Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteMoss
Besides being able to control it by the phone - basically any programmable thermostat has a schedule feature that would accommodate your use for a lot cheaper than a smart thermostat.
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Phone scheduling vs internal scheduling only is like keyless entry is a meh negligible feature on a car because of price. Nah, once you go to that level of "unnecessary" convenience, it's almost a deal breaker to take that step down to what you had before.
Controlling via phone and aesthetics is like 90% of the major feature and reason of why people are acquiring smart thermostats.
Gone are the days of being too hot or too cold in bed and having to get out bed and ruin a relatively comfortable situation to address the temps. I can poke that into my phone with ease. I can turn down the heat or AC when I'm not at home if I forgot to do so. If there are unexpected circumstances, I can turn up the heat or AC with a smart thermostat, so that the home is closer to my desired comfortable temperature by the time I get home.
I mean, let's not pretend that a $40 thermostat that has the ability to poke in a 7 day schedule is the same as a $120 entry level smart thermostat that looks far more refined and has the ability to be controlled from a phone. Or, a $250 one that looks even more refined and has added features like the ability to pair with temperature sensors in multiple rooms, energy usage tracking, voice control, geo fencing, away mode, return to temp mode etc.