Hive has launched its new smart thermostat today: the Hive Thermostat Mini. Hive says it “packs in all the benefits of our original thermostat at an affordable price”.
You can buy it now from Hive.
As the name suggests, the Mini is smaller and shallower than Hive’s current smart thermostat and the protruding dial and buttons have been nixed in favour of a simpler touchscreen. It retains the mirror-finish front panel of the earlier thermostat.
What does the Hive Thermostat Mini cost?
The Hive Thermostat Mini costs £119 and comes with a Hive Hub. ( A Hub costs £80 from Hive if you buy it separately.) In the box, there will also be a battery-powered Thermostat Mini, batteries and a receiver.
Current Hive customers who already have a Hub will be able to buy the Mini for £59.
An existing Hive thermostat, without a Hub and without installation, is generally available from Hive for £99, so the Mini is considerably more budget friendly: it’s £40 cheaper. (Still, right now, Hive has slashed £17.90 from the price of its larger thermostat.)
Bear in mind, however, that Hive recommends professional installation for everyone except “DIY experts”, so buyers will need to factor in that cost as well. If you opt for professional installation, you’ll get an appointment with a British Gas engineer.
When is the Hive Thermostat Mini release date?
Hive made the Thermostat Mini available to buy from 15 February, so if you get one now, you’ll be able to get some use from it before you turn off your heating for spring and summer.
What features does the Thermostat Mini have?
The Thermostat Mini will contain the same features as Hive’s existing smart thermostat. The difference is that the thermostat itself has been simplified and the more advanced features are only available via the app.
The Thermostat Mini itself has an interactive interface that displays the temperature and shows whether the heating and hot water are on. Instead of using a dial, you can change the temperature using up and down arrows on the touchscreen.
If you download the Hive app on your phone – which you’ll need to do to use the smart features – you can control your heating and hot water remotely, as well as set up schedules. You won’t be able to set schedules on the Thermostat Mini itself.
The Mini also supports geolocation technology, so if you leave the house with your phone and location services switched on, it’ll send you a reminder to turn off the heating.
The Thermostat Mini also has frost protection, a mode which keeps the temperature a few degrees above 0°C to stop pipes from freezing in winter. It’s compatible with existing multi-zone systems, so users can add more thermostats to create up to six heating zones. The current Hive thermostat can only control a maximum of three heating zones, plus hot water – so this is an upgrade.
It’s also compatible with home assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri) and IFTTT. If you have other Hive devices, you can create groups, so you can, for example, set your smart lights and heating to come on together in the evenings, or switch off when you leave for work. There’s also a holiday mode: set the dates of your trip and it’ll automatically turn down the heating when you go and raise it for your return.
However, it doesn’t have the intelligent features that some rivals do: for instance, it won’t learn your schedule or suggest ways to save money on heating. For that, you’ll have to pay for Hive Heating Plus, a subscription which costs £3.99 per month or £39.90 per year.
Which systems will Hive Thermostat Mini be compatible with?
The Mini should work with most heating systems. It’s compatible with most gas and LPG boilers. It should also work with electric boilers if they have a standard room thermostat or a programmer and oil boilers with a thermostat or programmer.
It’ll only be available in the UK, as Hive is no longer for sale in the US.
We’ll be reviewing the Hive Mini but in the meantime, to find out more about Hive’s current system, you can read our review of Hive Active Heating 2. To see how Hive stacks up against other smart heating systems, have a look at our round-up of the best smart heating systems we’ve tested.
Author: Emma Rowley, Group Home Tech Editor
Emma is Group Home Tech Editor at Tech Advisor. She covers everything from kitchen appliances to smart home devices, from floor care to personal care to air care technology. She’s particularly interested in environmentally conscious brands and products that save people time and money.