Honeywell turns up the heat with new Nest clone
Déjà vu: Haven't we seen this smart thermostat before?
The $279 Honeywell Lyric Thermostat looks a lot like the Nest Learning Thermostat. This new addition to Honeywell's existing smart thermostat lineup is a clear way for the company to compete even more directly with the startup-turned-high-profile-Google-property. Available today in the US through HVAC specialists, and expected to hit stores in August, the app-enabled Lyric isn't much of a surprise. (International pricing and availability has not yet been announced.)
Honeywell sued Nest in 2012, claiming Nest's thermostat violated seven different Honeywell-held patents. Then Nest partnered with Intellectual Ventures, and Honeywell introduced its own learning-based smart thermostats -- the $250 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat and the $350 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control. While both brands' temperature controllers relied on apps and algorithms to make maintaining the right heating and cooling schedules hands-off, the Nest was more minimalist and design-focused, while the Honeywell versions looked like the standard rectangular thermostats you see in most houses today.
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See all pricesWe haven't heard much from the dueling duo lately, but the Lyric will likely introduce a whole new level of competition between the two. Google may be Nest's parent company now, but Nest hasn't had much luck lately. Talk of reliability issues with its thermostat installs and recalls of its Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detectors might make the Lyric particularly appealing -- not to mention it's attractive, just like the Nest.
The Lyric measures 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep. It has a glossy white finish with silver accents. Historically, a number of Honeywell thermostats have been round, starting with the gold 1953 classic pictured below. Still, I'm not convinced that Honeywell would have channeled that rounded design into the Lyric if not for Nest's innovative take on that classic thermostat shape.
The Lyric and the Nest do have some clear differences, though. The Lyric is supposed to operate via geofencing. Rather than relying on an algorithm to learn your activity over time like Nest does, the Lyric model uses your smartphone to track your location. That way, when you leave home, it should auto-default to away/energy saving mode and when you return, it should switch back to home mode.
Lyric will send you an alert if your air filter needs to be changed. It will also send performance reports based on usage and savings. You can set themed schedules, like "sleep" and "party," and most interestingly, a feature called Fine Tune uses indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, and weather information to optimize your heating and cooling. The free Lyric app works on Android and iOS devices, and you can link your thermostat to more than one device. You can also make adjustments directly on the thermostat interface.
A built-in proximity sensor will cause the thermostat to wake up when you get close. Depending on the adjustments you make, LEDs surrounding the thermostat will glow orange (heat), blue (air conditioning), or green (away/energy saving mode). There are also two buttons on the main display -- one lets you check the weather and the other can be used to set your desired away temperature. I'm expecting to receive a test unit later this week, so check back soon for a full review of the $279 Lyric.