Great video. Very informative. I'm a local plumber, and you have helped me recommend my customers when installing or up grading their heating systems. Thanks
Hi. Great comparison. I have Nest thermostat installed 2 years now and I'm very satisfied with it. I've also followed your installation video which helped me to install Nest into my system. Thanks, keep up good work!
That was the clearest video I have viewed regarding smart thermostats. The evidence, both for and against, is presented in an easily digestible form. The great thing is that after viewing the video, I am much clearer as to which direction I will go with regard to installtion. Many thanks.
Great overview. I’m about to have Hive installed at a holiday let. The aim being that I can control the heating remotely and turn it off after guests leave, then back on when new guests are due. You don’t talk about that ability in your video. I would have found that helpful. A lot of these thermostats are being used by Airbnb owners. Thanks for a clear and detailed overview of both Hive and Nest. 👍
I would really love to "win" this fabulous thermostat. I am a lady Pensioner, but I CAN work "smart" devices, as I am quite "tech savvy" for an older Gal. Lol. I have an Amazon Echo Plus, which was a present to me 2 years ago. I use it all day, every day. I have a Combi Boiler, so I only need heating control, not water, so this one you have would be perfect for me. My boiler receiver and thermostat is not working properly, so I have got to buy a new one - and pay for the installation. Unfortunately, I could NOT afford to buy one as wonderful as this one you are gifting to someone. Fingers crossed I can win this Hive - Lol. Great video!! Very clearly explained, with no nonsense or faffing about.....straight to all the important points and the video covers ALL aspects. I understood your video completely. I've watched this video four times now!! Lol. Thank you so much.
I've had both and liked both. Both do ultimately similarly things - allow you to set schedules and then remotely turn the heating on or off if you need to. For me they both have pros and cons. The Nest is nicer to look, I like the 'walk towards' feature for the weather when heading out the door, the learning thing is clever, and it has Opentherm. However I don't like that it needs plugging in - if you want it neatly on a wall you need to chase a cable in. Also lack of same-brand smart TRVs is unfortunate. Hive is battery powered so you can put it anywhere, has the 'boost' function which is handy, and scheduling is easier. No Opentherm though, less attractive, and you have to have the bridge thing (whatever its called) somewhere near the router.
Thank you for taking your time out to help us out. I'm new to plumbing, been forced to learn some skills now that I'm a widow! Loved the bathroom makeovers! Learning loads from you so I don't get taken for an idiot wee woman by prospective plumbers! Cheers man. 👩🔧
a nice simplified explanation of a subject I know nothing about. Due to lock down and medical problems with my wife and I, we are spending more time at home and have 4 different times to set per day is confusing, I just want one that that I set for wake up and bed time the same for all 7 days.
I was normally following electrician videos about solar panels and green energy but your videos are great and full of knowledge. Keep up with the good work mate! Subscribed of course.
Very informative. I like the realistic points made in the video without overblown presenting. Just the facts. Almost a refreshing change to most UA-cam videos. I think I would go with the Hive after watching this.
Great video - I was looking to install a Nest on my partners dual zone and hot water tank system, your previous video made it seem possible, but having now watched this, I'm going to get Hive to save the fitting hassle. Great accent too, you should do audiobooks.
Excellent video. I have gone down the Wiser route where I have a thermostat in each room room and you can modulate the boiler. Only problem is that I have a Worcester Combi which I don’t think has Open Therm.
Hello! Wow perfect timing. Just moved into a fancy new home on my own where everything is modern but the Worcester boiler thermostat has a mind of its own! It’s a little stressful trying to fix it constantly whilst working from home so would love to win this. Thank you 🙂
Great video ! Very easy to follow , explained the pro’s and con’s of both and what systems/ boilers they are suitable for , so anyone could / should be able to choose which product is suitable for their system, I wish all were as good as explaining tech stuff as this chap is 👍
Very interesting information on both of these digital thermostats.Love the more futuristic styling of the nest…that would be the likely winner for a lot of people 👍🏴👍
Very good video for anyone needing to know the real time facts and unbiased review, very clear details and easy to understand. I will be using the instillation videos for support when setting up my chosen product.
It was a good video straight forward and easy to understand - when boiler plus came in (UK) I chose Hive to fit less money and more straight forward to fit - made sense however i switched to nest because I fitted a hive in a rental property but the tenants did not stay there long and when I returned to complete the new landlord certificate I asked the new tenants how they were getting on with Hive they said they were unable to use it via their phones - I offered to help they said I couldn't they understood the tech but had there own internet connected when they moved in and were unable to connect - so contacted Hive who told them they had to do something at there end to allow them to connect to a new router and that would cost them sixty something pounds - good old British Gas - never miss an opportunity - may have backfired on them in this case as I straight away switched allegiance to Nest
Great video and explanation, after which i decided not to buy either as I don't leave the heating on when I go out and it only takes a few minutes to heat up when i get in. My basic battery wifi operated Honeywell thermostat , which is programable, does the job just a well and won't drop out if I lose the internet connection, which does happen on occasion. At £187 it would take me years to recoup the outlay. So thanks again for saving me money.
Have seen your review on this one and also how to install both. Extremely useful and we'll prepared. Making a decision now on which one... But will definitely ask a professional to install. Learnt quite clearly that the initial install might beyond me which is already a substantial save... Well done!!
