Hive Thermostat Mini Review

Right now, heating expenses are a concern for many of us, with prices emerging considerably. A wise heating device gives a easy strategy to time table your house’s heating, transfer off radiators in unused rooms and will also supply spending safeguards with options comparable to a timed spice up serve as and geolocation generation, so that you don’t overlook to change off the warmth while you pass out.

Hive’s new Thermostat Mini has all of those options, in a compact and reasonably priced bundle. It’s bought solely in the United Kingdom, and is not to be had in america.

Design & look

• Minimalist design
• Mirror end when no longer in use
• Limited purposes on thermostat itself

Like its predecessor – the Hive Thermostat – the Thermostat Mini is a fantastically designed software. When no longer in use, the small, sq. thermostat’s display has a clean, mirror-like floor, marked solely with two arrows and a circle to signify the place to press.

Where the former style of the Hive thermostat has buttons and a dial, the Mini is touchscreen-only. It’s extra compact and completely minimalist.

Press it and the show will light up. At first look, you’ll be able to see if the warmth and scorching water are on, in addition to the present and goal temperature. You can simply flip the temperature up and down the usage of the arrow buttons, in addition to switching scheduling off and on.

The Mini does all of the similar issues because the Hive Thermostat, however with the exception of those elementary controls, you can wish to stir up the Hive app to your phone to get right of entry to the opposite options.

Those who’d wish to have extra controls available by way of the thermostat itself will likely be satisfied to listen to that Hive has no plans to discontinue its previous thermostat, believing that it’ll nonetheless be a better option for some other people. You can learn our evaluation of Hive Active Heating 2 to determine extra.

In the field

Buy the Hive Thermostat Mini and within the field you’ll get a Hive Hub, the thermostat itself (measuring 8.5 x 8.5 x 2cm), 4 AAA batteries and a receiver, which connects immediately in your boiler. This package prices £119 and accommodates the entirety you wish to have to arrange sensible heating. This makes it an reasonably priced choice: it is about £40 lower than the Hive Thermostat, which is already competitively priced.

If you have already got a Hive Hub, you’ll be able to purchase the Thermostat Mini and a receiver for simply £59.

The batteries will have to final a few yr, and in contrast to the Nest Learning Thermostat, there is no approach to energy it from the mains or from the wiring of an present wall thermostat.

Installation

• Installation prices £100
• Performed through a licensed British Gas engineer
• Takes 1.5 to two hours

If you already know what you’re doing with boiler electrics it’s essential set up the Thermostat Mini your self, but it surely’s usually really helpful that you just go for skilled set up. It will value £100 and will likely be carried out through a licensed British Gas engineer.

It’s a reassuring procedure. The engineer will know the product and is not going to be fazed through anything else on your set-up. However, in case you are having issues along with your present boiler, don’t time table an set up within the hope that they’ll be capable to repair it as a part of the appointment – they may not.

The procedure will likely be kind of difficult relying to your present set-up however it might probably in most cases be executed in about an hour and a part.

Hive is suitable with maximum gasoline and LPG boilers, each combi and common. It will have to additionally paintings with electrical boilers that experience a regular room thermostat or a programmer, in addition to oil boilers with a thermostat or programmer. If you’d like to test in case your boiler is suitable, you’ll be able to accomplish that on Hive’s site.

My set up used to be very easy but it surely nonetheless took a few hours, so we might advise leaving a morning or afternoon loose, simply in case. I’ve a commonplace Alpha boiler and, strangely, I didn’t have an present wall thermostat, which supposed that the engineer did not have to fret about casting off it. He solely needed to have compatibility the receiver within the cabinet subsequent to the recent water cylinder.

To use a Hive sensible heating device, you’ll wish to plug the Hive Hub into your router. As my router already had a TV and PC plugged into it, I purchased a community transfer to provide me extra ports (I opted for the Netgear 5-port Gigabit hub, available from Amazon for £14.39).

The Hive Thermostat Mini can be utilized with multi-zone methods. You can keep watch over as much as six heating zones, in addition to your scorching water – that’s 3 greater than the former iteration of the Hive Thermostat. You too can use it if in case you have underfloor heating.

You gained’t be capable to use a wise thermostat to create new heating zones, regardless that. Your present set-up should have already got the valves to keep watch over scorching water to other portions of your house, which is not in most cases the case in older properties, or – extra particularly – properties with older plumbing.

Hive radiator valves

• Cost £54 each and every
• Can be self-installed
• Control the warmth to particular person rooms

However, there’s a to hand workaround to keep watch over radiators in particular rooms. If you purchase Hive sensible thermostatic radiator valves (priced at £54 each and every, to be had from Hive), you’ll be able to change the thermostatic valves which might be already to your radiators and use them to independently keep watch over the heating in those rooms.

Installing those TRVs and including them in your device is simple to do, as long as your radiators have suitable valves. In that case you will not want them professionally put in and you’ll be able to do it your self at a later date – they do not have to be bought similtaneously the thermostat.

The particular person radiator valves permit you to set separate schedules for heating in the ones rooms, and turn off the warmth to 1 room in the event you aren’t the usage of it for a particular time frame.

If, for instance, you’ve gotten a spare room, you’ll be able to have compatibility a TRV to the rad and stay the warmth off in there till you’ve gotten anyone coming to stick. Then you’ll be able to transfer it on remotely out of your phone. You may just additionally set a shorter heating time table for a house workplace, so that you are not heating it within the evenings like different portions of the home.

