Crestron Horizon Thermostat takes on Nest with smart home integration
Crestron has added a new smart thermostat to its connected home range, with the Crestron Horizon Thermostat promising touchscreen convenience along with remote sensors as it takes on Nest and others. Although designed to integrate with a Crestron Home smart home system, the Horizon will also work as a standalone WiFi thermostat.
On the front there's a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 color touchscreen, along with backlit capacitive buttons. Below that is a color-changing status bar, which indicates what mode the HVAC system is operating in, so that you don't need to be up-close to see if the heating or cooling is running. When you do get near, a proximity sensor wakes the thermostat's display up.
Alternatively, you can control it remotely. For the most functionality that will be through a Crestron Home automation system, with the Horizon able to control other connected devices such as lights and shades. For example, if the temperature rises, the Horizon could work with motorized blinds to close them, saving energy rather than immediately turning on the A/C.
As well as a thermometer, the thermostat has a humidity sensor built-in. It'll also work with up to four remote temperature sensors, and up to two temperature/humidity combo sensors. That'll allow conditions in other rooms to trigger different HVAC modes.
It's compatible with conventional 2H/2C systems, heat pup 4H/2C systems with auxiliary heat, and systems with radiant flooring and humidity control. There's also support for fan circulation modes.
As for installation, the thermostat is 14mm deep and can work with standard two-wire systems; Crestron has a Common Wire Adapter available for retrofits where the existing thermostat lacked a common wire. Using the Crestron Toolbox app, different configurations can be saved and remote support carried out; potentially useful if you have a Horizon installed at a vacation home.
There are three color options: white, black, and almond. In addition to the current indoor temperature levels, the display will also show the current weather and forecast for the upcoming week.
DIY smart home products may have increased in number of the past few years, but that hasn't stopped Crestron from weighing in itself. While the company is best known for its often highly complex, professionally installed systems for deep-pocketed users, Crestron Home targets a slightly more mainstream space. Although still designed to be fitted by a pro, the architecture of the system – and its affordability – is designed to make that process more straightforward.
The Crestron Horizon thermostat is available to preorder now, priced at $599.