I liked your review, however I prefer hive over nest as I’ve owned both. (It was the first gen so I assume a big difference) The issue I have with nest is every time I decided I wanted the house a bit warmer so I manually adjust it, it would adjust itself back to the temp before. I found it very frustrating and it’s too much faff to go through all the menus. I also had the nest constantly lose connection. The hive has been amazing, not as many features but does the basics very well. Never lost connection as it’s plugged in via router, does the job well and looks better in my opinion.
vishal, totally agree, nest is very irritating. life is too short to be trying to learn all the crap for a thermosats. the biggest selling point is, hive has batteries. nest is awful to install
Yes Hive for me too, I tried Nest but returned back to supplier too complicated, Hive is so easy to install and use via the app. The best way to save is when the boiler is off it is not costing you. Yes I am the older generation!
@@car6737 I have had the Hive for around 2 years now and it's never been an issue for me. The batteries for me last around 1 year but I do use the app to change the temp rather than the actual thermostat which probably helps. I don't think I would ever for with a Nest thermostat again. Older generation paved the path for us younger generation (28) and the easier a thermostat, the better!
I’ve had a Hive system in our previous property and we are looking to change our boiler too. This would be very much appreciated. Thank you for some great advice. John
I haven’t tried either of these products yet. On my latest project we are installing a nest thermostat. The look is much more modern and sleek IMO, so goes with the decor. Great video as always
IIRC the Hive system when using the hive Thermostatic Radiator Valves works in that the TRV's in a room tell the Hive thermostat to be set to 22°C when the room (TRV) set point is reached and in that way turn the boiler on. For most people this is fine, but my very elderly father needed room heated to 25-26°C, which meant that the hive thermostat would not actually turn the boiler on as the room was above 22°C. Maybe with the new Hive hub, the TRV's talk directly with the hub and not via the Smart thermostat. Due to this issue with the hive I went with the Drayton Wiser system where each TRV talks directly to the hub to turn the boiler on and not via a temperature set in the room thermostat. I've now fitted the Wiser system to 3 houses and to be honest found it fab. Very nice interface in the mobile app which seems to get updates fairly regularly. Definitely a system to consider, maybe worth doing a comparison.
Really well presented and explained clearly. I'm looking at installing one of these products myself, so the heads-up on the simplicity of the hive system installation and compatibility with my existing systems programmer had probably made my mind up... Thanks and look forward to more vids... Peter
Both are best. Depends on what you want. I love my Hive at home. With the Rad valves I can control each room individually. Nest is great for a commercial / public spaces. Control each area. It is without a doubt the most intuitive piece of kit. I have never had to explain how to turn up the temperature.
I gave up with the Nest auto learning and presence detection. The auto learnign would do weird things, like set it to 20c, then 30 mins later to 22, then back to 20 again after an hour. It doesn't need to be that granular. Perhaps they've fixed it since i last used it though, it as some time back. The presence detection I don't use, I have Nest hooked up to HomeAssistant which seems much more reliable detecting if anyone is home or not. So When i'm away, it tells Nest I'm way too, and when I'm back, it tells Nest that I'm home.
Great video, well thought out and presented, as usual. First came across your channel when I was installing a 2 zone nest for a friend to replace his 2 zone hive. (He was in the Google ecosphere, having the door bell, cameras, and the smoke alarms, so made sense for him to upgrade). I've inherited his old hives, but neither of his two were the single channel, no hot water ones, so winning your one would be great, and I do actually have 3 zones plus hot water. The other thing I've noticed about most of these smart stats is that most of them rely on time as opposed to temp to do a cylinder of hot water. So, in the summer, they have no idea what temp the water is in your cylinder, and the boiler could be cycling on and off like crazy I'm imagine? I like the functional look of the hive, and agree with you about the buttons, makes more sense. The use of touch screens has gone out of control. Look at most new cars, there's one where you have to open the glove box from the central touch screen! Only thing I'd like might be an always on display if there was the option to hook it up to a permanent supply. Opentherm on the nest is a waste of time I think. Most people unless its a one floor apartment will have 2 zones, and then opentherm won't work with nest (as far as I know?) Keep up the good work!
Hi, thanks for the comment. On the hot water cylinder issue it will only happen (cycling) if you have it wired bypassing the thermostat on the cylinder which is not to the standard. If wired correctly the stat on the cylinder will turn the boiler off even if the programmer / stat is asking for the water to be on.
On the OT issue, you are correct, single zone only at the moment. It would be nice if google had a hub that controls the boielr and other nests connecting through the hub. That would allow OT multizone. There are some DIY solutions good people of the Internet are working on.
@@UrbanPlumbers agreed, but most systems I see being upgraded have not even had wall stats, not to mind cylinder stats before. And because these smart systems don't have a solution, the cylinder coil and cylinder temp aren't controlled or monitored...
You are not supposed to wire a smart stat to a cylinder without its own stat. It would cycle on any set up. Cyl. Stat is a G3 and building regs requirement.
I installed a nest using your help video. Seems like a good product so far but as you said the learning function is not for everyone! Great videos. Well done!
