People who know me know that DIY is not my strong point. It's not that I'm bad at it, it's just that I'm not that interested in it. So when tado ° contacted me to test their smart thermostat on Byothe.fr, I hesitated a bit for fear of having difficulty installing the beast… and risking destroying my boiler.

But taking my courage in both hands (left?), I accepted the challenge… my desire to test a new connected device having been stronger than my fear of breaking everything! And after several weeks of testing, I must say that I have absolutely no regrets… it’s even a real revelation.

So I'm going to tell you about this smart thermostat from tado°, its installation and its features... let's go!

What is a smart thermostat?

The advent of the Internet of Things has been a real boon for the evolution of thermostats. As a result, room thermostats have become connected or smart. These devices allow you to regulate your heating. A temperature detector sends information to a receiver connected to your boiler in order to reach the desired temperature in the room where the detector is located.

The purpose of such a device is multiple since it allows you to very finely control the temperature of your interior (possibly room by room) for maximum comfort while saving money by only heating when necessary!

And it even works with slightly older boilers provided that they have the possibility of connecting a room thermostat... in any case, you can contact tado° support with your boiler model and they will quickly tell you whether it is compatible or not.

Installation

As I said above, I was a little reluctant to tinker with my boiler, especially since it is not very recent and sometimes a little temperamental... but in the end tado° does things well and this installation turned out to be no more complicated than putting together a small Ikea piece of furniture.

Indeed, the strength of tado° undoubtedly lies in the support it provides to the user in the installation of their devices. Indeed, the user is guided step by step by the tado° mobile application throughout the installation.

In my case, that works out pretty well because it leaves very little room for improvisation!

The first steps of installing the tado° Smart Thermostat are extremely simple and have given me confidence for the rest. First, you will need to download the mobile app and create an account to start the installation. On the box, a QR code allows you to find the app on the Apple Store or Google Play without thinking.

Once this step is completed, you will need to install 3 separate boxes.

The first of these boxes, the Internet Bridge, connects to your box and serves as an interface between your installation and the mobile application for controlling the installation. Nothing too complicated for the Bridge: scan the QR code on the device to register it automatically then connect it to your router via the Ethernet cable provided. For power, there are two options: either via USB if your router has a socket, or via a standard power socket with the power adapter provided.

The second box, the Smart Thermostat, is just as easy to install. Scan the QR code to save it, insert the batteries and start pairing with the Internet Bridge. You can then attach it to the wall using adhesive tape or screws.

For the installation of the Wireless receiver, which connects directly to your boiler, things get a little complicated… but nothing insurmountable! You will need an electrician's screwdriver, a flathead screwdriver and a crosshead screwdriver… but also a drill to fix the box to the wall.

The application has a knowledge base in which a large number of boilers are referenced. You will have to search for your boiler in the database in order to obtain the procedure to follow adapted to your case. Unfortunately, my boiler was not in the knowledge base. So I contacted technical support and after a few exchanges on the model of my device they created a tutorial dedicated to my boiler available directly in the tado° app! Magical (and reassuring)!

Installing the Receiver, unlike other boxes, will require a few tools and strict adherence to the steps provided by the application… starting with turning off your boiler to avoid getting a shock.

So you will have to open the hood of your boiler and locate the wiring area to connect your thermostat… the areas are clearly identified by the tutorial, but it may be useful to have the instructions for your boiler to help you find your way around. When everything is connected properly, all you have to do is close it and drill 2 holes in a wall near the boiler to fix the Receiver.

Turn the boiler back on, plug in the Receiver and all you have to do is synchronize it with the rest of the installation!

And it's that simple! Honestly, if I could get to the end of this installation, I think anyone can do it! And in the worst case scenario, if you don't feel like it, your plumber will be able to install it for you and will even have dedicated documentation provided.

The only small downside in the installation process is that from time to time I came across steps written in English while everything else was in French...

Usage and features

The tado° smart thermostat is controlled using a dedicated app available on the Apple Store and Google Play. You will need it from the installation and it will then accompany you to manage your device.

In fact, the application will group all your tado° devices in the same place... because in addition to the smart thermostat, you will be able to use thermostatic heads which will control your radiators independently.

The application is pretty well done. You will find a first part dedicated to your house and in which you can access the different rooms that you have created and the devices present in each of these rooms. In my case, I only have a thermostat located in my living room.

To control the temperature of a room in your home, click on it. You will then have many options to best manage the heat in the room in question. First of all, you will be able to manually control the target temperature of the room (note that this can also be controlled from the Smart Thermostat box located in the room) for a set period or not. You can also turn off your heating and if necessary set it to "Anti-frost protection" mode. This mode allows you to reactivate your heating if the temperature drops too much and thus protect your home from frost.

The other option that makes sense is smart programming. This option allows you to set the temperature according to a weekly schedule. So, if you are not at home during the day on weekdays, you can turn off the heating or keep a lower temperature… and program a more comfortable temperature for the times when you are at home. Days can be programmed individually or grouped together for fine temperature control.

There is also an “Away” mode allowing you to program a minimum temperature when you are not at home.

The room display shows you a number of information such as the heating status, the current programming, the room temperature and the humidity. A button gives you access to a graph showing the evolution of the temperature, humidity, the times when the heating was on and the sunshine, throughout the day.

An "Ambient Well-being" page is also available to you and provides you with a lot of information on the outside air at your address as well as pollen forecasts, very useful for allergy sufferers. You will also have information allowing you to know if the humidity and temperature in your rooms are adequate.

Finally, the device has a whole series of features that make it truly “smart”:

• Open window detection: when the system detects an open window (via a sudden drop in temperature) the heating is turned down so you don't heat the outside
• Geolocation: thanks to the geolocation available on family members' smartphones, the application can reduce or turn off the heating when no one is at home!
• Boiler technical monitoring: the application informs you in the event of a breakdown or problem with your boiler

Finally, if there were any criticisms to be made of this application and its features, it is that it sometimes lacks clarity in its use, especially when changing the temperatures of a room. Similarly, it would have been interesting to have an option to modify the intensity of the heating according to the local weather.

Voice Assistant

Of course, a smart device wouldn't be complete if it didn't have the ability to be controlled by your voice assistants. The tado° smart thermostat is compatible with Google Assistant, Alexa and Apple HomeKit.

Conclusion

Installing this device in my home was a revelation. While we used to control the heating temperature at home by feeling, raising, lowering, cutting the heating according to our feelings, this smart thermostat now does this for us and it does it much better since it manages to maintain a comfortable temperature for us at all times of the day… But in addition to that, it allows us to save on gas since it only heats when necessary.

In the end, while I had never considered installing a smart thermostat on my old boiler, I was very pleasantly surprised by the added value of the device offered by tado°. Its installation within the reach of most people and its features that are both easy to implement and very well designed have definitely convinced me. From now on, my boiler will be connected or it will not be!

Regarding its price, the tado° starter kit is offered at €229.99 in its wireless version and €199.99 in its wired version but can be found cheaper, notably on Amazon:

• tado° Smart Wired Thermostat – Starter Kit V3+
• tado° Wireless Smart Thermostat – Starter Kit V3+
• tado° Smart Thermostat – Starter Kit V3+ and 2 Smart Radiator Thermostats
• tado° Smart Thermostat – Starter Kit V3+ and 3 Smart Radiator Thermostats