HoneywellTH8321WF1001 Touchscreen Thermostat WiFi Vision Pro 8000 with Stages Upto 3 Heat / 2 Cool

I have sold this Honeywell thermostat without the Wi-Fi feature to several commercial customers and have not had any issues with them. They are all still functioning well and performing the tasks for which they are designed, controlling rooftop commercial HVAC units. I love the easy tech setup via the touch screen and the amount of features it has gives me the ability to install it on many different types of systems. This Wi-Fi version is a nice upgrade that gives the ability to monitor and control the thermostat from off site locations. Some business customers who manage multiple locations will find this option invaluable.I purchased this Wi-Fi enabled thermostat to install in a home that I have under remodel. It has proven to be just as robust, feature rich and reliable as the non Wi-Fi version and I could not be more pleased with it. Setup was easy via the touch screen tech setup menu, as with the non Wi-Fi version, and the pale blue back light is more pleasing on the eyes than the green or amber lights of most touch screen thermostats.Honeywell makes a few versions of this thermostat and you need to know what type of system you are wanting to control with it before you buy. For example, if you have a 1 heat and 1 cool system such as an electric or gas furnace and a regular air conditioner then you would purchase the Honeywell TH8110R1008 Vision Pro 8000. For more options like a heat pump system with electric or gas backup heat you would purchase one with 2 heat and 1 cool or the one I am reviewing here, the TH8321WF1001, which has 3 heat and 2 cool options. Either way you cannot go wrong as long as you understand what type of system you are controlling.A few more pluses to this thermostat are the 7 day programming, the auto switchover function and the remote sensor hookups. You have the choice of using the programing ability or using it as a set it and forget it thermostat, which means that you are not forced to program a thermostat or press the "hold" button every time you need to change the temperature set points.You can use remote sensors on this thermostat and control the temperature based on the reading from another room where the remote sensor is installed. You can install a remote outside temp sensor to stop a heat pump from operating when it is too cold outside. You can even install a humidity sensor inside and use the humidity control feature of this thermostat to keep the humidity level from getting too high inside.Probably the most impressive feature though has to be the auto switch over ability. The auto switchover feature lets the you set heating set points and cooling set points and the thermostat will automatically switch from heating to cooling as needed according to your set points, no need to manually change your system from heating to cooling on those warm spring days or back to heating that same night when the temperature drops to the low 50's. This feature is so handy I wonder why thermostat makers do not included it in all of their products.Pros: Reliable, easy to setup, pleasing to look at and feature rich in an affordable thermostat.Cons: You must have a common wire from your furnace to power this thermostat, this thermostat has no battery compartment and uses the furnace transformer for power. It is highly recommended to have this thermostat installed by a professional for this reason and to properly program the tech functions to match your heating and cooling system.I have been pleased with this thermostat and highly recommend it to anyone wanting a feature rich and reliable thermostat to control a variety of heating and cooling systems.

Millennials love the Nest. I'm not sure why. It looks like an over-sized golf ball on the wall to me. Many people like the Nest because of the programmable thermostat functions. Many do not realize that this feature has been available in many thermostats since the late 80's! The only feature Nest had over other thermostats 5 years ago was the Wifi control.Enter the Honeywell 8000 series. The 8000 series has a high end look. It looks and feels like a thermostat in a high end home, not one found in a college tech dorm. In addition to all of the same features as the Nest, there are two big features where the 8000 series wins: 1) Dehumidifier control. Do you and your spouse fight over the temperature control? My wife and I did. Why? I hate humidity. She likes warmth. For the first time in our marriage, we've found a temperature balance. I run the thermostat at 74, but it is smart enough to keep the humidity between 45-60%. How? Once you configure the thermostat with the desired temperature and humidity, it will work to create a balance between the two. You might be tweaking for a week or two, but once set, it's perfect! Wait, you don't have a dehumidifier? You do! Your A/C is a dehumidifier. It will cycle your A/C to control humidity yet monitor temperature control so you don't freeze. If you have external dehumidifier or humidifiers, it can optionally control that too. 2) It has a smarter schedule control. For example, we have our heat set to 65 overnight and 70 by 6:30a when we wake up. Most thermostats will attempt to make 70 beginning at 6:30a and it might not be until 7 before it gets there. The 8000 will ensure that your home is 70 at 6:30a by learning over the first few weeks how long it takes for your home to increase/decrease temperature based on indoor and outdoor conditions. Pretty smart! 3) It has a fan cycle function so the fan only will run 35% of the time the unit would otherwise not run just to keep the air moving in your home. All of these are optional features that can be turned on or off. Some other added features are the outdoor temperature and humidity display (via internet), of course wifi control on a webpage or Apple/Android app, and the ability to send you emails if the indoor temperatures or humidity exceed minimum or maximum thresholds.This requires a "C" wire. What does that mean? In short, count your wires in your current thermostat. Do you have 5? Is one of the wires connected to a "C" terminal? If so, you're set. The C wire allows the thermostat to be powered from your furnace. As a result, your thermostat does not require batteries. If you currently have 4 wires or 4 wires and a battery, you will need a HVAC technician to wire the 5th wire. Chances are your wiring already has it within the wire (just not used) and unless you have a furnace that was made in 1960, your furnace is capable as well. It just needs to be connected. Neither of my units had it, but I grabbed the unused wire and connected it myself to the "C" contact on the furnace and now I'm good. If you're not confident, have an HVAC tech do it. You're already saving $150 dollars over a Nest, use $75 of it for a tech.Finally, there is a red light indicator to tell you when something's wrong, such as your filter needs to be changed, it's calling for cooling or heat but the furnace is not responding, etc.The 9000 series you find at best buy just adds a color background, is higher priced, and it's not as responsive as the 8000. The 9000 is Honeywell's answer to the Nest. Save your money.