Excellent. I've had Hive for the last 6years and it's been fine. Did move to Drayton wiser for a short period but didn't like it. Always thought about nest but I wouldn't use the geofencing but does look better
Only issue I have with nest thermostat (ones with metal ring) it's best if you don't ajust it via the metal ring (use the app) as you end up heating up the nest (usually takes over 15-60 minutes to stabilise) Nest heater controller wires use the Bootlace Ferrule on the end of the cables (I agree they made the holes way to small) nest needs to show temperature in 0.1c increments and stop using a F to C conversion in the background, as in the app and the nest device (20c might be 19.8 or 20.2c when adjusting it in the app, the dial might be 19.9 or 20.1c) hive is 0.1c increments it shows with 0.5c set points (but major downside is it's off and on is +/- 0.1c (so if it's set to 20c it switch's on and off if it's above or below 20c by 0.1c witch can damage some heating systems (nest is 0.3c and has a rapid off/on delay when operating automatically, if user changes tempture manually it still acts right away) Note on hive you don't have to press the button to confirm temperature (change it to temperature you want and it sets when you stop moving knob) , be nice if hive had motion sensor and working geofencing like nest (it sending you a stupid popup to turn your heating off and on is stupid on hive) Hive can do mutizone (more Then 2) if you use the hive TRVs as they can be set to heat in demand (each TRV becomes a thermostat) and each TRV has its own temperature and schedule setting you can configure That said I am moving to a homekit type system aqara home, m2 hub that can he used wireless or wired mode and maybe use homekit and supports matter now (for use with home assistant and Google home) , using Aqara TRVs (each room has a aqara temperature sensor and aqara let's you link each trv to a remote temperature sensor) and TVOC temperature sensor, as long as the hub is powered everything works (Internet failing does not mean system fails) all devices are zigbee and matter compliant (well the TVOC is only zigbee at the moment) any aqara can turn heating on
Great review, really well explained. I’ve watched all your Nest and Hive install videos, learned so much about how my home is wired and plumbed! Would feel confident to install either the Nest or Hive now
Sorry to be offtopic but does anyone know of a way to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb lost my login password. I love any help you can give me.
@Hayes Jamie i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm in the hacking process now. I see it takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
I have the Hive system here in the UK with a modern system boiler. Just wanted to point out that if you also buy their range of TRV (smart thermostatic radiator valves) then you can in fact have a multizone system that can control each room individually and it works pretty well. Also you can set the TRV's to automatically control the boiler via a setting called Heat on demand. This means that the rooms themselves tell the boiler to heat up only if the room requires heating. These can all be set on their own schedules which for me is better since I stop worrying that the boiler could remain running. Also if you have a smart meter (i don't) apparently it will monitor the gas usage and report back if you are using more gas than usual. If you don't have a smart meter, you can add your tariff details and it will estimate usage (not so accurate). The only bad thing is that the hot water is not included in this reporting which is a shame. Also you currently can't control the TRV's from the website, only they app. You can boost a single room or a set of rooms based on a routine.
@@Molinacaveman Depends how often they are activated, however I installed them just after Black Friday of 2021 and the batteries are still going strong so I suspect from 18months to 2 years. Each TRV has two AA batteries.
Thanks for the comparison. Loved catching up with your channel. Had a Hive in my last house and it worked well for me, so would be happy to win one for my new home!! Keep up the good work.
Top job on the video bud very informative on the comparison of both products im using nest at the moment and find it very user friendly aswell as compatability on other systems when installing yes the wiring terminals are a bit tricky but overall good 👍😎😍💯😎👍😎
As we found the far sight on NEST is not so great if you have pets. Not sure if this was not updated recently but when we had this on our dog would trigger the thermostat to heat all day even with geotagging function when we were out. NEST recently released a major update and changed several features like ECO function when you leave the property finally works properly, but it must be manually turned off which is annoying. The upside of this update is that it looks like they set the temperatures below desired values to see when occupants are too cold and then adjust when required. I think it works better this way. NEST was also very annoying with the preheat function of 5h as it would start heating up at 2 am to meet the set temperature at 7, even though it only took 30 mins to heat up. I have reported it multiple times and Google could not resolve it, but there must have been a problem, as it was fixed with the next update I tried both and yes, the HIVE thermostat was easier to use, but as you said it didn't offer the EcoTherm communication protocol, which apparently even with limited functionality with many boilers (I have an Ideal Vogue) still allow for better modulation. HIVE could only turn the boiler on, while NEST will run the pump for a little longer to "extract" residual heat from the system. Lastly, both have poor history graphs and both don't offer the "open window" function like TaDo which turns heating off once cold draught is detected. NEST doesn't worth with smart thermostat valves, not sure about HIVE but I don't think it had this function.
All farsight does is activate the display - it does not turn the heating on/off. The home/away function is automatic - it is brilliant allows heating to function when a family member is home. You can set it to activate for each family member who has app. It does have a function to turn on the heating at a low level to prevent the system freezing in cold weather (called ECO TEMPERATURE - you set that level to your choice) but that is a good feature.
An interesting comparison. I have an Intergas combi boiler with their own Comfort Touch Gateway hub to link the boiler to their app and also a Honeywell Single Zone thermostat, separately linked to the boiler. The boiler is great but the Gateway and the app are not the best bit of IT and tech around. I’m looking at installing new smart TRV’s on all my radiators and was considering both Nest and Hive as the alternatives. This has gone a long way to helping me decide as Intergas are OpenTherm compatible. Thank you so much for this video - it’s come as an unexpected bonus!
