Honeywell RTH9580WF WiFi Smart Thermostat, displaying the Home screen.
The Honeywell RTH9580WF smart thermostat represents a clear advance from the RTH8580WF model, reviewed earlier. On this model, they improved the screen from the green color so common with older thermostats with black lettering. In this model, it’s now a full-color, brighter, higher contrast, LCD display.
First, you can set the color scheme to match your room décor. Plus, the screen has a new indoor and outdoor humidity reading.
Further they have also made it easier to link this t-stat to your WiFi network. No longer must you first connect a computer to the t-stat for this. Now, you enter the connection info via the touch screen. This includes password entry using the screen-based keyboard.
Finally, on the Total Connect Comfort site, you control this model t-stat the same way you do the earlier models.
This revised version of Honeywell’s signature wireless thermostat is once again, a state-of-the-art digital climate control system. It offers lots of settings that you change for different programs.
This is a seven day thermostat that also has battery backup.
Plus, it does not forget user programs; even if the batteries die.
The RTH9580WF has most of the hallmark features of today’s best digital t-stats. But in addition to those, you can work it via the internet. All common furnace types can be regulated too. E.g.
This unit supports up to a max of two stage heating and two stage cooling. The RTH9580WF can control standard and high efficiency furnace types as well.
Finally, you can check up on your t-stat from anywhere with internet access.
The thermostat learns your particular furnace’s patterns heating and cooling times. It also learns how long it takes our HVAC to raise and lower room temperature. Finally, it starts up the HVAC a little before the scheduled time. This way, when the scheduled time of the event passes, the home reaches the programmed temperature.
Each of the seven days in the week can have a unique program schedule. However, the unit also comes packed with preset program schedules. These save energy in the typical home, without changing them.
These select the number of and times of the default program daily periods. However, you may modify these programs at will, if so desired.
The unit guides you through program schedule setup. Or you can customize the programs yourself, outside the setup wizard.
You may set this t-stat to maintain temperature settings while you’re away on vacation. This change then lasts until your scheduled return date. At that time, the thermostat resumes following the schedule it has on file.
The thermostat receives software updates from Honeywell as they’re issued. No manual intervention is required. The unit must be connected to Wi-Fi with Internet access for this feature to work.
See these pages online. You’ll also find a Quick Start Guide packed with the thermostat, along with wiring labels.
The mounting wall plate, and all necessary hardware and wiring tips are included. Note however, that the term “wireless” here refers to the wireless way, via the internet. You can control the RTH9580WF remotely. Note that you still need wires to connect this unit to your HVAC.
A coin type battery is also included. This lasts at least one but probably over two years, given a fresh battery. It powers memory circuits inside, thus preserving programs and settings in the event of a power failure.
The built-in clock keeps time very well, and automatically adjusts itself for daylight savings time if that feature is enabled. If you connect the thermostat to the internet, the clock inside sets itself with internet time.
When you enable the internet-based features, Honeywell notifies you via email or on the app when various things happen. If room temperature rises or falls too far, they tell you. Or if connectivity to the RTH9580WF breaks, then again, they let you know.
Monitor and control your home heating / cooling equipment from anywhere that offers Internet access. Do this via smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, and media players. Access the TCC site with web browsers like Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Plus, they have an app for iOS and Android.
Through these, you can check the following.
This wireless home thermostat incorporates similar features to Honeywell’s RTH7600D model. This one however, adds wireless Internet access to those features.
can be set up in various parts of your home and controlled from afar via the web site.
Program each day in up to four periods. For home use, these include…
For business mode operation you have..
Now you may not wish to enter scheduled times and temperatures for all these daily events. Say you only want two temperature changes per day instead of the maximum of four. Then you can exclude the events you don’t want from the daily program. Plus, you need not program anything at all if you like the built in schedules.
You can program the touchscreen back light to stay on but at a low brightness all the time. Then, it brightens briefly when someone touches the screen. Very handy for finding the t-stat in the dark.
The touch screen shows, along with the current indoor temperature, the current humidity.
You may override programmed schedules temporarily (until the next scheduled period begins). Or suspend the schedule permanently (until the user returns the thermostat to the “following schedule” mode).
alert you when it’s time to change the air filter.
This feature prevents HVAC unit from coming on too many times per hour. Too many switch-ons in a short time can damage an HVAC unit. So this t-stat does not allow that to occur.
The older models featured parameter numbers for things like disconnecting from Wi-Fi and setting the system time. Now, many of these parameters are clearly spelled out in the improved menus and screen faces.
Can be cleaned with a damp cloths using very mild detergent solutions with water. There’s also a lock-screen feature. You turn this on to keep unintended changes while wiping fingerprints off of the touchscreen.
But does have a lithium battery which, according to the instructions, may require special handling procedures when disposing or recycling.
Requires that the user provide internet access via Wi-Fi.
Depends on a web site / Internet infrastructure provided by Honeywell (the Honeywell Total Connect Comfort Solutions web site) for remotely controlling thermostat functions.
You set many of the thermostat advanced settings locally only. That is, you cannot change them via the internet. We’d like to change any and all of the settings via the internet, as well as at the touchscreen.
If you’re replacing an older thermostat with this one, you may have to provide a power lead (C wire). This runs from your heating / cooling system, to this thermostat. The RTH9580WF cannot function without it.
The RTH9580WF surpasses the 8580 as the most useful home automation thermostat control device we’ve ever tested. Given all its features and functions, we did not mind paying the roughly $180 for it.
Once you set it, forget it; unless you’re one of those who must constantly play with the controls. If so, you’ll have plenty of settings here to tweak either locally or remotely.
Of all the digital Honeywell thermostat models, this Wi-Fi version is certainly the most complex. Yet it’s among the simplest to get up and running with default settings. However, with its very rich feature set, a bit of complexity is unavoidable, and we find this understandable. So, we rate this thermostat at 96 out of 100. As it did with the predecessors, Honeywell has created yet another exemplary Wi-Fi smart thermostat here.
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