Smart thermostat manufacturer Tado today announced two new products via a virtual press conference at the IFA electronics fair. It concerns a wireless temperature sensor and a new wireless starter kit for homes without wires to the room where the thermostat is located.
Wireless starter kit
In most houses, a wire runs from the central heating boiler or control valve for block / district heating to the reference room, usually the living room. This makes connecting a smart thermostat relatively easy. In some houses such a wire is missing and a wireless connection is made with a box near the central heating boiler or control valve. Tado introduces a new starter kit in the form of the Starter Kit – Wireless Smart Thermostat V3 +. In this, Tado bundles the Smart Thermostat with a new wireless receiver that actually controls the central heating boiler or control valve. Tado promises that this new starter kit is easier to install than the existing solution where a suitable wireless extension had to be purchased separately afterwards. The new wireless starter kit costs 229.99 euros, which is thirty euros more expensive than the normal wired starter kit.
Wireless temperature sensor
One of the advantages of Tado’s Smart Thermostat is that you can expand the system with zone heating by replacing the buttons on your radiators with smart radiator buttons. This allows you to determine the temperature per room. That works fine in itself (although all buttons in a room must be replaced), but sometimes the location of a radiator button is not the ideal place to measure the temperature of a room. For example, the button can be hidden behind a curtain or difficult to reach.
For those situations, Tado now comes with the Wireless Temperature Sensor, a box with the same appearance as the Smart Thermostat that you hang in a room that is equipped with smart radiator controls in a convenient and representative place. The temperature is now measured at that location and you can increase or decrease the temperature via the Wireless Temperature Sensor.
It was already possible to add an external temperature sensor to a room where a smart radiator knob was installed, but that required a full-fledged and for that application too expensive Tado Thermostat. The Wireless Temperature Sensor is a lot cheaper with a price of 79.99 euros.
Trouble shooting
In addition to the new hardware, Tado also announced a new service in the form of Care & Protect. This new functionality in the app can warn the user if there is a malfunction or threatens to occur, for example because the pressure in the central heating system drops or if the boiler has failed. The app then tries to help the user to solve or prevent the problem, for example through a reset or refill instructions. Care & Protect is part of the Auto Assist skill that costs 2.99 euros per month or 24.99 euros per year.
Price and availability
Both products are immediately available on Tado’s own webshop. The Wireless Temperature Sensor costs 79.99 euros. The Starter Kit – Wireless Smart Thermostat V3 + costs 229.99 euros.
Troubleshooting Care & Protect will be launched in October and is part of Auto Assist that costs 2.99 euros per month or 24.99 euros per year.
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