Nice and informative video well and smoothly presented. The background info was very interesting. I have two hive systems in different properties, both were problematic . The latest one. Installed last week still won't work properly unless the original wall stat remains connected and is turned up to max. Pairing the devices was hit and miss and there were no steps to install with the equipment. I am not a pro by the way. The first system also gave wiring problems to the installers, but they were British Gas pros. That system lost the Internet for 2 months whilst I was away, so I couldn't control the heating. I remain unimpressed with Hive. When it works, happy days and I would still opt for an Internet based system. Finally, the newer system is a Hive Nano, so much less controllability at the room stat: most done on the app. I cannot find a way to increase frost protection temp which is set at 12 degrees. Most insurers stipulate an empty property must over winter have a heating system left on at 16 degrees to prevent bursts or freezing events.
@@UrbanPlumbers Completely disagree, hive does what it says on the tin, wasn't designed to be an all singing, all dancing stat, that's the point! Most customers don't need or want all the other complicated options, just on/off, easy to understand schedule, frost protection, boost button's. That's basically all you need IMO. Plus you can self install.
Well I bought a nest and chose an ideal boiler so I could use opentherm, it’s a heat only though, with a pressurised cylinder, I wired it so I didn’t have to use batteries, the opentherm used the wireless connection, it worked for about a week before it wouldn’t anymore, reverted back to on/off I guess it didn’t like or got confused by hot water demand or demand from the regular thermostat for the underfloor heating, none of this was all that clear to me when I got it, I should have paid more attention to your videos at the time, I still would have chosen the nest though and am still happy with it
I would remind everyone that the nest only supports standard boilers with open therm. Considering combi and system boilers are more popular,this is a big deal. I had seen hive offering some upgrade that offered load compensation or sounded like it.
I’ve had Nest for years. Happy with the thermostat but wish the app was better. I don’t use the self learning mode but do my own schedule. The User interface in the app for changing the schedule is poor and requires perfect eyesight or finding my glasses every time I need to change it. You get a history of how long your boiler was providing central heating but only for 10 days and no record of hot water heating which can vary if you have solar. Often wondered if I’d have been better with hive but based on this video I’m still glad I went with Nest
Nest overall is in my opinion definitely the best. Nest just needs to upsize the terminals. I actually use Wago connectors to make it easier to add the common links from L to 2 & 5 because the terminals are a bit small for more than 1 conductor.
![Best Smart Thermostats 2024 [don’t buy one before watching this]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/G6bAxDlhr2Y/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video. Very informative. I'm a local plumber, and you have helped me recommend my customers when installing or up grading their heating systems.
Thanks
Hi. Great comparison. I have Nest thermostat installed 2 years now and I'm very satisfied with it. I've also followed your installation video which helped me to install Nest into my system. Thanks, keep up good work!
Thank you!
Haven't used the nest. But I am very happy with the hive. Simple and easy
That's been exactly my experience. Some systems offer so many useless bells and whistles they put me off completely.
@@PedalBikerUKwell said silly add ons 95% of people won't ever use
That was the clearest video I have viewed regarding smart thermostats. The evidence, both for and against, is presented in an easily digestible form. The great thing is that after viewing the video, I am much clearer as to which direction I will go with regard to installtion. Many thanks.
Clear, concise and professional comparison of Nest versus Hive thermostats. 👍
Great overview. I’m about to have Hive installed at a holiday let. The aim being that I can control the heating remotely and turn it off after guests leave, then back on when new guests are due. You don’t talk about that ability in your video. I would have found that helpful. A lot of these thermostats are being used by Airbnb owners. Thanks for a clear and detailed overview of both Hive and Nest. 👍
this is an internet stat so you can turn it on off up or down after they go no problem
You can control NEST remotely from the app.
I would really love to "win" this fabulous thermostat. I am a lady Pensioner, but I CAN work "smart" devices, as I am quite "tech savvy" for an older Gal. Lol. I have an Amazon Echo Plus, which was a present to me 2 years ago. I use it all day, every day. I have a Combi Boiler, so I only need heating control, not water, so this one you have would be perfect for me. My boiler receiver and thermostat is not working properly, so I have got to buy a new one - and pay for the installation. Unfortunately, I could NOT afford to buy one as wonderful as this one you are gifting to someone. Fingers crossed I can win this Hive - Lol. Great video!! Very clearly explained, with no nonsense or faffing about.....straight to all the important points and the video covers ALL aspects. I understood your video completely. I've watched this video four times now!! Lol. Thank you so much.
alright Teddy, you are the last person to be included in the draw! I am just about to reocrd the draw now
Well explained, choosing one of these is much easier now.
glas it was helpful
finally!! after months of research.... simple clear explanation on plus & minus for each model..thanks!
glad I could help!
Whilst i like technology, i get so fed up with having to reinstall the wi fi password.
Im hooked on your videos.
I've had both and liked both. Both do ultimately similarly things - allow you to set schedules and then remotely turn the heating on or off if you need to. For me they both have pros and cons. The Nest is nicer to look, I like the 'walk towards' feature for the weather when heading out the door, the learning thing is clever, and it has Opentherm. However I don't like that it needs plugging in - if you want it neatly on a wall you need to chase a cable in. Also lack of same-brand smart TRVs is unfortunate. Hive is battery powered so you can put it anywhere, has the 'boost' function which is handy, and scheduling is easier. No Opentherm though, less attractive, and you have to have the bridge thing (whatever its called) somewhere near the router.
Can you charge the nest?
Plus the cheaper Nest E was hobbled by no water heat control even if less sexy design.Not seen many hardware upgrades.
