Hive or Nest and fitting Query

[Feasty]

Hi one and all

(P.S Reposting this as I didn't realise 'Everything Else' doesn't accept responses).

I've recently had a combi boiler fitted to replace a very old 'tank in the loft' system. It's great having on demand hot water and a very quick heating system for a change!

However, the plumber talked us away from having a Nest/Hive system and instead fitted a 'Centre' wireless thermostat/programmer. This one: Centre programmer

I just don't get on with it and really don't like it, so I'll be swapping to a Hive or Nest. Question is, which one??
We've got Android phones/tables and an Alexa, and it would be nice to sync it all to work by asking Alexa to turn up the heating etc and recognise us coming and going. Anyone recommend which one may be best?

My 2nd question is fitting. Would it be easy to fit a Nest/Hive receiver in place of the current one - or is it best done by an electrician?
I've upgraded our old on the wall programmer before to a digital one but I'm wondering if this will end up being more complicated?

Thanks Thumbs Up
____________________
Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[rpsmith79]

I've had Hive now for just under a year now, here are my thoughts

The app and hub work perfectly, never had any issues, and it ties in with Alexa nicely, you can even create "routines" for repeative stuff, like boosting the heating to a set temp for a specified time

As for turning off/on when leaving the house, Hive can't do this on its own, but using a third part app like IFTTT (If This, Then That) you can create rules that when you leave a set perimeter of the house it turns the heating off, then turns it on when returning.

It is currently possible to use another app (life360) to create a Family group, so that when all member leave > turns heating off, when 1 member returns > turn heating on, but a recent email from IFTTT says life360 support is being discontinued next month, which is a shame, as without it, it doesn't really work with multiple occupancy households.......... hopefully someone will plug the gap sooner rather than later

Other than that though, the thermostat is nice and stylish, and easy to use, but having Alexa i very rarely touch the thing now, just leave it in whichever room we are in (our Lass is working from home, so she moves it into the "home office" during the day)

There are also quite a few addons from Hive, but they are quite costly, i like the idea of smart thermostatic valves on certain raditors to zone the house, but i need the price to drop a bit first
____________________
Current Bike: Honda CG125 ES4 // Honda CB600FS Hornet // Triumph Street Triple R

[A100man]

What a palaver.
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[pepperami]

What Mr A100man said!
____________________
I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Freddyfruitba...]

To the nay-sayers.. we have a Hive here but I don't use it for any of thall that 'clever' stuff. All ours does for me is to transfer the heating/hot water controls onto my iPhone, so I can now turn the heating/hot water up or on/off from wherever I am; whether that's slobbing in front of the telly, snoozing in bed, or even out of the house somewhere. It's quite cool.
____________________
KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS

[rpsmith79]

[t121anf]

Got a nest but I’ve disabled the learning side, I prefer more control.

I also dislike that “smart” devices seem to struggle with more than one person, for example if you are on a different routine to your wife, it may turn the heating off on her when you leave etc.

As a thermostat that I can override the timer on when away from the home it’s great, I.e. heating set to come on at 6pm on a Sunday but you realise it’s freezing when you are out and want the house warm when you return at 5pm it’s great.

If I lived alone I would probably have stuck with the smart/learning features but as a family I was put off.

Edit forgot to say, mine only controls the heating, I think the water side is either an American thing or for people with tanks.
Fitting, if you have a thermostat, turn off the boiler, remove and refit the wires on the hub/bridge. Plug the display is somewhere and pair. Really easy, no need for an electrician.

[Feasty]

[winz]

We had a nest installed recently. Can link up accounts so that we can both change it.

Got a pro in to fit it as we were getting our boiler replaced at the same time.
____________________
Current Bikes: BMW K1200S
Previous: Honda CBR929RR, Honda CBR1100XX, Honda CB600F

[rpsmith79]

[A100man]

[dynax]

Is it any wonder why there are so many fat fuckers about.
Too fucking lazy to get up off their fat arses and turn a dial.
____________________
Mike.
Bikes: Xena, Bridget,Florence
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmihUc0xXxYbR4_0l-F1FzA/videos?view_as=subscriber

[Feasty]

[Robby]

Nest here, along with various other google home stuff.

Seeing as you have a new boiler it can probably talk to it using the opentherm protocol rather than just old fashioned on/off.

It does lots of clever things rather well.

