Drayton Wiser Smart Thermostat Heating Control Heating Only – Works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and IFTTT

Great smart switch
I was initially a bit miffed at having to purchase this smart plug for the sole purpose of improving signal to my “Wiser” smart heating system but I have to confess, it’s actually been a really good. It feels very well made, took second to configure, I’ve had no problems with my smart TRV’s going offline since installing it (it acts as a mesh signal extender), it works flawlessly with IFTTT, can be easily scheduled and shows me live power usage so actually, not a bad price for all that.

Works well
Having read reviews of this and other systems I decided to change the programmer and thermostatic valves. The system was easy to fit and the valve tops fitted on 20 year old Danfoss and Drayton valves, I had to replace a couple of very old ones. The setting up was fairly straightforward with a couple of glitches but Wiser have a very helpful helpline – answered quickly by knowledgeable people. It’s now working very well and we can set the temperature in every room at every time. I’m expecting good savings in gas usage, which is welcome with rising prices.

(Excellent functionality and Easy to Use (but avoid the radiator thermostat)
Having just replaced our 20 yr old conventional boiler with a much more efficient one I decided to invest some of the projected savings in further enhancements.
Replacing an old freezer and rescheduling the hot water is already making substantial savings on electricity and Smart Heating is an obvious next step.
First I reviewed the available products and decided that Wiser was the best value for money and offers all the functionality that we need.
I considered iTRV’s but eventually decided that the additional cost was not worth the investment but the option is still available in the future (though our Giacomino TRV’s also require a special adapter).
The big worry was installation and a bit of research showed that our BG UP25 controller has exactly the same wiring as the Wiser Smart Hub so I went for it. It took only a few minutes to shut off the power, unscrew the old controller and replace it with the new one. The existing thermostat is now turned to 100% on and will be removed in due course when the boiler is serviced.

Connecting my iPad and programming the hot water and heating was very straight forward and there are some youtube videos available to explain the different modes (away mode, eco and comfort) which offer savings on top of setting the old style TRV’s in every room.

The system has now been commissioned and is working as expected.

I am thinking that I will use Away mode in the Summer so that the heating does not come on and for the Winter I have a schedule with 15C at night and 20C during the daytime.

A bit of research and I found the IFTTT site which links to the Wiser account and allows you to create a free account and automate the system even further eg) an applet that runs at a certain time each day to switch to Away mode in Spring and Autumn so I don’t need to keep altering the heating schedule.

I would certainly recommend checking out this system if your requirements are simple and you want good value for money.

Update:
so it’s been in place for 7 days and I have been closely monitoring the system and the power use.
As regards hot water, I have put extra lagging on the cylinder (12) and I am only heating water on ‘bath nights’ (x3 a week) giving a clear reduction in electricity usage. It actually seems sensible to heat to 65C so that the water is still usable even after three days.
Central Heating – I am not sure that Comfort mode is working with my new condenser boiler set on Economy so I have turned it off and forward scheduled my settings to get the full impact of heating when I get up in the morning. I have also scheduled a boost on ‘bath nights’ so that it doesn’t feel chilly getting out of the bath.
Overall the system is working exactly as I want and giving me control and feedback my major power usage. I already have some understanding of the time it takes the house to cool down and heat up.
It will be interesting to review this when it gets to freezing and sub zero temps later in the winter.

Wiser smart Radiator Thermostat
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Still very happy with the basic system so I tried adding a smart radiator thermostat.
My existing TRVs are Giacomini so I ordered the adapter which is available online from Conrad electronics or Amazon.
Fitting the adapter was ok but does requires a very small Allen key to tighten the nuts.
My experience is that the temperatures recorded by the smart radiator thermostat go wacky at the start of the day about 15 mins before the schedule kicks in and the heating fires up. (Photos attached).
I tried re calibrating and factory reset but the problem persisted and I’m still waiting for a response from the support team so I am looking to return this in the next few days.
Instead I am getting another smart thermometer which I will use as a sensor to record room temperatures and adjust the manual controls and existing TRVs. I could probably acheive the same with a simple digital thermostat but for a little extra cost the wiser smart thermostat will record the temperatures.

Update: 20/11/20.
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Overall I still have a very favorable opinion re: the Drayton Wiser Smart Heating system – as it is easy to install, performs well and allows me to control energy consumption in these difficult times.
The Smart Radiator Thermostat did not work for me at all and I returned the product which may have been faulty. As stated above, my strategy now is to have two Smart Room Thermostats and this is working very well. In truth I might have done the same by getting a cheaper analog max/min thermostat but it’s nice to have the data recorded and two rooms allows you to exceed the 8 event s a day limit on a schedule.