Very comprehensive appraisal. I like that you gave your personal choice. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for taking your time out to help us out. I'm new to plumbing, been forced to learn some skills now that I'm a widow! Loved the bathroom makeovers! Learning loads from you so I don't get taken for an idiot wee woman by prospective plumbers! Cheers man. 👩🔧
a nice simplified explanation of a subject I know nothing about. Due to lock down and medical problems with my wife and I, we are spending more time at home and have 4 different times to set per day is confusing, I just want one that that I set for wake up and bed time the same for all 7 days.
You can do it on both
I was normally following electrician videos about solar panels and green energy but your videos are great and full of knowledge. Keep up with the good work mate! Subscribed of course.
Great video !!! Thanks !!! I was doubting on which one is better thanks !!! Already subscribed for new videos !!!
Very informative. I like the realistic points made in the video without overblown presenting. Just the facts. Almost a refreshing change to most UA-cam videos. I think I would go with the Hive after watching this.
Another great video as always. Clear and precise. Much appreciated.
Excellent overview from a very knowledgeable engineer. Other videos in this series are excellent as well.
Thank you very much!
Great video - I was looking to install a Nest on my partners dual zone and hot water tank system, your previous video made it seem possible, but having now watched this, I'm going to get Hive to save the fitting hassle. Great accent too, you should do audiobooks.
Will keep that in mind :)
Your videos are very informative and show the depth of your knowledge. Thanks for taking the time to do them.
Glad you like them!
Great review.Thanks Frank. Open Therm makes the nest the winner.
Great summary thanks. I just bought the Nest and am now reassured I've made the right choice 👍
Excellent video. I have gone down the Wiser route where I have a thermostat in each room room and you can modulate the boiler.
Only problem is that I have a Worcester Combi which I don’t think has Open Therm.
Excellent video. Looking forward to others.
Very interesting. I’ve changed my mind about which one to purchase! Thanks.
Happy it helped !
Was thinking of buying an hive until I watched this video many thanks for the advice
Hive is much better mate... Nest will frustrate the hell out of you , trust me.
The differences are really well expalined, thank you!
thanks!
Fixed both Hive and Nest for my customers, I thought I had all the information needed ! Clearly Not . Easy informative watch ,Thank You .
You are welcome
Hello! Wow perfect timing. Just moved into a fancy new home on my own where everything is modern but the Worcester boiler thermostat has a mind of its own! It’s a little stressful trying to fix it constantly whilst working from home so would love to win this. Thank you 🙂
Perfect!
Great video ! Very easy to follow , explained the pro’s and con’s of both and what systems/ boilers they are suitable for , so anyone could / should be able to choose which product is suitable for their system, I wish all were as good as explaining tech stuff as this chap is 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Very interesting information on both of these digital thermostats.Love the more futuristic styling of the nest…that would be the likely winner for a lot of people 👍🏴👍
Sadly hive is being abandoned/shot down by 2025
I think I'd be happy be with a Hive, I prefer not to let an algorithm control my heating ;) I find it amusing you gave away the 'not so good' one :D
Excellent video - I wish you lived near me!!
I self installed a Hive thermostat for me combi boiler and love the simplicity and ease of using it.
Wow I leant many things from this video. Thank you :)
You are welcome
Nice educational videos
I'm training to be gas engineer
I found this channel recently
These are valuable information here 👍
You are welcome !
Very good video for anyone needing to know the real time facts and unbiased review, very clear details and easy to understand. I will be using the instillation videos for support when setting up my chosen product.
Thank you very much!
Came across your video just as your titles says to compare the two systems, looks like I will go for the nest, many thanks for your advice
I prefer Nest myself but Hive will suit some people
I've been looking for a new smart thermostat and your videos have been super helpful! A shame I missed the competition but thank you for the help
Next time!
Great video matey, I am a heating Engeener my self, but I always learn from the best (you).
Thank you for the useful information.
And now you get a chance to get a free Hive too!
It was a good video straight forward and easy to understand - when boiler plus came in (UK) I chose Hive to fit less money and more straight forward to fit - made sense however i switched to nest because I fitted a hive in a rental property but the tenants did not stay there long and when I returned to complete the new landlord certificate I asked the new tenants how they were getting on with Hive they said they were unable to use it via their phones - I offered to help they said I couldn't they understood the tech but had there own internet connected when they moved in and were unable to connect - so contacted Hive who told them they had to do something at there end to allow them to connect to a new router and that would cost them sixty something pounds - good old British Gas - never miss an opportunity - may have backfired on them in this case as I straight away switched allegiance to Nest
Much appreciated video. A great help as have to replace the boiler and upgrade whole system. Many thanks.
Often wondered what the pros and cons of each are. Very informative, thanks!
Great video and explanation, after which i decided not to buy either as I don't leave the heating on when I go out and it only takes a few minutes to heat up when i get in. My basic battery wifi operated Honeywell thermostat , which is programable, does the job just a well and won't drop out if I lose the internet connection, which does happen on occasion. At £187 it would take me years to recoup the outlay. So thanks again for saving me money.
No worries
Have seen your review on this one and also how to install both. Extremely useful and we'll prepared. Making a decision now on which one... But will definitely ask a professional to install. Learnt quite clearly that the initial install might beyond me which is already a substantial save... Well done!!
thank for the comment!
Thanks for the video, really help with what I looking for. Will be looking at the install videos too!
