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A smart thermostat by design allows you to control and set the home temperature using smartphones. But in an ideal scenario, we don’t need the entire home to the same temperature.
This is where we need a smart thermostat with multiple zones.
Your bedroom temperature needs may be different from your living room. The smart thermostat treats each room as a zone and you can set individual zones with custom temperature settings.
Besides regulating temperature zones, a smart thermostat can also facilitate the automation of adjusting its temperature depending on the time of day.
The smart thermostat for multiple zones has an edge over simple thermostats that were a rage a few years back.
Buying a smart thermostat for multiple zones allows you to save energy and cost by
- Setting your home to an energy-saver mode when you are away.
- The ability to set different temperatures in different zones also saves money.
- Allows you to set the different temperatures of your heating and cooling systems at different times of the day.
- All the settings can be controlled remotely when you are away from home.
To find the best smart thermostat for multiple zones, we tested 17 models over 37 days. Here is a list of a few smart thermostats we can safely recommend to our readers.
Read Top Smart Home Thermostats for 2024.
List of Best Smart Thermostats for Multiple Rooms
EcoBee SmartThermostat with Voice Control
Why You Should Buy:
The Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control is our top pick for the job. It is a worthy upgrade from ecobee4 in 2024.
It is the smartest-looking device among the competitors. The Ecobee SmartThermostat comes with a touch display and is powered by a quad-core processor. This model supports dual-band wifi, the first for Ecobee.
It works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT, and Wink. The fun and highly useful feature are voice commands. It comes with an Alexa built-in and a speaker.
So you ask the Ecobee SmartThermostat to make calls or play Spotify. The possibilities are left to the imagination of the owners.
eco+ Features: It is a smart learner and learns your routines. To save energy it recommends highly useful changes to your thermostat schedule.
It detects room occupancy and adjusts the temperature accordingly. It senses humidity levels and makes changes to suit your needs.
What You May Not Like:
- It is expensive and price-conscious customers may ignore this but it comes with one sensor bundled in.
- Always calculate the cost of the thermostat and total room sensors required.
EcoBee SmartThermostat vs EcoBee4
| EcoBee SmartThermostat | EcoBee4 |
|---|---|
| eco+ features are present. | eco+ features are not supported. |
| Alexa Built-in. | Alexa is Built-in but Alexa calling, messaging & drop-in are missing. |
| Spotify & Bluetooth streaming are supported. | Absent. |
| Supports 2.4GHZ & 5GHZ for a better range. | Supports only 2.4GHZ. |
| Cost $20 approx extra. | – |
Google Nest Learning Thermostat
Why You Should Buy:
The 3rd generation Nest Learning is a programmable thermostat. It learns your schedule and the temperature you use most often and the program itself saves energy.
Nest Learning Thermostat comes bundled with a sensor although a standalone thermostat is also available. It supports multiple zones and you can install as many sensors as you want in your home.
Farsight Feature: We were impressed with its motion sensor capabilities. It responds quickly whenever someone enters the thermostat’s zone. The status screen is lit quickly. It has 10 different sensors not limited to temperature, motion, humidity, or ambient light.
It supports all the major smart home automation setups like Alexa and Google Home. But a word of caution as the support for Apple HomeKit is still missing but there is a way out. It works through the Homebridge hub.
The app is intuitive and easy to understand. The device looks modern and is available in multiple color choices.
What You May Not Like:
- Apple HomeKit is not supported.
- Home/Away Function is a hit and a miss. it saves energy when you are away but the learning module fails to learn the time you will arrive and start setting the required temperature.
- No Remote Sensor – Change the functions physically or through the smartphone app. Sold separately and make it more expensive to own.
Google Nest is the most popular among the shoppers but late many other brands are offering the same or more features. The exclusivity Google enjoyed in the last few years has been breached.
Honeywell Home T9 WIFI Smart Thermostat with Multiroom Sensor
Why You Should Buy:
The first thing we noticed in the much-acclaimed Honeywell Home T9 smart thermostat was its sensor range. It is an addition to the Honeywell Home lineup of products to cater to the increasing demand for a smart thermostat for multiple zones.
The aesthetics of Honeywell didn’t match our expectations looks-wise but it is a subjective issue and can be easily ignored. Moreover, it is cheaper than the competition.
As a smart thermostat, it supports integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and now supports Apple HomeKit as well.
T9 uses geofencing technology and scheduling but you will have to pick one as both do not work together.
Geofencing works better when every resident in the home uses a smartphone app. It will lead to an inaccurate temperature setting if one person is out with geolocation away from home but other members are at home. T9 will change the setting based on a person away from home.
It is easy to install and comes with a power adaptor so that you don’t need a c-wire connection.
Note: Apple HomeKit is now supported by T9 but most of the articles on the web have old and outdated information.
What You May Not Like:
- Lacks a motion sensor.
- Lacks the capability to learn routines.
Emerson Sensi Touch Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
Why You Should Buy:
Emerson is one of the known brands for its reliable thermostats. The Sensi Touch is a step further in the lineup to cater to the smart thermostat market.
The Sensi Touch uses geofencing to save energy by lowering power consumption when you are not home and adjusting the temperature when you reach close to your home. It also features daily schedules as an alternative to geofencing for programming capability.
It works with Alexa and most of the other smart home platforms like Google Assistant, SmartThings, and Apple HomeKit. We integrated it with Amazon Echo and Alexa was able to set the temperature.
It is energy star certified and helps you save HVAC energy. It uses a common wire (c-wire) which enhances compatibility with other HVAC equipment.
What You May Not Like:
- Support for Humidifier missing.
Google Nest Thermostat E – Best Budget Smart Thermostat for Dual Zone
Why You Should Buy:
The Nest Thermostat E is a younger sibling of the Google Nest Learning Thermostat with fewer features and cheaper costs. It is bundled with a sensor but it is also available without a sensor.
Although it may not be a full-featured smart thermostat it does save your money. It does have useful features like motion detection and changes temperature when there is no one in the room.
Nest E also features learning ability and figures out the best-recommended setting based on settings you use more often.
Home/Away Feature: The E version has this feature like his elder sibling. The smart thermostat saves energy and money when you are away from home.
It is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant but like other Nest products, it does not support HomeKit. Nest E is easy to understand and operate through the Nest smart app and website.
This is our recommendation if it is your first move into the world of home automation or smart home and smart thermostat.
What You May Not Like:
- No support for Apple HomeKit.
- Smart Sense is missing.
Conclusion
Smart home automation is a way of life now. The last couple of years has been interesting for smart device enthusiasts.
We believe a truly smart thermostat should support a multiroom sensor. The role of a remote sensor is key in providing effective results.
In our review, we find the best smart thermostat with multiple zones is Ecobee SmartThermostat. It is feature-rich and intuitive.
But if you are looking for a budget smart thermostat or are new to smart home automation, Google Nest Thermostat E is the best choice without much compromise.