Apple HomeKit partner Honeywell takes on Google's Nest with Lyric smart thermostat
Honeywell, a name familiar to hundreds of millions of consumers around the world thanks to its iconic round thermostats, is gearing up to put its own spin on the "internet of things" with a new, Internet-connected thermostat called Lyric.
Lyric's flagship feature is the ability to alter the temperature of a space dynamically. The most basic regulation is done using the owner's location, much like competing products from companies like Nest, which was recently acquired by Google.
"Most people don't have a predictable pattern to how they live their lives; why not have a thermostat that adjusts based on your real-time schedule?" Honeywell executive Beth Wozniak said in a release. "With the Lyric thermostat's geofencing capability, my house returns to my preferred comfort setting when I'm within a few miles from home. Quite simply, the Lyric thermostat offers me the ability to keep my life in tune delivering comfort when I'm home and savings when I'm gone."
Honeywell has gone one further, however, with a new addition called Fine Tune.
Fine Tune takes environmental factors like existing indoor and outdoor temperatures, humidity, and weather into account when adjusting the heating and cooling levels. This allows Lyric to find "the most comfortable temperature" for occupants, Honeywell says.
Lyric works alongside a smartphone app that allows for remote control, but it can also operate independently with controls located on the thermostat itself.
A proximity sensor illuminates the display when a user walks up to it, showing the current temperature and a color ring indicating the system's status -- orange for heating, blue for cooling, or green for energy saving mode. The display can also show current and future weather data.
Honeywell is one of a number of manufacturers that have partnered with Apple to support HomeKit, the iPhone maker's new home automation standard introduced with iOS 8. It is unknown whether Lyric will receive an update with HomeKit integration once iOS 8 ships this fall, though such an occurrence is likely.
Lyric is available now from HVAC contractors and will be on retail shelves in August for $279.
Lyric's flagship feature is the ability to alter the temperature of a space dynamically. The most basic regulation is done using the owner's location, much like competing products from companies like Nest, which was recently acquired by Google.
"Most people don't have a predictable pattern to how they live their lives; why not have a thermostat that adjusts based on your real-time schedule?" Honeywell executive Beth Wozniak said in a release. "With the Lyric thermostat's geofencing capability, my house returns to my preferred comfort setting when I'm within a few miles from home. Quite simply, the Lyric thermostat offers me the ability to keep my life in tune delivering comfort when I'm home and savings when I'm gone."
Honeywell has gone one further, however, with a new addition called Fine Tune.
Fine Tune takes environmental factors like existing indoor and outdoor temperatures, humidity, and weather into account when adjusting the heating and cooling levels. This allows Lyric to find "the most comfortable temperature" for occupants, Honeywell says.
Lyric works alongside a smartphone app that allows for remote control, but it can also operate independently with controls located on the thermostat itself.
A proximity sensor illuminates the display when a user walks up to it, showing the current temperature and a color ring indicating the system's status -- orange for heating, blue for cooling, or green for energy saving mode. The display can also show current and future weather data.
Honeywell is one of a number of manufacturers that have partnered with Apple to support HomeKit, the iPhone maker's new home automation standard introduced with iOS 8. It is unknown whether Lyric will receive an update with HomeKit integration once iOS 8 ships this fall, though such an occurrence is likely.
Lyric is available now from HVAC contractors and will be on retail shelves in August for $279.
Comments
I bought Nest because I believed and TRUSTED in the Nest company - definitely not true for Google.
Glad these are announced. I close on my new house in a month. May just wait for the DIY option. Love the geofencing option.
Sure sounds like my Nest being described
Does the Nest have geofencing at the moment? I didn't think so (could be wrong, and am sure they will).
Most of the features touted here are already available Europe and have been for a while. The Tado Thermostat has all these features and more, what's more they are looking to build in the support for the new features in iOS 8.
It's even round like the Nest! Those thieving bastards at Honeywell can't do anything original. /s
Finally got into their website and found dimensions; 3' dia x 1" thick, just about the same as the Nest. One thing I noticed was the battery it uses. It looks like a typical AA battery while the Nest uses a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which is supposed to work for several years.
I really wish Honeywell would have entered with a much lower price, something under $200 would have been better than almost $300. This isn't an iWatch after all. :-)
Honeywell is no small company. I'm sure Google is not pleased but this surely was expected.
"Would you like Honeywell in your home... or Nest?"
Reminds me of what they used to say about IBM... "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM".
It's even round like the Nest! Those thieving bastards at Honeywell can't do anything original. /s
HAHA! Good one!
My neighbor still has the original honeywell as their main thermostat. It's cool and all, but seriously, they have to adjust it 5 times a day!
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wish hvac systems would have per room electric dampers so it could just cool the rooms i'm in rather than my whole zone.
I remember from WWDC when they announced HomeKit and were showing slides of various types of devices. When they got to thermostats Apple showed Honeywell, not Nest. Quite the snub, I'd say.
Google must be kicking themselves in the butt for buying Next for 3.2 billion.
But can I see ads on the thing?
http://www.lyric.honeywell.com/ lots of info and videos
Anyone still wants to b1tch why Apple didn't buy Nest?!!
Google must be kicking themselves in the butt for buying Next for 3.2 billion.
Nest is going to start building headphones.