Caveat Emptor - Degraded Experience with Tado X
I've just upgraded by 13xTRV Tado V3 system to X, and can't help feeling that apart from the technological step forward in terms of Matter and Thread, I've actually taken a step backwards in terms of overall user experience as I find more and more options I'd taken for granted for 10 years are now missing. I actually remember that when Tado was first launched, the two USPs that most attracted me to it and impressed people I told about it were what's now called Preheat Before Arrival and Early Start - ironic that those are both now missing in the "cutting-edge" Tado X.
I think there's a general and reasonable assumption that 'upgrades' will add to functionality rather than take it away, or at least it should be made very clear at the point of sale (and especially in upgrade offer emails) where this is the case. I do tend to roll my eyes when people post comments like 'fix this or I'll have to consider returning the order for my 50 bedroom mansion and telling all my friends and relatives to cancel theirs', but right now I am definitely feeling a bit of buyer's remorse.
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@NeilJones @Treskelion1959 'X' apppears to address the 'larger' home issues that get a strong airing on the UK forum; and includes rechargeable batteries.
I'm sorry to hear that your 'upgrade' to 'X' hasn't made an appreciable improvement for you. I do read some complaints of V3+ features that were not incorporated into the current (UK?) release of 'X'.
FYI: I'm just a user that took a leap of faith with Tado V3+ in 2002. I dont have an 'X' product roadmap or crystal ball.
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To add: coming home last night to a cold house was enough to convince me that I'd jumped the gun on upgrading, so I've set up a return for the X kit (a straightforward, no questions asked process) and spent a couple of hours today re-installing my V3. Granted, there are people who will benefit from the Matter/Thread and rechargeable batteries, but for my personal situation that's not enough to counter what I'd lost. I'll take another look in a years time and reconsider if it's reached function parity.
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@wateroakley,@NeilJones,@tadouser224
The Tado X definitely has some advantages for larger houses (we have internal stone walls that are 60cm thick) but I am disappointed that the wireless receiver has not really worked for me until I gave it a tap (pretty much what I had to do on some aircraft I flew over my 36 year career)! A V3+ thread mentioned it, as a 65 yr old 85% disabled veteran I was willing to try anything. Still, after the magic tap, the second wireless receiver has worked fine (Tado have still decided they want it back, presumably to check for any possible faults; so a third wireless receiver is on its way!).
I have the wired Tado X thermostat which presumably does the same job as my Nest Gen 2 + Heatlink that kept me warm whilst waiting for replacement; sadly Tado X equivalent has batteries (WTF!), which has meant I have continued faffing with the Tado X wireless receiver.
Kudos to Tado though; they don’t have wireless receivers as warranty replacements so they send out the commercially boxed Wireless Thermostat plus Wireless Receiver combo … I had bought 2 wireless receivers to start with (plus wired), so I am rapidly running out of large rooms to place them in!
I am a Tado fanboy, I’m just a touch niggled at the possible wireless receiver issue (V3+ & Nest Gen 2 worked fine with boiler + my military resettlement course was NHBC House electrician, not for work, but to sort out any house issues in retirement; my military training before my flying career was as a “Halton Brat” aeronautical engineering apprentice) and the firmware not offering the same options as V3+.
Kr,
Vernon
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I agree the loss of function in upgrading to X is very disappointing and can’t help feel that Tado should have been more transparent when sending all Tado owners the X upgrade offer.
Hopefully, Tado will rectify these issues soon otherwise I feel a reinstall of my V3 coming. 😢0 -
👆This. I have asked several questions to Tado over the deployment of Tado X. I have now received all my requests for information, now draft my thoughts (and Tado responses) for final comments by Tado. I should publish this “Open Letter” on these discussion pages (Tado are aware that I intend to publish the letter) and Reddit Tado next week (assuming reasonable return of final copy from Tado). I have been far from impressed at the rollout of a product that had so much potential from the outset & it would seem, from the responses received, that Tado shares my disappointment.
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Morning wateroakley, I am intrigued at your comment reference rechargeable batteries. Has Tado released a list of compatible rechargeable batteries for the Tado X Smart Thermostat & Tado X Room Sensor? Like they did for the V3+? Currently I can only find the comment reference Duracell Optima are too short. If no list has been promulgated, then the Tado X system is still flawed, nobody should be using alkaline batteries nowadays.
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sorry If I'm getting it wrong,, but If you set your profiles in the app and set the heating to come on half hr or so before you return home (you could even just do your main living area and hallway to save energy) surely that is the same as a pre warm ?? failing that if you are going to be home early one day just go to the app and boost your heating when you leave work ? all new things take a bit of getting used to, I'd say stick with it, I never used V3 but X seems very simple to use works great for me once I got everything balanced up ok.
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@JonLaw The whole point of the geofencing function is that when you leave or return home at any time, the heating turns on/off. This isn't about a fixed schedule (e.g. I leave the house at 8:00am and return at 5:30pm every day), this is about when you go out any any time of the day with no idea when you might return, Tado automatically turns off the heating when you leave and when geofencing detects that you're on the way home, it turns it back on for you in advance so by the time you get home, the house is already warm for you.
This was very much Tado's USP which hooked me as an early adopter 10 years ago and has drawn me back on the couple of occasions I've tried competitor's systems, and it's great to have it back now I've reverted to V3+. But for Tado not to include their USP in their new product line is crazy as that was their key differentiator from systems like Drayton's Wiser and Worcester Bosch's.
There's also the V3's preheat function which is meant to take into account the current room temperature and known heating characteristics of your house to calculate when to turn the heating on to ensure that it's up to temperature at a scheduled time. That's something you can't replicate manually as it will be dependent on variable factors such as ambient temperature.1 -
@Treskelion1959 The Tado X TRVs don't use standard batteries, they have their own rechargeable and replaceable battery modules.
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@NeilJones Sorry, I thought it was clear my reference was to the Room Sensors and Smart Thermostat. They still use AAA batteries.
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@Treskelion1959 - my mistake, I read one of those as TRVs.
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@Treskelion1959 The rechargeable battery comment was aimed at V3+ devices. Sorry for any confusion.
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@wateroakley @EmceeI wait with bated breath for a list of approved rechargeable AAAs for the Tado X Smart Thermostat and Tado X Room Sensors. Even a correct length and width (aka V3+ AA battery recommendation for TRVs) for the rechargeable batteries (rather than commenting that the Duracell Optima is too short) would be useful, together with max/min mAh for Lithium (to avoid the cliff-edge warning found on V3+). I have seen no confirmation that the 2 sensors are designed to accept Lithium batteries voltages (without the issues inherent within the V3+ AAAs). I just don’t like sending Alkaline batteries to the dump.
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@Treskelion1959
You can find information on the batteries (apart from Smart Radiator Thermostats, which have battery packs) recommended for tado° X here.
In short, our recommendation is AAA alkaline batteries (LR03). Duracell Optimum batteries will not work as they are too small.0 -
@Emcee So, still no lithium …. anybody at Tado actually concerned about the environment?
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