Honeywell Lyric T5 Review

When we are discussing smart thermostat products, the first thing that comes to mind is usually the highly-successful Nest Thermostat.

In late 2016, we have seen the release of the latest Nest Thermostat. However, arguably the Nest Thermostat remains more or less the same throughout the three iterations, with the same, relatively high price tag. On the other hand, many competitors like Emerson and Ecobee have released significantly cheaper thermostats that can work just as well.

The Honeywell Lyric T5 is also built on that premise, and in fact is the most affordable Wi-Fi Thermostat to date. So, the price tag is the most important value. In the looks departments, the Lyric T5 is admittedly sub-par, with an outdated look seemingly straight from an 80’s sci-fi movie. So, how about the features? The Honeywell Lyric T5 integrates well with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit, which is two of the most popular smart home systems around.

So, how about the features? The Lyric T5 integrates well with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit, which is two of the most popular smart home systems around. Also, the Honeywell Lyric T5 is equipped with a geofencing feature, which is using GPS and RFID to create a virtual boundary of your house. How will this feature be important for a smart thermostat? We will discuss it further below.

Also, the Honeywell Lyric T5 is equipped with a geofencing feature, which is using GPS and RFID to create a virtual boundary of your house. How will this feature be important for a smart thermostat? We will discuss it further below.

So, aside from the disappointing look, the Lyric T5 is a very interesting product, especially considering its price tag. Let us begin the Honeywell RCHT8610WF2006 Lyric T5 review by discussing its key features.Key Features

Key Features

Smart Scheduling

This is a fairly standard feature for any smart thermostats nowadays. Here, you can schedule your temperature needs and your HVAC devices through the Lyric app. You have the options to set a day-by-day schedule, a weekend/weekday schedule, or setup a schedule for the whole week. Each day is divided into four different time slots: wake, home, away, and sleep. It is fairly limited compared to other products that offer six or more time zones but is still pretty decent.

Geofencing

To complement the smart scheduling feature, the Lyric T5 can use geofencing. The geofencing feature will use your phone’s geolocation to determine whether you are at home. So, when the Lyric T5 determines that no one is home, it will enter an energy-saving mode. You can also customize the geofencing feature in combination with the smart scheduling to suit your exact needs.

Smart Adjustments and Alerts

You can set the Lyric T5 to automatically determine your HVAC devices to operate in cooling or heating mode. If you have many HVAC devices in your home, this feature is especially useful so that you won’t need to switch modes manually. The Lyric T5 can also send text reminders about various things, such as when your Air Conditioner’s air filter needs to be replaced, or when the temperature inside your home is extremely high or low.

Third Party Integration

Compared to more expensive smart thermostats, including the more expensive Honeywell Lyric Round, the third-party integration offered in the Lyric T5 is fairly limited. However, it still supports Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple Home Kit, IFTTT, and Stringify. The only downside is only that it won’t support Wink or Samsung SmartThings, which are popular choices for smart home controllers today.

Our Honeywell RCHT8610WF2006 Thermostat Lyric T5 Review

Installing the Honeywell Thermostat Lyric T5 is fairly simple, although it will require the C-Wire of your HVAC system. The instruction manual provided in the package is quite detailed so that you can follow the step-by-step instruction easily.

After the Lyric T5 is secured on your wall and connected to the C-Wire of your HVAC system, you can connect it to your Wi-Fi network through the Lyric app on your phone or tablet. The app itself is pretty user-friendly and straightforward, and you shouldn’t have any issues in setting up the Lyric T5. The Lyric T5 is compatible with various HVAC hardware from single and multi-stage AC or heater, heat pumps, water heater, and gas fireplaces. However, it doesn’t support ventilators and (de)humidifiers, unlike more expensive options like the Lyric Round or Nest Thermostat.

The Lyric T5 is compatible with various HVAC hardware from single and multi-stage AC or heater, heat pumps, water heater, and gas fireplaces. However, it doesn’t support ventilators and (de)humidifiers, unlike more expensive options like the Lyric Round or Nest Thermostat. As we have mentioned, in the looks department the Lyric T5 is a little

As we have mentioned, in the looks department the Lyric T5 is a little sub-par. However, the large touchscreen is useful so that you can control the T5 from the unit itself besides relying on the mobile app. Being a more affordable thermostat, we have to say that the scheduling feature is also fairly limited compared to more expensive ones. You can only use four different time slots each day: wake, home, away, and sleep. On the other hand, the Lyric Round offers six different time zone. However, we can argue that those four-time slots are enough for most people, and having more is just a bonus.

Being a more affordable thermostat, we have to say that the scheduling feature is also fairly limited compared to more expensive ones. You can only use four different time slots each day: wake, home, away, and sleep. On the other hand, the Lyric Round offers six different time zone. However, we can argue that those four-time slots are enough for most people, and having more is just a bonus.

The Lyric T5 cannot determine indoor and outdoor temperature, unlike Nest Thermostat or Lyric Round. So, the comfort settings are also relatively limited. It also doesn’t have any occupancy sensors, so it solely relies on geofencing to determine your location.
However, we liked how the Lyric T5 can determine whether your system should be in cooling or heating mode. If you have multiple HVAC devices, this is a very useful feature to have. The smart alerts it

The smart alerts it sends is also pretty reliable. For example, it can notify you when your air conditioner is needing maintenance. It will also send alerts when your home is at an extreme temperature level. The Honeywell Lyric T5 is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit, as well as IFTTT recipes. However, it currently doesn’t support Wink and SmartThings.

The Honeywell Lyric T5 is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit, as well as IFTTT recipes. However, it currently doesn’t support Wink and SmartThings.

Pros and Cons

Bottom Line

Being a more affordable smart thermostat, the Honeywell Lyric T5 is not as advanced as more expensive competitors like the Nest Thermostat. However, we can argue that not everyone needs those advanced features like more time slots and compatibility with niche devices like ventilators and humidifiers.

Considering its price tag, the Honeywell Lyric T5 is pretty versatile and is a decent choice for those not looking to invest too much in a smart thermostat.

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