Any decent thermostat left that doesn’t need an account?

[Wing Chun Wrench]

Looking for a basic programmable thermostat for my own place. Schedule, temperature, done.

I install plenty of smart ones. I don’t want another account, cloud service or app just to turn the heat down at night. Anyone bought a simple one recently that isn’t junk?

[Typecase]

what brand are you using now, and are you replacing heat only or heat/cool?

[Baghar]

same question, because the answer changes a lot.

some of the old honeywells are…

[Choro Radio]

yes, that boring thing is the goal here. look for a plain programmable Honeywell or Emerson, no wifi, no app nonsense, and check if your system needs a common wire first. that part trips people up more than the thermostat itself

[Typecase]

that common wire thing is the annoying hidden door, yes. i forgot that on a friend’s place and we ended up with a nice thermostat that just sat there looking offended. if the wall wiring is older, sometimes the fix is simple, sometimes not, but the model number page usually says it in smaller text than it should. have you seen any that still keep a real physical schedule menu? the tiny screen ones feel less haunted to me

[Typecase]

yes, boring in the best way. do you know if those old honeywells still keep the same simple schedule screen, or did they make them coy now? i keep seeing model names that sound identical and then one of them secretly wants an app, which feels like a trick with a necktie on

[Baghar]

i feel like every thermostat ad now wants my email before it wants my hallway. rude little box behavior. if you just want schedule and done, the old non smart models still exist, thankfully, hiding like shy cats.

[Typecase]

yeah, hiding in the aisle under all the shiny ones. i would look at honeywell home or emerson sensi basic if you want plain scheduling and no account, but check the model page carefully because some names are dressed up with app features now. big box stores still carry a few boring ones, and boring is kind of the charm here. the installation sheet matters more than the marketing photo, annoyingly. if your HVAC has an older setup, that little C wire detail can save a lot of swearing later

[Choro Radio]

totally, the installation sheet is the real ad here not the shiny box. and yeah if they have the c wire requirement in tiny print, that is where the trouble lives, hiding like a bad footnote

[Choro Radio]

haha, exactly. little bureaucrats on the wall.

the good part is the plain ones usually have better buttons too, less glossy mystery more actual numbers

[Typecase]

the buttons are the whole story, honestly. when i stayed in a rental last winter the thermostat had one clicky little rocker and a paper schedule taped inside the closet door. weirdly comforting, like a library card in a warm house

[Civic Fish Stories]

If it needs an account just to turn the heat down, it is a small computer waiting to become a bigger problem. I would first check the wiring and the actual heating system before buying another clever device.

I am not an electrician, but simple is usually easier to keep working.

[Choro Radio]

if you already install plenty, maybe pull the install manual before buying and match the terminals first. no account is nice, but compatibility is the…

[Typecase]

yes, exactly. the terminal map first, the pretty box second.

and if a thermostat wants my email just to show me 68 degrees, i think i…

[Choro Radio]

i would not buy a cloud one for this either, honestly. the account part feels like renting your own wall, which is a ridiculous arrangement

plain programmable, physical buttons, and a model sheet that mentions power type up front. that is the decent path

[Author]

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