Just the information I need to help me choose a smart thermostat for my home. Very well explained as with all your other videos. Thanks.
Excellent video explanations and comparison of each product. I’ve watched
Really enjoy your videos . Work quality is fantastic and meticulous . Keep making the videos .
I will. Promise. Thank you for watching.
I liked your review, however I prefer hive over nest as I’ve owned both. (It was the first gen so I assume a big difference) The issue I have with nest is every time I decided I wanted the house a bit warmer so I manually adjust it, it would adjust itself back to the temp before. I found it very frustrating and it’s too much faff to go through all the menus. I also had the nest constantly lose connection.
The hive has been amazing, not as many features but does the basics very well. Never lost connection as it’s plugged in via router, does the job well and looks better in my opinion.
Never had connectivity issues with 3rd gen apart for 2 faulty units, but they didn’t connect at all
Very true 100% correct
vishal, totally agree, nest is very irritating. life is too short to be trying to learn all the crap for a thermosats.
the biggest selling point is, hive has batteries. nest is awful to install
Yes Hive for me too, I tried Nest but returned back to supplier too complicated, Hive is so easy to install and use via the app. The best way to save is when the boiler is off it is not costing you. Yes I am the older generation!
@@car6737 I have had the Hive for around 2 years now and it's never been an issue for me. The batteries for me last around 1 year but I do use the app to change the temp rather than the actual thermostat which probably helps. I don't think I would ever for with a Nest thermostat again. Older generation paved the path for us younger generation (28) and the easier a thermostat, the better!
Great comparison to help me decide what to buy 👍
Thanks! really nice video, easy to follow and understand!
I’ve had a Hive system in our previous property and we are looking to change our boiler too. This would be very much appreciated. Thank you for some great advice. John
I haven’t tried either of these products yet. On my latest project we are installing a nest thermostat. The look is much more modern and sleek IMO, so goes with the decor. Great video as always
Yes they look cool
Cheers for the review on both. Very well explained and went into great detail.
Glad you liked it!
IIRC the Hive system when using the hive Thermostatic Radiator Valves works in that the TRV's in a room tell the Hive thermostat to be set to 22°C when the room (TRV) set point is reached and in that way turn the boiler on. For most people this is fine, but my very elderly father needed room heated to 25-26°C, which meant that the hive thermostat would not actually turn the boiler on as the room was above 22°C. Maybe with the new Hive hub, the TRV's talk directly with the hub and not via the Smart thermostat.
Due to this issue with the hive I went with the Drayton Wiser system where each TRV talks directly to the hub to turn the boiler on and not via a temperature set in the room thermostat. I've now fitted the Wiser system to 3 houses and to be honest found it fab. Very nice interface in the mobile app which seems to get updates fairly regularly.
Definitely a system to consider, maybe worth doing a comparison.
Very Informative, helpful and detailed video - just like all your other videos. Thanks
Really well presented and explained clearly. I'm looking at installing one of these products myself, so the heads-up on the simplicity of the hive system installation and compatibility with my existing systems programmer had probably made my mind up...
Thanks and look forward to more vids...
Peter
no worries, thanks for watching
Excellent comparison video. very clear overview on both the products.
Thank you, I am glad you liked it.
@@UrbanPlumbers I am about to buy a Google nest. That's the reason I was watching some review videos. I like yours 👍
Both are best. Depends on what you want. I love my Hive at home. With the Rad valves I can control each room individually. Nest is great for a commercial / public spaces. Control each area. It is without a doubt the most intuitive piece of kit. I have never had to explain how to turn up the temperature.
I gave up with the Nest auto learning and presence detection. The auto learnign would do weird things, like set it to 20c, then 30 mins later to 22, then back to 20 again after an hour. It doesn't need to be that granular. Perhaps they've fixed it since i last used it though, it as some time back. The presence detection I don't use, I have Nest hooked up to HomeAssistant which seems much more reliable detecting if anyone is home or not. So When i'm away, it tells Nest I'm way too, and when I'm back, it tells Nest that I'm home.
Great video, well thought out and presented, as usual. First came across your channel when I was installing a 2 zone nest for a friend to replace his 2 zone hive. (He was in the Google ecosphere, having the door bell, cameras, and the smoke alarms, so made sense for him to upgrade). I've inherited his old hives, but neither of his two were the single channel, no hot water ones, so winning your one would be great, and I do actually have 3 zones plus hot water. The other thing I've noticed about most of these smart stats is that most of them rely on time as opposed to temp to do a cylinder of hot water. So, in the summer, they have no idea what temp the water is in your cylinder, and the boiler could be cycling on and off like crazy I'm imagine?
I like the functional look of the hive, and agree with you about the buttons, makes more sense. The use of touch screens has gone out of control. Look at most new cars, there's one where you have to open the glove box from the central touch screen! Only thing I'd like might be an always on display if there was the option to hook it up to a permanent supply.
Opentherm on the nest is a waste of time I think. Most people unless its a one floor apartment will have 2 zones, and then opentherm won't work with nest (as far as I know?)
Keep up the good work!
Hi, thanks for the comment. On the hot water cylinder issue it will only happen (cycling) if you have it wired bypassing the thermostat on the cylinder which is not to the standard. If wired correctly the stat on the cylinder will turn the boiler off even if the programmer / stat is asking for the water to be on.
