With winter upon us, I'm really seeing the usefulness of my favorite gadget from last year, the Honeywell Home T9 thermostat with room sensors.
Thermostats are generally installed in a centralized hallway, which is convenient but doesn't achieve a consistent temperature in other rooms. With the T9 system, sensors (up to 20) can be placed throughout the house. You have your choice of having the set temperature entirely controlled by a sensor, have it averaged out or even have a sensor turned on with motion. It's your choice.
As for the installation: I did it myself. I'm not a licensed AC repairman, plumber, electrician or anything close. But I can read instructions, take a picture of the existing thermostat's wiring (which is critical) and then follow colors, numbers and instructions to hook up a new one.
And importantly, as instructed, I had the circuit for the power to this area of my house shut off before the installation began.
Once everything is installed and working, the T9 connects to your home Wi-Fi and can be controlled on the thermostat and with the accompanying app.
T9 Thermostat with 1 Smart Room Sensor, $199; additional sensors are $40 each, $75 for a two-pack; honeywellhome.com.
Gregg Ellman, Tribune Content Agency