Honeywell Lyric T6R: smart thermostat that works great with Apple HomeKit

The Honeywell T6R is a connected, wireless thermostat that works with both Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa.

The main advantage of using it with HomeKit is that the device is available in the Home app on all your iOS devices. It can also then work seamlessly with other HomeKit devices and you can start to make rules for them. However, Honeywell also has its own Lyric app for iOS and Android and you can also use this for setup. 

Coincidentally, if you're concerned about making rules for your smart home, you can also do this with IFTTT.

• The best smart thermostats

The touch-screen Thermostat itself is a nice-looking device that works well and can, of course, be used manually. Coincidentally, there's also a wired version of this thermostat available - the T6. This needs the thermostat to be wired to the boiler and is really only a replacement for an older-style wall-mounted box. 

One drawback is that the T6R needs to be plugged into the mains - there's no battery power option, for example. 

The Honeywell Lyric app features built-in geofencing so the system automatically knows to switch on and off depending on how close you, or other members of your household, are to home. This worked well for us, almost too well as we managed to switch off the heating when we left the house. Unfortunately there were others still left at home in the cold!

You use either geolocation or a range of programmable modes to configure what time and temperature the heating switches on and off at but, unfortunately, you can't use both these options together – a shortcoming other smart thermostats don't have. It's a bit of a shame, since you might leave the house to go shopping but still want your home heated. It would be good if the geofencing was time limited, for example.

As with other smart thermostats, the Honeywell Lyric T6 is best fitted by a professional installer. Once installed and setup, however, the system is easy to use and as you can see, the Lyric app is pretty easy to master. 

Another option is to use the Apple Home app for setup (just scan the HomeKit code with your mobile device), but it's not necessary - you can always set up with the Lyric app and then add to Apple Home afterwards. 

T3 Verdict

There's a lot to like about the Honeywell Lyric T6R. It's one of the best thermostats we've used and is really simple to operate on the screen - a welcome relief for those who live with technophobes but who want mobile device control as well. The HomeKit and Alexa compatibility is also an added bonus. If we're being picky, we don't like the thermostat having to be near a power supply, but it is a benefit not having to swap out batteries of course.