The interface worked surprisingly well and I never had to push anything more than once ever.- SIZE: The thermostat is surprisingly small, compared to my "Dumb" Honey, and I like it more.- TEMP: The temp has been spot on.- DOCUMENTATION: The documentation is complete and most DYI'ers will have no issue following them.- WIFI: Zero issues connecting it to my Wifi.- ALEXA: Zero issues integrating with Alexa. Voice control worked instantly after integration.- INTERFACE: One of the reasons I chose this one was because unlike pricier options, this one shows the external temp and humidity which is a great quick check without having to look anywhere else to verify.- REGISTRATION: Registering the device with the Honeywell website was easy.CONS- WIRE CONNECTORS - Having installed many thermostats, this one was easily the worst and VERY delicate to insert wires. I can see why many consumers, even experienced ones, broke the terminal connectors when attempting to insert them. There is VERY little room to work on the wall plate, and there are no screws like all the others I have ever installed. As a result, here is what I found. First, if you push the first wire in too far and forcefully, the other connectors will be "open" and won't accept the next wire. The next connector will be "loose" and never grip the second wire, and the FIRST one will fall out. I had to take a tweezer with a bent end to "reset" the first connector and then all the connectors reset and I could begin again. (I was ready to return it.) Second, on my next attempt, I realized that you insert a wire until you feel resistance and then "gently" push the wire in like .25 mm (barely nothing) until you feel the slightest click on your finger. Believe it or not, that small amount is all it takes to grip the wire securely. Start on the top of each side and work down gently until all the wires are installed.- FAN: Strangely, the "Dumb" Honey had "ON", "OFF", "AUTO" but "Smart" Honey has "ON", "AUTO", "CIRCULATING". As a result, I have to trust the thermostat to run the fan on its own and I cannot turn if off completely, short of turning off the heat or A/C. At this point, the fan seems to be following a more "intelligent" function related to the heating and does turn itself off when it sees fit.-HUMIDITY: Although the temp is spot on, I have 2 humidistats in the house that are both consistent by the humidity percentage on the "Smart" Honey seems off by 5% and varies from the other two. The thermostat has a configuration setting to adjust the default up or down by degrees you choose, but I have fiddled with this setting and have not seen a consistency in "Smart" Honey with my other two humidistats, one which is 5 feet away from "Smart" Honey. After a couple of attempts, the "Smart" Honey seems to lag on internal humidity value, while at other times, it's showing the same value.Overall, "Smart" Honey has definitely won my affections with its verbal attention to my requests and interface. As "Dumb" Honey sits on my counter, dejected, I have assured it that I am keeping it as a backup just in case this new Honey goes bonkers, breaks or increases my utility bills.

The price was right. Paid more than twice for the Honeywell model provided by my furnace service company. I bought this for one reason: it has automatic switching between cooling and heating. It does do that but what they don't tell you is that there has to be a 3 degree difference between cooling and heating set points so my goal of a constant temperature is kind of muted. Also, you really have to dig to find the settings to turn this feature on. Another complaint: if I just mount it as supplied I'm left with an unfinished part of the wall exposed. I was given a larger decorative plate with my last thermostat but the plate had clips not compatible with the new one; had to cut them off. The plate is just a piece of plastic; should be supplied automatically. The good news: instructions were very clear. I had it installed and up and running in 30 minutes, including getting it registered and connected to the wifi.