Simple and efficient, so fa
Been using the Wiser for just under 6 months now – it’s been a cheap(ish), reliable thermostat so far.

Bought as I wanted an opentherm controller for my boiler. This was a fairly cheap option and given the manufacturers provide no indications of how they regulate in opentherm mode, I wanted to try it out without spending too much. The option to add individual radiator control in future was a plus for the Wiser too.

Plumber had it installed in no time, only issue was a missing bus connector from my boiler (ATAG) which meant it had to be wired in normally rather than via opentherm to start with. When the wiring was switched the Wiser automatically detected the change and started operating in opentherm mode. Since then performance has been good, perhaps a modest reduction in energy usage by using opentherm and the comfort and eco modes compared to similar usage previously.

The only issue has been the connection between the room thermostat and the wiring center which struggles if the stat is placed in the older part of our house. The boiler is in the extension and the signal struggles to pass through the external walls (~10m distance). Will have to try with a range extender in future but for now it’s fine with the stat in the extension.

Great bit of ki
Excellent kit, completely changed how we heat the house. Cheapest amongst rivals but, top product great customer service, and reduced my bills. Yes initial outlay is sizeable, especially adding more rad valves and boosters, but was worth it. App easy to use with a lots of features. Linked to Google home but the app is so good and quick to use we rarely need or want to use Google.

Smart and helpful
Easy installation, smart room TRV thermostats are a great addition to my earlier purchased Wiser heat hub, I now have smart TRVs all over my house, so far so good if purchased with the wiser smart plugs which are required to help extend the signal, otherwise these radiator smart TRVs will not be picked up and heat will not be triggered.

Good integration with old Drayton time
Good upgrade for our manual Drayton timer system – easy to use and set up via the app. Backplate fitted our existing plate – setting the water and heating schedule via the app took me a little time to work out but easy now . My wife happy that she can overide the system from work making sure she is warm when she gets home. Have not set it up with Alexa as yet as using the wiser app is easy to use in the first instance

Smart in all the right places.
I will admit I’m not using many of the smart features, but so far this has exceeded expectations.
It came as an Amazon return, which meant I soon had an opportunity to interact with customer services. Despite it being Christmas Eve afternoon the phone was promptly answered and the device reset within 10 minutes with the help of a friendly and knowledgeable gent. Another 10 minutes saw the whole thing up and running. The install itself was a simple matter of following the instructions.
I love the fact it has an Opentherm module even though I cannot use it in my system as it is split into upstairs and downstairs zones. They didn’t cheap out. Both stats paired without issue and have stayed connected ever since. Numerous system changes (heating and wifi) and power outages have failed to upset it.
So far everything works exactly as intended. I am also impressed that it does indeed seem to be quite smart. It measures humidity, which is required for accurate heating. Most impressive has been the way it now chooses to boost the heating early in the evening, while it has less work to do, and then just let the temperature drift down to the set level by the time it is scheduled to set back for the night. The ability to keep track of weather and heating patterns from since it was installed is also great. As I’m just zoned for downstairs underfloor heating and upstairs radiators I haven’t had any of the range or battery problems others have reported when using radiator smart valves.
Overall: Excellent performance so far and the only Smart Device that has proved less trouble than its non-smart equivalent. I’d happily buy another.

Great Controlle
This is a great controller and really does represent a major upgrade to an aging heating system. I used it to replace my existing Drayton controller and it was almost a direct plug in replacement. A cautionary note – the installation instructions require that any existing room thermostat is disconnected – regrettably, having complied with this instruction the heating system failed to function. The controller behaved exactly as it should but it would not fire up the boiler or cycle the motorised valve (over a 24 hour period). I tried various ways to correct this before reconnecting the original thermostat and setting it to maximum when everything functioned. I suspect this was an anomaly with the original wiring and no fault of the controller. I’m very happy with the product now.

More Stable / Comfortable House Temperatures. Happy.
Very happy with this, but I’m not using it with the radiator valves, so that’s probably why. Replaced a basic programmable timer and Sunvic radio-based thermostat controller – and that change has been great. A thermostat that can now be anywhere in the house instead of needing to be close to the boiler, fine-grained temperature controls and a level of intelligence in ECO mode, multiple temperature settings per day (instead of one) and convenient app control have meant that we now have much more stable and comfortable temperatures in the house. I tend to use the app more to change the temperature than the thermostat unit, and the app graphs are a nice touch. Would recommend as a controller upgrade without the radiator valves. Problem free, haven’t needed any tech support.

