Wyze Smart Thermostat review

While the materials of the thermostat itself feel a bit on the budget side, the app is a pleasure to use, and the installation was a snap. Adjusting the temperature at the thermostat (as opposed to controlling via the app or Alexa or Google Assistant) is easy to do, and though the Wyze Thermostat doesn't have the "learning" abilities of the Nest Learning Thermostat, it has plenty enough smarts for most people.

Updated March 3, 2021: This review has been updated to account for Wyze's inclusion of Google Assistant support, which worked very well in our testing.

About the Wyze Thermostat

The Wyze Thermostat contains much of the functionality you've come to expect from other smart thermostats: you can adjust your home's heating and AC from your phone, through a voice assistant, or automatically as you arrive home. It can also give you tips on saving energy as it tracks your usage, and it can remind you to change your filters on a regular basis. Wyze has already promised multi-room temperature sensors and other features coming this year.

Here are the Wyze Thermostat's basic specs:

• Smart assistants: Alexa, Google Assistant
• C-wire: Not required; adapter included for systems without a C-wire
• Color: Black and white
• Dimensions: 120mm x 65mm x 33mm
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth

The Wyze Thermostat should be compatible with most low-voltage HVAC systems, but you can run through its online wizard to ensure compatibility with your home before buying.

What we like

Setup is easy, even for beginners

Most smart thermostats do a decent job of walking you through the installation, but Wyze goes above and beyond with its in-app tutorial. It takes you through every single step of the process, from turning off your breaker to determining compatibility, taking a photo of your existing wiring, and hooking up your new thermostat properly. It'll even ask you whether you want your thermostat to focus on energy savings or comfort (with the latter keeping the temperature more accurate and getting your system up to temp before your schedule says so). It'll also help you set up your first schedule, so you don't have to fiddle too much after that initial setup.

There were a few small hiccups during the process. For example, it asked me what type of fuel the "W1" wire used instead of just asking me what type of fuel my heating system used, which might go over some people's heads if they aren't familiar with how HVAC systems work. But overall, I found the walkthrough more detailed and helpful than most other thermostats I've tested, which will please first-time thermostat installers.

The design is fairly intuitive

After you're through the initial setup, Wyze's app is pretty easy to navigate: once you select the thermostat from your list of Wyze devices, you'll see a minimal interface with the current temperature, humidity, and thermostat setting—that's all, and that's the way we like it. You can tap the thermostat temperature to adjust it up or down (though I wish there were an "OK" button after adjusting the temperature—as it is, you just have to wait 5 seconds or so for it to accept your new temperature). You can slide up the Controls panel along the bottom to switch between modes, adjust the fan, and change your state to Home, Away, or Sleep.

Those states determine how you set your schedule. Unlike Nest, where you can just set any temperature you want at any time, Wyze uses the same approach as Ecobee and other thermostat makers: you set one of the available presets and then assign those presets to different times of day. This can be a bit confusing at first, but Wyze walks you through it all during initial setup, and it does make things easier later on if you want to move your schedules around or adjust your desired temperatures. (Wyze doesn't let you create presets beyond those three, though, which may annoy some pickier users.)

Otherwise, the app works exactly as you'd expect. Temperature changes are responsive, with my system kicking in within seconds after I adjust the thermostat, and the home screen isn't overloaded with information you don't need. It should suit most users well.

It packs a few advanced features for experts

Despite its price, Wyze has added a few more advanced features into its Settings menu for those who like to tweak things just so—without those settings getting in the way of average users. For example, you can adjust how often you cycle the fan, add temperature and humidity corrections (if you feel it's usually 2 degrees cooler than the thermostat reports), and there's even a "coast to cool" setting that saves energy by using the fan to cool down those last few degrees.

Wyze even includes a geofencing feature, which will change your thermostat to Away mode when it detects your phone has left the house, and back to your Home temperature when you come back. And again, Wyze promises even more advanced features coming in the future—though as with any tech product, I recommend buying based on what the device does now, not what it might do down the line.

What we didn't like

The hardware feels a little cheap

In theory, I like the design of this thermostat: a small non-touch screen shows you the current temperature which you can adjust with a wheel on the front, much like the Nest. It even "wakes up" the screen when you walk by, thanks to a built-in motion sensor.

However, there is a noticeable difference in build quality here. The wheel on the Wyze device works nicely, but feels a bit cheaper than its competitors, and pressing inward on the wheel (to select an option) is harder than it should be, which can hamper navigation. Ultimately, this is to be expected for a $60 product, and frankly, it didn't bother me in everyday usage because I rarely touch the thermostat hardware. (After all, the whole point of a smart thermostat is automation and voice control.) It's a minor downside, particularly given the price.

It doesn't support Siri

In our initial testing, the lack of Google Assistant kept this otherwise excellent smart thermostat just shy of our Best Value pick on our smart thermostat guide. Now that Google Assistant is available, Siri support is the only major blind spot (and one not nearly as common here as Google or Alexa's solutions).

Wyze made good on its promise of support for Google Assistant, and it worked beautifully in our testing. It makes this smart thermostat a force to be reckoned with. That said, even more advanced integration with services like IFTTT would be nice.

Should you buy it?

Yes, it offers great value to compete with pricier options

The Wyze Thermostat isn't perfect, but it's an insane value for the price—provided it fits your ecosystem. Its mix of easy setup, intuitive software, and advanced features make it a compelling package even when compared with more expensive thermostats. With both Alexa and Google Assistant support, this may well be among the best smart thermostats you can buy—budget or not.

If you're looking for something a bit more robust in design, it might be worth considering our favorite, the Nest Learning Thermostat. While its list price is much higher, many energy companies give out these thermostats at a huge discount or even free.

Get the Wyze Thermostat from Wyze for $59.99