On the OT issue, you are correct, single zone only at the moment. It would be nice if google had a hub that controls the boielr and other nests connecting through the hub. That would allow OT multizone. There are some DIY solutions good people of the Internet are working on.
@@UrbanPlumbers agreed, but most systems I see being upgraded have not even had wall stats, not to mind cylinder stats before. And because these smart systems don't have a solution, the cylinder coil and cylinder temp aren't controlled or monitored...
You are not supposed to wire a smart stat to a cylinder without its own stat. It would cycle on any set up. Cyl. Stat is a G3 and building regs requirement.
@@UrbanPlumbers 👍
I installed a nest using your help video. Seems like a good product so far but as you said the learning function is not for everyone! Great videos. Well done!
Excellent. I've had Hive for the last 6years and it's been fine. Did move to Drayton wiser for a short period but didn't like it. Always thought about nest but I wouldn't use the geofencing but does look better
Very informative. Thanks for making a useful video.
Great review! Super interesting and thoughtful
Only issue I have with nest thermostat (ones with metal ring) it's best if you don't ajust it via the metal ring (use the app) as you end up heating up the nest (usually takes over 15-60 minutes to stabilise)
Nest heater controller wires use the Bootlace Ferrule on the end of the cables (I agree they made the holes way to small)
nest needs to show temperature in 0.1c increments and stop using a F to C conversion in the background, as in the app and the nest device (20c might be 19.8 or 20.2c when adjusting it in the app, the dial might be 19.9 or 20.1c)
hive is 0.1c increments it shows with 0.5c set points (but major downside is it's off and on is +/- 0.1c (so if it's set to 20c it switch's on and off if it's above or below 20c by 0.1c witch can damage some heating systems (nest is 0.3c and has a rapid off/on delay when operating automatically, if user changes tempture manually it still acts right away)
Note on hive you don't have to press the button to confirm temperature (change it to temperature you want and it sets when you stop moving knob) , be nice if hive had motion sensor and working geofencing like nest (it sending you a stupid popup to turn your heating off and on is stupid on hive)
Hive can do mutizone (more Then 2) if you use the hive TRVs as they can be set to heat in demand (each TRV becomes a thermostat) and each TRV has its own temperature and schedule setting you can configure
That said I am moving to a homekit type system
aqara home, m2 hub that can he used wireless or wired mode and maybe use homekit and supports matter now (for use with home assistant and Google home) , using Aqara TRVs (each room has a aqara temperature sensor and aqara let's you link each trv to a remote temperature sensor) and TVOC temperature sensor, as long as the hub is powered everything works (Internet failing does not mean system fails) all devices are zigbee and matter compliant (well the TVOC is only zigbee at the moment) any aqara can turn heating on
Great review, really well explained. I’ve watched all your Nest and Hive install videos, learned so much about how my home is wired and plumbed! Would feel confident to install either the Nest or Hive now
Great!
Sorry to be offtopic but does anyone know of a way to log back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb lost my login password. I love any help you can give me.
@Jeffrey Zakai Instablaster ;)
@Hayes Jamie i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm in the hacking process now.
I see it takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Hayes Jamie It did the trick and I actually got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
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I have the Hive system here in the UK with a modern system boiler. Just wanted to point out that if you also buy their range of TRV (smart thermostatic radiator valves) then you can in fact have a multizone system that can control each room individually and it works pretty well. Also you can set the TRV's to automatically control the boiler via a setting called Heat on demand. This means that the rooms themselves tell the boiler to heat up only if the room requires heating. These can all be set on their own schedules which for me is better since I stop worrying that the boiler could remain running. Also if you have a smart meter (i don't) apparently it will monitor the gas usage and report back if you are using more gas than usual. If you don't have a smart meter, you can add your tariff details and it will estimate usage (not so accurate). The only bad thing is that the hot water is not included in this reporting which is a shame. Also you currently can't control the TRV's from the website, only they app. You can boost a single room or a set of rooms based on a routine.
How long do the battery last on the TRVs
@@Molinacaveman Depends how often they are activated, however I installed them just after Black Friday of 2021 and the batteries are still going strong so I suspect from 18months to 2 years. Each TRV has two AA batteries.
@@MolinacavemanI’ve got a tonne of these. About a year for 1.5V alkaline. About 6 months for 1.2V rechargeable.
A great level of detail in the comparison. Great video 👍🏼
Thanks mate
Thank you for another very informative video with in depth knowledge and comparison
Yuh are welcome mate !
Thanks for the comparison. Loved catching up with your channel. Had a Hive in my last house and it worked well for me, so would be happy to win one for my new home!! Keep up the good work.
Ok, you are in :)
Thank you for doing what you do and sharing your knowledge on here 👍
You are welcome !
Top job on the video bud very informative on the comparison of both products im using nest at the moment and find it very user friendly aswell as compatability on other systems when installing yes the wiring terminals are a bit tricky but overall good 👍😎😍💯😎👍😎
As always, really enjoy watching your videos. Cant wait for the next one. Would like to see some more bathroom transformation ones.👍
Bathroom coming next - special one, my own. Should be up in next 10 days.
@@UrbanPlumbers Looking forward to it
I am half way through the edit now. Should be done by next weekend.
As we found the far sight on NEST is not so great if you have pets. Not sure if this was not updated recently but when we had this on our dog would trigger the thermostat to heat all day even with geotagging function when we were out.
