Hive Active Heating and Hot Water Thermostat with Professional Installation + All-new Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Heather Grey Fabric

Great product, replaced a very old 80's slide timer/ clock on our boiler (gravity fed system, with storage tank). I liked this look of this one over the Nest versions. Very easy to setup schedules on the website (and android app too). The website shows heating trends over time too, so can monitor temp levels which is interesting, especially as we are trying to improve things in the house.We probably use the app and alexa controls (via the hive skill) more than the unit which is the wall thermo. The total package is the wall thermo, a controller for the boiler and a hub for linking them all to your router. The sizes are roughly about the same as the wall unit. The hub will allow it to be extended to other hive things, like the lights.We got the version with BG installation. You can pick the times from the calendar on website, and a friendly chap turns up to install it all and show you how it works. Took him about 4 hours to do. Please check that the device will work with your setup as best you can.Thanks for reading :-)

I paid for the BritishGas install, the engineer turned up and made a few noises after looking at my existing wiring. He said it was "weird" and that he could only connect the Hive to the central heating by replacing my existing thermostat and that the existing programmer for the hot water would have to remain. He said the alternative was to replace my current pump and wiring so that it was "compatible" which would be a separate more expensive job costing potentially costing several hundred pounds. I reluctantly agreed to heating control only as the only alternative was for him to do nothing. After he installed the Hive and left I did a little bit of research on the components of my heating system and felt it should be possible to wire the hot water system in by taking the wires from the existing programmer (Honeywell ST799) and wiring them into the Hive receiver. However, I then realised the engineer had installed a single channel receiver designed for a combi boiler, despite the fact I should have had a dual channel receiver as I have a conventional boiler! This meant even if I wanted to connect the hot water system I wouldn't be able to as I've been given the wrong receiver. After a few different calls to Hive they agreed that if I have a conventional boiler I should have had a dual channel receiver fitted and they agreed to send one to me. Once I receive this I intend to do the job myself as it's literally moving 4 wires and they are all labelled up from my existing programmer. The idea is the receiver replaces the programmer, whereas for some reason the engineer installed it with the programmer...My advice? If you want to buy this, don't pay for the BritishGas install. Ask a savvy friend to do it for you or find a local tradesman if you aren't confident enough to do it yourself.UPDATE: I received my dual channel receiver and was able to install it myself with relative ease. I am now able to control both my central heating and hot water independently using Hive, which was part of the reason I wanted a Hive! My comments regarding the BritishGas installed still stand, you'd be much better off getting a local reputable tradesman to do it if you aren't confident enough to do it yourself. However, I would strongly recommend you simply lookup the wiring for your existing programmer and thermostat which should allow you to match the wiring up to the Hive wiring instructions like I did.Just another thing to mention, Hive support. The first time I called Hive I explained everything that had happened to agent who then said that she would like to speak to the engineer that did the job before she could send me a dual channel receiver. She tried to do this while I was on the phone but wasn't able to get through to him, so she connected me to BritishGas "dispatch" who said they could send another engineer today and would call me back shortley to confirm. They didn't call back so I called Hive several hours later to find out what was happening. I spoke to a different agent who asked what type of heating system I had, when I explained I had a conventional boiler he said that installing a single channel receiver for a conventional boiler is not a completed install and that he could send me the dual channel receiver free of charge as part of the warranty, which is what I was expecting the first time I called! Anyway, an hour or so later I got a call back from the first agent who said she had spoken to the engineer and said that as I accepted the install there was nothing she could do and that I would have to pay for any further work or replacement parts. I explained to her that the engineer didn't explain that he was installed a different receiver which would prevent me from ever being able to connect my hot water to the Hive but she simply repeated that I had accepted the install. I then explained that I had spoken to a another agent who had said "a coventional boiler must have a dual receiver installed otherwise it's not a complete installation" to which she replied "what you have just said is true". When I explained that a previous agent had already agreed to dispatch the dual receiver she simply said "okay I will close this off then". My advice is if you find yourself in a similar situation i.e. you have a coventional boiler but for some reason you've had a single channel receiver installed, Hive's policy is that a coventional boiler MUST have a dual channel receiver installed and they can replace your receiver under warranty.

Excellent product. Took a few hours to install due to the nature of our old gravity fed system & wired room thermostat. Ours only had live, neutral and terminal 3 & 4 with terminal 4 being connected through the room thermostat. Essentially it just meant disconnecting the earth and 3 wires from the old thermostat and connecting the brown from the heating that went to the red of the thermostat to terminal 4. All other wires stayed in the same position. Luckily the old room thermostat (satchwell) was easy to remove from the wall and the backbox in the wall used to attach the hive thermostat.The order of installation I was given on the phone from hive was slightly different from the installation instructions ( also I did not need to use the code in the box to register the product)1. Create a hive account online: hivehome.com ( the phone number given in the instruction card had changed)2. Plug in the hub to network and mains. It took me about 7 mins to go from flashing green to flashing amber ( chap on the phone said it could take up to 45 mins)3. Cut off power to boiler and old controller ( I had a sunvic)4. Remove old controller ( I was unlucky that the old backplate, whilst almost the right type was too close to the wall to fit.5. Photo wire connections and label using sticky labels supplied.6. If like me you have an old wired thermostat work out which wires need disconnecting from the supply and any changes needed to terminal 4.Attach backplate from hive receiver and connect wires from boiler and power supply - for me they were the same as before except terminal 4 - since gravity fed mine do not use 1 & 2.7. Fit receiver on backplate and switch on power to boiler & reciever. After a few seconds it will start to flash. Check when you press the hot water that the boiler fires up and when you press heating pump to radiators works ( my gravity fed potterton system has to have hot water on for heating to work - more about setting the receiver up for this after installing thermostat)8. Remove old room thermostat ( only safe if you already disconnected the wires at the controller) and fit new hive backplate to the mount where your old thermostat was - of course you could mount it elsewhere. Put the 4 supplied batteries in the thermostat and push it onto the back plate.9 ensure your hub is still flashing amber - if not just push the button on the back of it. This will then start the searching process which is displayed on the thermostat. After less than two minutes all devices had gone solid green and were communicating.10 For my gravity fed system I then had to turn off the power to the reciever for 5 seconds, then turn it back on and hold down the hot water button for just over 10s until the status light flashed blue. When released it set itself on solid blue. I believe this means that when you switch heating on it also turns on the hot water - that’s the only way our system works.11 use the thermostat to set all your desired schedules for hot water and heating.12 log into the hive phone app and set up your hub - you just enter the 6 digits from the bottom of the hub. Everything can then be done from the phone( brilliant). Have also set up app on wife’s phone and son’s so that if they are coming home early in winter they can boost the heating before they get in.(13. If you have amazon echo or dot download the two hive skills and you end up with voice control)Both physical thermostat and hive app seem really good and give so much control over the heating and water. Looking forward to being able to boost heating from bed without having to go downstairs to the kitchen!Was lucky to buy the system as one of Amazon’s daily deals. Great that no subscription or plan needed. App just works.

I have a combi boiler, no water tank.The control unit arrived within a couple of days. Scratch off card for code (why?) to arrange British Gas to fit was inside packaging. Fitted ten days later, took Just over an hour. As it runs off 4 AA batteries (supplied), you can site this wherever you want, as long as it’s in effective communication range of the HIVE unit/router.Works fine with Alexa (“Alexa set temperature to 20”) and you can create time on/off and temperature settings in the app very easily. Not sure how it can save you a huge amount of money (compared to a standard timed thermostat), but may be worth considering if, like me, your old thermostat was coming to the end of its useful life.