[goto10]

I've had a Gen3 Nest thermostat for nearly 5 years - no experience of Hive so I can't give a comparison, but the Nest is great.
The self learning stuff is a bit gimmicky, but the fact you create a heat map is great - so rather than simply on or off with one fixed temperature, you can set it to have different temperatures over the 24hr period.
I use it with hot water (I have pumped showers, our water pressure isn't good enough for a megaflo), but this is less impressive as it's purely an on/off thing like any other controller.
The eco settings are quite useful, it also uses my wired Nest Protects (along with the built in sensor) to decide if anyone's home and activate eco settings (which you can adjust) - if it doesn't detect anyone for a preset time it goes into Eco mode, same for hot water, if no one is about for 3 days (IIRC) it switches off the hot water (i.e. if you go on holiday and forget)
Being able to warm up the water/house remotely is also very useful.

I've noticed that the Google Home app now also uses phones as presence sensors and they can be used to turn Nest cameras on and off, so probably also ties into the thermostat, but I've not looked at those settings yet.

The fact you can require a PIN on the physical thermostat to adjust temperature is every father's dream - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Efm3__Sa8I
____________________
'12 NC700S & '12 CB600F Hornet [Stolen by some dickless twat] Suzuki GT500 shed

[LustyLew]

I have a Hive, linked with Amazon Echo.

I think I've asked "Alexa" a handful of times to turn the heating on/off etc. A few of those times, it didn't work. "Alexa, ask Hive to xyz" it's all a bit convoluted. I could probably set up routines for it to work, but I can't really be assed. It's a 2 bed flat.

The native app is more useful. If I'm working late, I can delay the heating coming on to save a few pence. Or if I'm out all day and bitterly cold, I can boost it, so its warm when I get in.

If you just have a combi boiler, I think it's three wires you have to attach to the receiver. I did mine myself. Took about 20 minutes.

[TaffyTDM]

Had a hive in the place with the ex. Didnt think id miss.it when i left it behind, only ever used the control on the wall for stuff. Now im seperated though and doing the big commute ive pushed the button and having it put in my place.
I get the points above, but for the naysayers, i can justify it as the timer set up i inherited from my sellers is a PITA, doesnt work around my different shifts and now its getting chilly, with a 90 minute commute its cost effective and quite nice to be able to turn it on from the mobile 20 mins before getting home, not wasting fuel if its on a timer and i miss my train, wait an hour for the next one and so on. When i took the deal last week for another one hive are bundeling a free alexa thing, i have no interest in them but my brother gave me the Google speaker for xmas and it always worked quite well with that

[1198]

I fitted a Hive system when I lived alone and worked away. Brilliant. I could turn the heating on to my preferred temperature when I left work then the house would be ideal when I got home five hours later. It did remove the excuse of 'having' to go to the pub for a few hours when I got home though to give the house a chance to get warm...

The temptation to fiddle with the temperature sat on the settee pissed up in the evening often got too great, I know I wouldn't have pissed around neatly as much if I'd had to get off my lazy drunken arse!
Not really an issue now as the future Mrs. 1198 usually works from home.

[panrider_uk]

If you're not bothered about Alexa integration then the Salus IT500 is a good option currently £95: Clicky

It has a wireless thermostat that you can move from room to room (comes with a wall mount too), has app control and has an internet interface.

I've had mine installed for 6 years now.
____________________
Current bike: Honda ST1100

[Hong Kong Phooey]

I bought Hive while I had a back boiler and a bloody noisy wall clock timer. This also had no thermostat. The install was complicated due to the number of channels and terminals, plus no wiring diagram on such an old boiler.

Then I binned off the back boiler and had a combi put in, kept the same two channel Hive system and wired only the heating channel, this was a doddle.

I now have a spare channel labelled as hot water, but I could use it to switch on an outside light, or something that is low power, but I could also use it with a relay to switch on the underfloor heating if I could be bothered.

It just works, no mucking around channelling cables into walls or resetting routers and crap like that.
____________________
'81 CG125, '97 FZS600 : '99 CBR600F4, '09 KTM RC8

[Feasty]

I ended up getting a Hive and installed it myself, this was a doddle once I managed to get hold of the wiring diagrams for my old system - even used the old wall fixtures so no drilling either.
it works with Alexa and on our phones, so much easier to operate and save on heating by switching it off when we decide to go out for the day, then switch it back on 20mins before getting home and the house is all cosy.
The extra bonus was getting £40 off through a black Friday deal.

Thanks for all the replies helping to make my mind up!
____________________
Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[McHattrick]