NEST recently released a major update and changed several features like ECO function when you leave the property finally works properly, but it must be manually turned off which is annoying. The upside of this update is that it looks like they set the temperatures below desired values to see when occupants are too cold and then adjust when required. I think it works better this way.
NEST was also very annoying with the preheat function of 5h as it would start heating up at 2 am to meet the set temperature at 7, even though it only took 30 mins to heat up. I have reported it multiple times and Google could not resolve it, but there must have been a problem, as it was fixed with the next update
I tried both and yes, the HIVE thermostat was easier to use, but as you said it didn't offer the EcoTherm communication protocol, which apparently even with limited functionality with many boilers (I have an Ideal Vogue) still allow for better modulation. HIVE could only turn the boiler on, while NEST will run the pump for a little longer to "extract" residual heat from the system.
Lastly, both have poor history graphs and both don't offer the "open window" function like TaDo which turns heating off once cold draught is detected.
NEST doesn't worth with smart thermostat valves, not sure about HIVE but I don't think it had this function.
All farsight does is activate the display - it does not turn the heating on/off.
The home/away function is automatic - it is brilliant allows heating to function when a family member is home. You can set it to activate for each family member who has app.
It does have a function to turn on the heating at a low level to prevent the system freezing in cold weather (called ECO TEMPERATURE - you set that level to your choice) but that is a good feature.
Hive does have smart TRV's
I absolutely agree with this review, I also have a Nest 3rd generation.
Thanks for the comment!
Great video. Thank you so much for sharing as its very detailed and great help to choose. 👌
An interesting comparison. I have an Intergas combi boiler with their own Comfort Touch Gateway hub to link the boiler to their app and also a Honeywell Single Zone thermostat, separately linked to the boiler. The boiler is great but the Gateway and the app are not the best bit of IT and tech around. I’m looking at installing new smart TRV’s on all my radiators and was considering both Nest and Hive as the alternatives. This has gone a long way to helping me decide as Intergas are OpenTherm compatible. Thank you so much for this video - it’s come as an unexpected bonus!
Very informative and balanced review
Hvac contractor here. Customers love nest, service guys hate them
Good video, it has helped me make my mind up on the one to get. Cheers.
Nice one!
Excellent video. All the very best fir the future.
Nice and informative video well and smoothly presented. The background info was very interesting. I have two hive systems in different properties, both were problematic . The latest one. Installed last week still won't work properly unless the original wall stat remains connected and is turned up to max. Pairing the devices was hit and miss and there were no steps to install with the equipment. I am not a pro by the way. The first system also gave wiring problems to the installers, but they were British Gas pros. That system lost the Internet for 2 months whilst I was away, so I couldn't control the heating. I remain unimpressed with Hive. When it works, happy days and I would still opt for an Internet based system. Finally, the newer system is a Hive Nano, so much less controllability at the room stat: most done on the app. I cannot find a way to increase frost protection temp which is set at 12 degrees. Most insurers stipulate an empty property must over winter have a heating system left on at 16 degrees to prevent bursts or freezing events.
hive is rubish really and only an on/off stat. There are so many better options out there than Hive
@@UrbanPlumbers Completely disagree, hive does what it says on the tin, wasn't designed to be an all singing, all dancing stat, that's the point!
Most customers don't need or want all the other complicated options, just on/off, easy to understand schedule, frost protection, boost button's. That's basically all you need IMO.
Plus you can self install.
@@JayGasEssex if you do not care about efficiency then Hive is ok
Thanks. A very useful comparison 🎉
Very thorough and clear review. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video, very informative and well structured. Big thumbs up
Glad you enjoyed it!
Well I bought a nest and chose an ideal boiler so I could use opentherm, it’s a heat only though, with a pressurised cylinder, I wired it so I didn’t have to use batteries, the opentherm used the wireless connection, it worked for about a week before it wouldn’t anymore, reverted back to on/off I guess it didn’t like or got confused by hot water demand or demand from the regular thermostat for the underfloor heating, none of this was all that clear to me when I got it, I should have paid more attention to your videos at the time, I still would have chosen the nest though and am still happy with it
Cool video Szymon!
Thanks!
Great video comparing both products, thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Very comprehensive and educational video.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for the comparison, very informative. Good content on the channel. Subscribed.
Thanks mate!
I would remind everyone that the nest only supports standard boilers with open therm. Considering combi and system boilers are more popular,this is a big deal. I had seen hive offering some upgrade that offered load compensation or sounded like it.
good stuff,....good compare at a understandable level for normal people.......
I’ve had Nest for years. Happy with the thermostat but wish the app was better. I don’t use the self learning mode but do my own schedule. The User interface in the app for changing the schedule is poor and requires perfect eyesight or finding my glasses every time I need to change it.
You get a history of how long your boiler was providing central heating but only for 10 days and no record of hot water heating which can vary if you have solar.
Often wondered if I’d have been better with hive but based on this video I’m still glad I went with Nest
Really liked your video. Great comparison!
Thank you!
Nest overall is in my opinion definitely the best. Nest just needs to upsize the terminals. I actually use Wago connectors to make it easier to add the common links from L to 2 & 5 because the terminals are a bit small for more than 1 conductor.
The terminals are a frickin MARE!
Thanks for the video, very informative and well structured. 👏👏👏👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic video, very useful and clear. That’s a very nice jazz guitar too, Benedetto?
Peerless - not as nice as Benedetto, but still a great sounding box