More Stable / Comfortable House Temperatures. Happy.
Very happy with this, but I’m not using it with the radiator valves, so that’s probably why. Replaced a basic programmable timer and Sunvic radio-based thermostat controller – and that change has been great. A thermostat that can now be anywhere in the house instead of needing to be close to the boiler, fine-grained temperature controls and a level of intelligence in ECO mode, multiple temperature settings per day (instead of one) and convenient app control have meant that we now have much more stable and comfortable temperatures in the house. I tend to use the app more to change the temperature than the thermostat unit, and the app graphs are a nice touch. Would recommend as a controller upgrade without the radiator valves. Problem free, haven’t needed any tech support.

Wiser Multi-room
Not sure why this product is not so well know, compared to other makes on the market. After reading reviews on all of them, i decided Wiser was the one for me and I am glad I made that choice.
It was so easy to fit, I had a old Potterton EP programmer, so had to change the backplate, disconnected the old room thermostat, all done in less than one hour. Downloaded the app, followed the online instructions and was up and running in about 20 minutes. I then fitted 5 wiser radiator thermostats, that took about another half hour, all was up and running, altered a few settings on the app and sat back.
The system has been running for about a week now and everything is working fine, the system only heats up the rooms you require, I understand after a while, the system works out your heating habits and adjust its-self.
The app is so easy to use anyone could do it. Because i have full control over the system, I hope to start saving some money over the years.
Well done Drayton, first class product and made in the UK, cheaper than the rest.

Simple install
Super easy installation, just be sure to read through the manual before you start.

I was replacing a Drayton timer and room stat with this system, plus I had Pegler TRVs which the Drayton Wiser ones drop right on to. I left the old room stat in place just at max temp as I didn’t want to mess with the boiler wiring plate.

I’ve added a smart plug and range extender to ensure the whole house is covered. Just need to order ten more TRVs now when the prices drop!

Only bug for me is it doesn’t yet work with Hubitat smart hub so automatic away mode is tricky for now (only through IFTTT).

Satisfied
Purchased a year ago everything running smooth to date but not without a small glitch or two. Thankfully support team fixed the problem and over all I’m very content with the system.

I installed the hub over a 3 channel system and never had to look at it again. Instructions are straight forward to install the hub.

Added the smart trv to the radiators that are least or never used. I had an issue with one trv and it was replaced by their return policy.

The app had numerous updates and works fine. Works flawlessly with google home using the command “raise the temperature” or “turn on the hot water”. Scheduling through the app is quick and responsive. Just be aware by default everytime hardware is added to the app it automatically adds a schedule which you need to delete or your system turns on.

The support team are fab too. Happy with my purchase alone just for the customer care.

Very convenient system and will recommend to friends

Heating via Wi-Fi and internet using British built Drayton!
After 13 years we have a thermostat controlled oil heating system thanks to Drayton. Having previously owned houses that were built with thermostats wired in, I had forgotten how effective these can be. Leap-frogging over the lack of wiring has been accomplished using this smart Wi-Fi device setup. So, you need the controller on the wall that replaces whatever timer device you have been using. This links via your Wi-Fi router to your thermostat which sits in your room. The water pump can now continue to pump water that circulates but the boiler fire system only uses oil at the rate it needs to maintain the temperature you set using your thermostat. This temperature control can be modulated via the Wiser app on your iPhone or Android device or Amazon Alexa. More than one person can have the app on your phone controlling the boiler over the internet via your Wi-Fi router. If the internet fails, your heating will not because the Wiser system simply uses your router whether or not it is connected to the internet. Our internet failed across the country (Ireland) after I installed the device but our system heating kept going and was connecting perfectly throughout the 4 hour outage. I had read where another user had praised Drayton for this ability to directly connect to the controller. Of course you still have an override button on the wall controller. So, finally you will need a 2.4ghz router to make this work. If you have a modern 5ghz (5G) router you will need a bit of help in the form of a bolt on additional 2.4ghz router. This is simple to set up and will enable all Alexa devices to work such as smart sockets or bulbs. I highly recommend the ASUS router which sends out both 2.4 and 5ghz signals and allows VPN to be added as Smartvpn —Amazon sells this! Anyway we love our Drayton system- our boiler central heating is oil fired and single circuit. The heated water always travels around the water immersion heater and around the radiators. Dual circuit systems have separate control for water heating-simples!-enjoy!

