Smart thermostats make it easy to automate your home's heating or cooling system.
Your smart thermostat can be connected to a Wi-Fi connection so you can control it from anywhere.
This lets you control the right temperature for your home, and it also saves money on your monthly energy bill. This is a great way for you to get started building a smart home. Smart thermostats can also work with many other smart home products such as locks, cameras, and so on.
Installing your smart thermostat is the most important part of setting it up. In most homes these days, since not everyone uses smart thermostats, no C wire is provided. So a thermostat with C wire requirements would be a hassle to install in such cases. It's crucial to determine whether you need a smart thermostat without a C wire when looking for the best.
What is a C Wire?
Some thermostats are powered by the common wire or C-wire. It provides a constant 24 VAC power supply. The C wire, however, is not the main source of power. While the R wires provide power, they are not constant power supplies, which is why the C wire is recommended.
Not all homes contain wiring setups involving a C-wire. Some of the most advanced smart thermostats are not powered by the C wire. That's a relief!
Some thermostats including the Google Nest Thermostats and the Ecobee Lite are smart thermostats without C wire requirements and work wonderfully without it. They use rechargeable batteries and work with power adapters, eliminating the need for a backup power supply. We've listed some of our favorites below.
5 Best Smart Thermostats with no C Wire requirement
Google Nest Thermostat E
This programmable Smart Thermostat with no C wire requirements works with Alexa voice control. The Nest E learns your temperature preferences and then programs itself to help save energy and remain comfortable.
Nest Thermostat E is simple to install too. It can be installed by most people in a matter of minutes. It works with most standard heating and cooling systems.
The Nest Leaf icon is displayed when you choose a temperature to conserve energy. You can use Energy History to check how much energy you used to find ways to save even more.
After you leave, the Home/Away Assist feature adjusts to the Eco Temperature so that your home doesn't get heated or cooled, conserving energy. You can control the smart thermostat E remotely using a smartphone, laptop, or tablet.
Start with a simple schedule, and you can easily modify it in the Nest app. It works with Alexa and Google Assistant as well as other smart speakers, so you can control the temperature by speaking to it.
The Nest E works with Nest Temperature Sensors too. Put temperature sensors in different rooms so that it keeps track of how each one is heating or cooling.
Make sure to check this thermostat's compatibility with your home on Google's Compatibility Checker.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat
The Nest Learning Thermostat by Google is a popular smart thermostat. It is fully programmable and compatible with Alexa. The Google Nest Learning Thermostat comes with the added benefit that it can be used with or without a cable. If you have to move houses, you will have both options.
The Nest Learning Thermostat has two parts. The thermostat can be attached to the wall, or it can be displayed on an optional stand that is available separately. For this mode, the Nest must be placed near a power socket and within range of your Wi-Fi router. The heat link is the other component. It controls the boiler and communicates wirelessly with it.
While a household may have multiple zones with their own Nest thermostats and heat links, most homes will have one thermostat. Nest does not currently offer connected radiator valves that can be used to adjust the temperature in different rooms.
The design of the thermostat is somewhat similar to that of the Apple iPod's clickwheel (the same person designed both!). It's made of premium materials (glass and brushed metal) with a stylish design that is sure to outshine your regular thermostat. To navigate the circular menu and to enter data, the ring uses a rotate-and-press/click interface.
The screen of the thermostat is a 24-bit LCD screen in color with a resolution of 480x480 pixels. This is sufficient to see all you need. The outer ring displays the current temperature, while the central display shows the target temperature in bold letters. The sensor window displays temperature, humidity and light sensors.
The learning features are identical to the Nest E Thermostat above. The Nest E is simply a budget version of the Learning Thermostat with a slightly toned down exterior. Capabilities-wise, the two are the same, with the learning, leaf and home/away features as well as the ability to work with Nest temperature sensors in each room. Both these thermostats have the option of using a C wire in case you have one.
Make sure your home is compatible with this thermostat on Google's Compatibility Checker.
Ecobee Lite Smart Thermostat
The best Smart Thermostat without a C-Wire is the Ecobee Lite Smart Thermostat, especially if you have a tight budget. Although it does not have all the features of the new Ecobee Smart Thermostat, you can still control your heating or cooling and schedule programs easily via the app. Plus it can connect to Alexa and accept voice commands!
The Ecobee Lite smart thermostat comes with a Power Extender Kit, which allows you to skip the C wire requirement. We love what the Ecobee Lite Thermostats can do at it's price point. With no C wire needed, this nifty gadget can be placed anywhere in your home, making it easy to install and a great addition to your home interiors.
This smart thermostat can control your HVAC system. It is also small and easy to install, making it an excellent choice as it delivers the best results without a C wire. It claims up to 23% savings on energy, which could be huge.
Sensibo Sky, Smart Home Air Conditioner Controller
You can add intelligence onto your existing AC or heat pump system and make it work with the rest of your smart home. Doing this can lower your cooling costs up to 40%.
This is essentially an Infrared Blaster. It uses the same technology that regular remotes use to communicate commands to an AC, but controls all the ACs in the room while adding some great smart home features to them. It has a built-in temperature sensor and acts as a retrofit thermostat, for IR remote-controlled HVAC units.
With the smartphone app, you can take any remote-controlled AC unit and have it maintain a comfortable temperature. This compact device, which measures 3.2" x 22.2" X0.8", can be wall-mounted anywhere in your room with a power adapter. You can simply plug in your Sensibo Sky and connect to WiFi. Once connected, the app will launch. Enjoy a smarter, better-connected environment.
Sensibo Sky works with all remote-controlled AC units. It works with window AC, mini Split/Ductless ACs, heat pumps, and portable ACs. Geofencing activates your AC or any remote-controlled AC unit before you arrive, because it can detect your arrival via GPS. When everyone leaves, it turns off. The Climate React feature measures temperature and humidity in real time.
You can control the HVAC, set schedules and also control it with voice commands via Alexa and Google Assistant. The Sensibo Mobile App (Android and iOS) and Web Apps for PC and Mac make controlling your home's temperature easy from anywhere. You could use the 7-day scheduler to set your own temperature and humidity preferences in any room.
Lux GEO-WH Wi-Fi Thermostat
It's as simple as a regular thermostat, but with unique vertical or horizontal mount capabilities. This unit is effortless to set up and can be programmed intuitively right from the device. From wherever you are, the free iOS and Android apps provide flexible comfort control as well.
Geofencing uses proximity awareness to make your space more comfortable at home and more energy efficient when you're away. This smart thermostat without a C wire requirement can be installed with a battery functionality as well as a power adapter.
Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat
The Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with no C wire is one of our most affordable smart thermostats. It is compatible with Alexa and comes with a DIY installation guide. This thermostat is called a 'DIY
The Sensi smart thermostat comes allows Flexible Scheduling, provides you Remote Access via the App and gives you usage reports so you can analyze how your energy was consumed. It connects to your home's Wi-Fi and can be accessed from anywhere via the Android and iOS Apps.
Concluding
C wires are optional on most new smart thermostats. But thermostats with no C wire requirement is a fairly new paradigm. So if you live in a home that's several years old, you might just have a C wire coming in anyway. If you have a choice, we recommend using the C wire with your smart thermostat - most of these smart thermostats also support a C wire connection if available. But if you don't have it, these thermostats work just as well, but have a battery or adapter as a constant power supply.