Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Suggestions for a blind friendly thermostat? (self.Blind)
submitted by guitarandbooks
Hey everybody...
Our thermostat is slowly dying and I am trying to find an accessible replacement. We have a gas furnace with baseboard heating and electric central AC.
The Nest third gen from Google seems to be pretty blind friendly via the iOS app from people I've talked to but 1, it's $250 plus tax, and 2, I've read things about reliability and HVAC system compatibility issues so I'm not sure if I want to take the risk.
I also found the VIP 3000 talking thermostat which seems like a great choice...except for the fact that it's over $200. That seems like highway robbery to me as it's not even a smart thermostat. As far as talking thermostats go though, it seems to be the only game in town.
The Eco B smart WiFi thermostat has awful reviews and seems to have awful customer service so I've given up on that one being an option.
What do you all think? I need to find a solution in the near future so any positive or negative feedback on these or other options would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Our thermostat is slowly dying and I am trying to find an accessible replacement. We have a gas furnace with baseboard heating and electric central AC.
The Nest third gen from Google seems to be pretty blind friendly via the iOS app from people I've talked to but 1, it's $250 plus tax, and 2, I've read things about reliability and HVAC system compatibility issues so I'm not sure if I want to take the risk.
I also found the VIP 3000 talking thermostat which seems like a great choice...except for the fact that it's over $200. That seems like highway robbery to me as it's not even a smart thermostat. As far as talking thermostats go though, it seems to be the only game in town.
The Eco B smart WiFi thermostat has awful reviews and seems to have awful customer service so I've given up on that one being an option.
What do you all think? I need to find a solution in the near future so any positive or negative feedback on these or other options would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Marconius 1 points 2y ago
Yeah, seconding the EcoBee. It works great through the Google Home app, and I can manipulate our system through vocal commands with the Google speakers we have around the house. Not sure about their support, but we got ours installed and it's been functioning perfectly well through our setup.
blind_cowboy 1 points 3y ago
Nest here as well. I know that Honeywell smart thermostat’s app used to be accessible but don’t know if it still is.
BlindFuryC 1 points 3y ago
I’m not sure if it’s available in your part of the world, but I use a hive thermostat. It’s got tactile buttons, but I barely ever use them. It pairs with my echo and has a good iOS app. The only slight niggle is that the temperature adjustment is a dial. Though it’s digital, so you can adjust it in the app. And then if you need to tweak it, you can turn it A number of clicks in any direction to adjust the temperature in half degree increments.
codeplaysleep 1 points 3y ago
I have a Nest and it's been worth the money, especially since you can pair it with an Echo device or a Google Home device and check the temperature + control the thermostat via voice commands. I've had it for about a year and have had no issues. It took maybe 10 minutes for my husband to install.
That said, we have a pretty simple system; a newer heat pump with auxiliary electric heat.
That said, we have a pretty simple system; a newer heat pump with auxiliary electric heat.
retrolental_morose 1 points 3y ago
We went with inspire because although we can't read the display there are distinct tactile buttons to adjust temperature. We've seen apps have flake-outs and don't want not to be able to even use the thing - I'm happy to leave scheduling etc to the app, but having basic control on-device mattered to me.
Had hours for about 3 years now, no bother at all, only minor gripe is the Alexa skill can't read indoor temperature - it's a one-way system.
Had hours for about 3 years now, no bother at all, only minor gripe is the Alexa skill can't read indoor temperature - it's a one-way system.
Broken_Peepers 1 points 3y ago
I'm not sure what reviews you've read, but I love my Ecobee. I have not had any issues for the 9 months that I have had it. I partly chose it over others because of reviews I read.
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