Nest or Hive

dj1471

I've had Nest for many years and really like it.

I also have the Hive Android app for controlling a few of their smart bulbs (freebies from British Gas) which I find really slow and cumbersome to use. I wouldn't want to use that app for my heating too.

thickasabrick

There are alternatives.

We went for Drayton Wiser as it works even when you have no internet connection and the Hub has old fashioned buttons to press for control if all else fails.

Have the Drayton Wiser multizone kit 2 as we have a conventional boiler with separate hot water. It included two smart radiator thermostats which we used for the living room and master bedroom. Very pleased with it, have added another 4 smart radiator thermostats for the kitchen, study and a couple of the other bedrooms. The dining room has the master wireless thermostat which still has traditional TRVs on the radiators.

Tried the Tado system first but the internet bridge failed after a week (on Christmas Day). Trying to control the heating and hot water through the Tado extension was a nightmare trying to count blinks of an LED. Tado eventually sent a replacement bridge 25 days later.

Ordered the Drayton Wiser on Boxing Day, was up and running within half an hour of delivery on the 27th of December and been happy with it since.


None of this is particularly “money saving” (£40 for a smart radiator thermostat) but I budget this under hobbies as I have an interest in the application of technology.

If all you want is the smart thermostat and already have a combi boiler then either Nest or Hive will do the job and it comes down to preference for how the app features on your mobile or iPad. They all work with Amazon Alexa or Google home.

JEN22 wrote: »

We are looking at getting NEST or HIVE heating control. Any ideas which is best please

getmore4less

I have Owl as it was the only one I could find that would control the hot water tank temperature(not just time but temp as well).

The downside with this one and some other systems is you are dependent on the internet/third party and with owl their server/controls if you want to monitor or make changes to the settings, they now want service charges.

It will be a factor choosing a replacement how do you change the settings with no external internet or if your intranet is down there needs to be no dependency on external resources .

Gloomendoom

thickasabrick wrote: »

We went for Drayton Wiser as it works even when you have no internet connection and the Hub has old fashioned buttons to press for control if all else fails.

Both Nest and Hive still work when there is no internet connection. All you lose is the ability control them remotely, you still have the controls on the thermostat unit.

Heyyouguys

My parents have a Hive, we went for a Nest. Reasons are:
- The battery on the Hive runs out really fast, so got a boiler professional to come in and install the wired Nest in place of the old wired dial thermostat. You can have it separately but would need to buy a separate stand and connect to mains power at room level, whereas with the Hive, you can wall mount it with a holder and add batteries .
- The Nest learns from the changes that you make and applies those automatically. The Hive does not do this - my parents are not good with apps and tech, so if they had a Nest, it would learn from the them turning the dial, with the Hive they would need to make the schedule changes manually.
- Agree with a previous poster, the user experience on the Hive is like Windows. Logical but not user friendly at all. The Nest app is so much more user friendly and so easy to modify what you need to.
- Nest has an ecosystem of cameras and smoke detectors that works together (if only they had partnered with Ring as well!)

Something to keep in mind - there are other options. I was leaning towards the Tado, but its key selling point (the geofencing) is now separately charged via a monthly subscription instead of within the package.

Gloomendoom

Heyyouguys wrote: »

My parents have a Hive, we went for a Nest. Reasons are:
- The battery on the Hive runs out really fast, .

Your parents need to buy better batteries. Our last set lasted three years. Personally, I don't think that even counts as moderately fast.

Typhoon2000

We are on the original batteries on Hive and it’s been about 28 months. We chose it over Hive because the thermostats was wireless so we don’t have to stick it on a wall and can move it from room to room as needed.

Takmon

Typhoon2000 wrote: »

We are on the original batteries on Hive and it’s been about 28 months. We chose it over Hive because the thermostats was wireless so we don’t have to stick it on a wall and can move it from room to room as needed.

Do you mean you chose Hive instead of nest? If so the Nest thermostat is also wireless and can be moved about.

Chop-D

We have a Nest E, we installed it ourselves, the instructions are shown to you through the app and are super easy to follow. Love our Nest E, one thing I would say is it is more focused to the temperature you are aiming for than the time you actually want to turn the heating on. Our schedules are so varied that we just switch it on and off from our phones so this works for us but may not for others!

Grampus8

Heyyouguys wrote: »

My parents have a Hive, we went for a Nest. Reasons are:
- The battery on the Hive runs out really fast, so got a boiler professional to come in and install the wired Nest in place of the old wired dial thermostat. You can have it separately but would need to buy a separate stand and connect to mains power at room level, whereas with the Hive, you can wall mount it with a holder and add batteries .
- The Nest learns from the changes that you make and applies those automatically. The Hive does not do this - my parents are not good with apps and tech, so if they had a Nest, it would learn from the them turning the dial, with the Hive they would need to make the schedule changes manually.
- Agree with a previous poster, the user experience on the Hive is like Windows. Logical but not user friendly at all. The Nest app is so much more user friendly and so easy to modify what you need to.
- Nest has an ecosystem of cameras and smoke detectors that works together (if only they had partnered with Ring as well!)

Something to keep in mind - there are other options. I was leaning towards the Tado, but its key selling point (the geofencing) is now separately charged via a monthly subscription instead of within the package.

Ours also lasted over three years