Hive questions

Bluey VIII

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Hi,

I'm thinking of getting a Hive Thermostat installed but I have a couple of questions that I can't find the answer to on their website, or anywhere else. I'm hoping someone on here will be able to help.

1. Is there a limit to the number of smartphones which can be used to control the system? If it's only one I think there'll be a lot of arguments in our house while we settle who's phone should be in control!

2. How long do the batteries in the thermostat usually last? And what happens if the batteries go flat, does that mean your heating doesn't work?? Could be a bit inconvenient if they fail while you're on hols!

3. Does the "holiday mode" require you to leave your broadband router switched on whilst you're on holiday?? I'm guessing so as the Thermostat will need to inform the control unit on the day you're due back.

Any help or other tips great fully received.

Thanks.
 
I have Hive installed on my iPhone and my Wife's iPhone. However, when using the geolocation feature, and one of you is at home, the other's iPhone will switch-off Hive after travelling a given distance from home.

Hive has been installed here for 12 months: the batteries are still going strong.

I can't report on the 'holiday mode' but, when switching-off the router at night when I go to bed, Hive still switches-on the central heating in the morning without the intervention of the router.
 
Thanks that's really helpful.

You'd think it would be a fairly easy update for them to change the app so that all the phones registered for your address need to be a certain distance away from the house before it turns the central heating off? Hopefully this will be in their plans for the future!

I think I'll be ordering one shortly.
 
I've just upgraded my thermostat to Hive 2.

It's much easier to control - not least because it lights up so is easier to read the display.

The new one take 4 x AA batteries, vs the old one only needing 2 - they're the originals and have been in for around a year.

I haven't used holiday mode, so can't confirm the OP's question. I have the app on my iPhone, and on my iPad - the iPad is almost always at home, but I still get the alerts on my phone when I drive to/from home. I don't seem to have any problem turning it off/on remotely from the phone with the iPad at home - but then the iPad app is not signed in unless I need it, so maybe that's a factor.

Having spent 20 minutes on the phone with their Tech Support peeps this morning, I'd suggest giving them a call to discuss any queries - the guy I spoke to was really helpful.

I don't know i it actually saves me money, but it's a really convenient system.
 
Thanks for the info guys - As British Gas had a sale on over Xmas I decided to order a Hive. It's getting installed on 13th Jan so will monitor it for a few weeks and give some feedback.
 
I got a hive 2 last week from amazon and installed it myself. I am now thinking of returning it and getting a netatmo. Hive is a nice looking smart thermostat which lets you turn and off your heating when you are away. But it is missing many of the key features which other thermostats have.
1. I cannot have multiple schedules for a day to choose from.
2. You only have 6 slots to schedule in a day.
3. It is not a learning thermostat and cannot take any decisions for you.
4. The data provided in the website and app is pretty basic. It doesn't tell you how long your boiler has been on for example.
5. There is a uservoice forum which has requests for a lot of functionality with no response from hive team. The ones marked as planned haven't been addressed for more than a year.

This makes me think that British Gas is busy making new products to sell rather than making the hive 2 better. So considering an alternative.
 
Sorry. Just realised that this was posted on Dec 2nd 2015. I thought it is posted today, Dec 2nd 2016 :).
 
You state that you cannot choose multiple daily schedules, but then complain that you only have 6 daily slots to choose from. How many do you need?
 
By multiple daily schedules I mean that I can't have a schedule for a day off work on a Friday for example. I will have the same Friday schedule and will have to change it manually when I am home. I was able to squeeze my requirements in the 6 slots finally but a couple more would have been helpful. Not sure why there should be a limit.
 
By multiple daily schedules I mean that I can't have a schedule for a day off work on a Friday for example. I will have the same Friday schedule and will have to change it manually when I am home. I was able to squeeze my requirements in the 6 slots finally but a couple more would have been helpful. Not sure why there should be a limit.

I think you need to read the manual. I have mine set for different timings on specific days of the week. Also, there are only 12 ish hours in a waking day. Would seem a bit excessive to need to have different settings every couple of hours ar am I missing something?
 
Can you set two different schedules for the same day and pick one you like on the day? I can't find this to be possible. That's my problem. It's not about having different schedules for different days. I have heat on during the night too. So need to cover 24 hours.
 
Can you set two different schedules for the same day and pick one you like on the day? I can't find this to be possible. That's my problem. It's not about having different schedules for different days. I have heat on during the night too. So need to cover 24 hours.
To have different settings for the same weekday that you can choose from is still a manual intervention? Presumably profiles and you select one as required. If such a feature exists I suppose it will be on an expensive model that gives you things you never knew you wanted. If you wanted learning that is a feature that should be clearly there or not when you look at thermostats?

My perfectly suitable thermostat that came with my new gas warm air ducted heater this year has a big dial on the front. If the setting isn't what you want at that precise moment you turn the dial and that becomes the setting until you change it again or the next auto setting time arrives. Whether you set the Friday to being in or away depends which scenario is the 'normal' one. Lower temps for away will be easier to deal with regardless since when you are home you will feel cold and adjust as desired.

I don't find any of that inconvenient.

I think manufacturers have learned that customers don't actually know what they want. They can create must have features to a degree. Your expectations would be better met by a learning thermostat that know when you leave the house. They have quirks as well if you leave and trigger a lowering of the setting but the rest of the family are still there. When returning unexpectedly I couldn't be bothered telling my thermostat to do something - then again gas warm air is pretty instant on return with no need to time long warm up periods for radiators etc.

I find my dumb, simple to manually adjust on the fly when I am there, thermostat the most convenient for me and my hearing system. I don't want stats from my thermostat nor for it to learn when the house is empty nor to be able to control it from afar just because technology allows it.

Each to their own but I suggest you look at learning thermostats as that is what you seem to want.
 

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