The first version of the Honeywell Lyric Thermostat didn’t work too well both on the market and for homes. Instead of relying on an algorithm to make it adjust the heat and air-conditioning like the Nest, it used geofencing technology which is tied to your phone. Geofencing works by making a user set a radius, then when your phone leaves that area, the thermostat should automatically turn to Away mode. It should then also turn back to Home mode when you, or the connected phone gets back into that radius. Unfortunately, the first generation Lyric was glitchy in this kind of performance and the second generation seems to have followed suit.
The Second Generation Honeywell Lyric Thermostat is Still as Glitchy as the First
For the first generation Honeywell Lyric Thermostat, taking advantage of geofencing wasn’t all that cracked up to be. This is simply because instead of letting users set a wider range of option in terms of radius, you would only select either a quarter-mile or a 7-mile radius. While the range was impressive, more options would gladly be welcomed. Thankfully, the second generation rectified this mistake by having more options in terms of range.
However, just like the original model, the Honeywell Lyric Thermostat (second generation) was still full of glitches. For instance, if you move away from the set radius, there are times that nothing will happen while there are sometimes when the connected phone will get a push alert from the device. Occasionally, it will work, but there are times that it won’t. Hence, reliability is very poor and it is not a device that you can give your utmost confidence to.
But aside from its glitchy performance, Honeywell did add Apple’s HomeKit platform into its list of features. Therefore, you can now use Siri to control the device whether you’re inside your home Wi-Fi network or through remote means. Commanding the thermostat through the latter means requires you to have the third-generation Apple TV or a newer model.
In theory, adding the Apple HomeKit platform is a neat feature as it will allow voice control access which you can do straight from the connected smartphone. However, HomeKit is complicated to configure and to use.
With all of these things being said, it is clear that the second generation Honeywell Lyric Thermostat should have been given more time in R&D. It is still as glitchy as ever as the first generation, and the added features don’t make up for its poor performance.