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Engadget UK giveaway: Win a smart heating system courtesy of Tado
There's something ever so satisfying about milling around in your PJs at home when you need to wrap up like a mummy to set foot outside. But making repeated trips to the thermostat and fiddling around with the timer isn't quite so enjoyable. This week, we're giving away a package that'll vastly increase your boiler's IQ, thanks to our pals at Tado. In addition to many remote control and scheduling features, Tado's latest smart thermostat helps you manage your home's microclimate, considering factors like air quality, humidity and others. On top of a thermostat starter kit, one lucky winner will also receive two smart radiator valves for creating individual heating zones, and free installation for the whole shebang. To get involved, read the rules, enter via the Rafflecopter widget below, then cross your fingers.
Netatmo's radiator valves take cues from its smart thermostat
It seems like it was only yesterday that most smart thermostat makers were content with their simple solutions, leaving the more complicated heating zone control systems to those with prior experience. Actually... that was only yesterday. Just a few short hours after Tado announced the addition of smart radiator valves to its product range, Netatmo has revealed it's doing exactly the same thing. You probably know the score by now: Replacing existing, dumb radiator valves with internet-connected ones allows you to remotely control the temperature of individual rooms.
Tado's new thermostat listens to Siri and Alexa
Tado is no doubt celebrating today after its thermostat was selected above all others for O2's new subscription-based smart home offering. That's by no means the only Tado news from this year's IFA, though, as the company today announced its third-generation smart thermostat. Pretty much nothing has changed from a hardware standpoint, with the main improvements being support for both Apple's HomeKit and Amazon's Echo platforms, allowing you to control your heating by talking to Siri or Alexa, respectively. IFTTT integration remains part of the feature set, and the new generation is also said to have improved energy efficiency algorithms.
O2 wants to help you spread the cost of building a smart home
Although there are plenty of smart home solutions, deciding which platform to back can be hard. Do you invest in a product from a major brand like Google's Nest or choose a startup that cares more about its products and services than parting you from more of your money? It's a problem that UK companies like British Gas' Hive have tried to solve with its mix of smart appliances, but mobile carrier O2 thinks it might have the solution. The operator today launched O2 Home, a new smart home subscription service that lets customers spread the cost of devices but also the support they may require.
Tado taps energy provider SSE to help push its smart thermostat
Not content with the retail partner Tado drafted in to help flog its smart thermostat last year, the company today announced yet another tie-in, this time with energy provider SSE. Any customer of SSE, or its other business guises Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro and SWALEC, can now buy a second-generation Tado thermostat directly from their energy merchant for £199. Until March 26th (or for the first 300 patrons), installation is free, though it'll set you back £90 after this promotional period. You can also rent one of the clever thermostats for £5 a month if you'd prefer, with installation costing £40 in this scenario. Tado will no doubt shift a couple more units with its new friend's help; but with so many competing products and similar alliances around, we reckon Tado having an official Windows Phone app probably does more for the company than any fresh partnership might.
Tado adds physical controls to its second-gen smart thermostat
Smart thermostat maker Tado landed itself a new retail partner in the UK a little over a month ago, but with so much competition in the market, you need to keep on kicking if you want to stay above water. In an effort to do just that, Tado's ready to show off its second-generation connected thermostat, which adds physical controls to the main unit. Previously, the company's hardware has simply been about connecting heating and hot water systems to the internet, thus allowing users to issue commands from web-based and mobile apps. With this next iteration, however, the box that replaces your existing thermostat is no longer just a conduit. The addition of physical controls means you can now check the temperature, adjust it, and cycle through various operational modes on the unit itself -- making it more like, you know, an actual thermostat. You can control hot water from the new thermostat, too, should you have a compatible boiler setup.
Tado hopes to put its smart thermostat in more homes with new retail partner
The smart thermostat space is plenty competitive nowadays, and securing an exclusive and high-profile retail partner seems the go-to sales strategy. Over the past few months, we've seen Nest buddy up with npower and Climote rebrand its thermostat for Scottish Power, not to mention British Gas plugs its own product. Now, thermostat-maker Tado's announced it's also found an advocate in new partner HomeServe, a specialist home insurance and repairs provider operating in the UK and other European countries. While teaming up with an energy supplier makes obvious sense, we don't see as clear a sales channel through HomeServe, unless one of its reps is round fixing the boiler. With five and a half million customers across Europe, however, we're sure the company will manage to flog a few Tado thermostats with location-based controls regardless.
Make your air conditioner modern with Tado's smart thermostat
Plenty of companies produce smart thermostats to control your home's heating, but what if your air conditioner isn't part of the same system? Tado, which already produces Nest-like smart thermostats for heating systems in Europe, is now working on a device that'll do the same for cooling. Tado Cooling connects to your home's AC unit over infrared, and lets you control the temperature while out and about from your smartphone. In addition, there's geo-fencing, so it'll shut down if you go away, and come back on when you reach a certain distance away from your home.
