Since some smart person decided we shouldn’t have to worry about getting up off our backsides to control our heating, smart controls have been arriving on the market with a range of features and abilities. The iT500 is a smartphone-controlled thermostat that gives you the option for heating and hot water control or two heating zones, whereas many controllers of this nature work off a radio frequency, this product works by connecting via the internet. The control panel has a clean, stylish finish with a large easy-to-read display, the display itself is also touch sensitive and the wireless connection means you can put it anywhere in your house, permanently set it up on a wall mount or even regularly move it around between the seasons. You can control the temperature via an app that can be downloaded onto your phone as well as your tablet or PC, allowing you to quickly adjust the temperature whenever and wherever; you could be on holiday on the other side of the world and turn on the heating to take the chill off the house and get that hot water ready for when you get back.

The iT500 features an internal system, uses 868 MHz for robust communication, the system is secure and energy-efficient whilst the wireless access means it is straightforward to control and there are three possible system configurations. If the internet goes down, you can still use the iT500 via the control unit, it isn’t as intuitive but wont leave you freezing your butt off if there is a connection issue. We had occasional issues when the unit and the app randomly disconnected, this seemed to happen when we hadn’t used it in a while, but other than this the iT500 does exactly what it promises to you; you may be paying a little extra with this set up but the intuitive, wireless and internet connectivity means you will probably find it works. RRP £93.10

Current Cheapest Price

4.5 out of 5

Pros

Easy to install

Straightforward to use

Internet-based connection

Compatible with your smartphone or PC

Wall or surface mount

Large, stylish, touch screen display

Cons

Occasionally lost connectivity after longer periods of inactivity