Hive’s radiator valves even have open window detection, so they are going to close off to forestall you from perpetually heating your lawn in the event you occur to go away a window ajar.

The radiator valves actually have a function known as Heat on Demand, which permits your Hive radiator valves to change the warmth on out of doors of its scheduled timing to heat up rooms. When the rooms with sensible TRVs achieve their goal temperature, it will transfer off once more. It’s very similar to the usage of the spice up serve as, and, just like the spice up serve as, it does (after all) warmth up all of the radiators in that zone.

One of the most efficient causes to get those sensible TRVs is that as a substitute of seeing a meaningless quantity from 1-5 to your radiator and looking to figure out what temperature that equates to, you’ll get a virtual readout – each at the radiator valve itself and within the app to your phone. It’s a lot more actual and far more straightforward to control the temperature.

Hive Thermostat Mini options

• Geolocation
• Holiday mode
• Frost coverage

The Hive Thermostat Mini has all of the similar options as Hive’s earlier thermostat, however maximum of them are available solely by way of the Hive app.

The app is loose to obtain and use and to be had for iPhone and Android. It’s smartly designed, simple to navigate and easy to make use of. However, you are going to to find your self having to click on previous the strange banner advert for Hive Heating Plus, which is stressful.

Within the app, you’ll be able to set a time table in your heating, and will make a choice a unique time table for every day of the week if you wish to have. You too can transfer your heating off and on and provides it a spice up, so you’ll be able to heat up the home with no need to keep in mind to change it off once more when the objective temperature is reached.

Your scorching water is managed the similar means and has a devoted phase within the app the place you’ll be able to set schedules, transfer it off and on and spice up its temperature.

There’s a day by day heating historical past which presentations per week’s price of temperature graphs. However, if you wish to see a weekly or once a year graph, or see the fee breakdown – bet what? You’ll need to subscribe to Hive Heating Plus.

There are different to hand options, like geolocation. Once you’ve gotten the Hive app to your phone, in the event you transfer on location products and services, you can get a reminder to change off the heating while you depart your house. Just make certain that each member of the family who’ll be house by myself has the app, or they are going to be left within the chilly.

And, in the event you have compatibility a Hive door sensor, as a substitute of receiving a reminder alert if geolocation is switched on, the warmth will robotically be became off.

There’s additionally Frost Protection, which is able to robotically transfer at the heating if the temperature drops beneath 7°C; and Holiday Mode, which lets you time table heating for a travel, so it switches again on in time to heat up the home earlier than your go back.

Compatibility

The Hive Thermostat Mini is suitable with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Siri Shortcuts and IFTTT. This manner you’ll be able to use voice instructions for elementary purposes, in addition to putting in place teams: it’s essential time table your heating to come back on along with your sensible lighting fixtures at nightfall, or while you in most cases are available in from paintings.

And, after all, if in case you have every other Hive units, such the Hive View Camera, the Hive View Outdoor digicam, or Hive sensors, they may be able to all be managed during the Hive app and utilized in teams.

Hive could also be operating on Matter compatibility, however cannot but ascertain whether or not present Hive units will paintings with Matter.

Can the Thermostat Mini prevent cash?

For many of us taking into consideration purchasing a wise thermostat, the large query is that this: will it save me cash? The resolution in reality will depend on how you employ your heating in this day and age. If you don’t time table your heating economically, in the event you depart it on while you pass out, or overlook to show off the warmth in unused rooms, sensible heating may just lend a hand – however solely through serving to you to switch your conduct.

If you’re already cautious along with your heating, it’s no longer going to make an enormous have an effect on. Besides, when you’ve factored in the price of the package and set up, it’ll take you a while to recoup your outlay.

Some sensible heating methods have generation that learns your conduct and will give you tactics to economize on heating through making adjustments in your regimen. The Hive Thermostat Mini doesn’t have that capacity however Hive gives a subscription carrier, the much-advertised Hive Heating Plus, which gives those options.

It prices £3.99 monthly or £39.90 consistent with yr. It has a Heating Efficiency Monitor, which will have to flag issues along with your heating, it will show your heating utilization and spending traits and display you what adjustments you’ll need to make to hit a per thirty days funds of your selection.

Again, we predict that it is a higher device for individuals who need to track their heating than the ones making an attempt to economize on it.

Verdict

The Hive Thermostat Mini is a brilliant heating device that you’ll be able to construct on. If you start with the thermostat, you’ll be able to purchase Hive’s radiator valves for extra granular, room-by-room heating keep watch over. It’s additionally suitable with many different units, each Hive-branded and from different producers, like Philips Hue.

The preliminary funding is not up to many – if no longer maximum – competition and it has all the options you can want in sensible heating.

The trade-off for the cheaper price of the Mini in comparison to Hive’s earlier thermostat is that almost all of its options are managed by way of the app. However, if you are app-happy, we might say that it is price it.

We would not counsel it to someone hoping to economize on the outset, however if you wish to transfer to sensible heating for comfort, that is an reasonably priced and versatile choice.

For different sensible heating choices, take a look at our round-up of the most efficient sensible thermostats we have examined.

Specs

Hive Thermostat Mini: Specs

• Price contains Hive Hub, receiver & batteries
• Features: Geolocation, Frost coverage, Holiday mode, Boost
• Compatible with: Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Siri Shortcuts and IFTTT