Overall, a good experience after initial setup problems.
The technical department were as helpful as they could be before I bought a system, but I was still a bit puzzled by the configuration in my house which didn’t seem typical. However…

I bought a system to control ten rooms, with the option to add two more. It wasn’t quite as trivial as they made out by replacing a controller on a standard backplate, as I had three controls, each in separate rooms. I solved this by placing the heat hub adjacent to the c/h wiring junction box and just connecting the outputs of the hub to the existing demand inputs to the three zone controllers and turning the outputs of the water and room thermostats permanently off (or removing the batteries).

There could be a better explanation that in a room with a wireless thermostat, that takes precedence over the wireless radiator thermostats in the same room but, other than that, it all seemed to go OK.

There were a few minor snags with the Insights aspect of the app on two Android phones, but the Apple devices reported data correctly and the Android bug was fixed within a few days of reporting it.

It’s great to be able to control the radiators and/or rooms individually, and it’s relatively simple to boost as and when you need it. Heating profiles are easy to set up with a good degree of flexibility – probably more than I (or most people) will need.

The helpline are very good and have been responsive in my experience so far. Let’s hope the system doesn’t suffer from some of the failures that have been reported here and elsewhere.

Flexible Control
After my previous heating controller started giving problems time came to replace it. How things have changed since my last upgrade from mechanical controllers to a digital controller to now where I can operate my heating from my smart phone and Alexa. I chose the Drayton Wiser because it was the best fit with my heating system, 2 heating zones and hot water, all I had to do was remove the old controller change the wiring around a bit and install the heating hub and fit 2 wireless room thermostats one in each zone. I remember I did find it difficult to get the heating hub to connect to the wireless router but that was most likely me rather than the hub but I eventually got it sorted. I am very happy with the system and I have added 8 radiator thermostatic valves to the rooms we spend time in. What I am able to do with this system is to set a threshold of 18 deg centigrade for all the room and radiator thermostats and the heating will start up if the temperature drops below this threshold, you can adjust this up or down as you choose, now the house is at a constant temperature, so much better. The system has open window detection to save heating a room and loosing all the heat out the open window and you can let the system know when you are not at home so it is not heating the home when no ones home wasting oil/gas. From the basic system I had before to now has been a great improvement, there are other systems available from other suppliers but this one was the best fit for my needs and installation was easy if you have the confidence to tackle it yourself, if not professional installation would be advised.

This thermostat makes the entire system so much better, even not being that good
I have Drayton Wiser system for more than a year, and I love it, I can thank it enough for the comfort it added to my life. I have done another review of the entire system.
For the thermostat, I think they are essential for comfort. Each bedroom has one, and I think this is how it should be!
The automated radiator heads from this system are great, but they are not precise with the temperature. Of course, they are 2 cm from the actual heat source. It is impossible to be precise. It is like trying to measure your kitchen temp with a thermometer inside a heated oven.
I placed those 2m from the radiator, and when you add it in the system and select the room, the system knows that from now on it will use this thermostat temp instead of the radiator head. And oh boy, it does make a difference. The temp control is far more stable and smooth. No more getting too cold or too hot. If you set 21C, it will be 21C all the time.
The thermostat itself is not the best piece of hardware; it is sometimes slow; there is no visibility of the temp without clicking on it and has minimum functionality for the price. It is only to change the temperature or give a boost. Nothing more! For the price, it should offer more, in my opinion.
So, I do recommend this piece, as it makes the system as good as it can be and definitively adds a lot of comfort to the room that it is located.

Mostly straighforward installation.
This would have been a very straightforward installation had not the electrician who installed our original CH controller made such a dog’s dinner of it. I carefully read the installation instructions and determined that it was going to be easy. However… firstly, my original model controller did not have a compatible back plate which I knew before I started. Secondly, what I did not expect was that it had been installed by someone with a penchant for connecting a wire (or two) to every single one of the nine terminals. Some led to a dead end at a junction box next to the boiler in another room, others simply doubled back on themselves and were connected back at the same terminal. The good news was I found a local electrician who came out, scratched his head, took some photos (which are probably on some electricians blog somewhere) and stripped out all the extraneous leads. After that the installation was a doddle.

The controller found my internet first time and set up was really easy. As the room thermostat was some distance from the heat hub with several thick brick walls between, I knew I would need a Smart Plug to facilitate a decent signal path. Finding the best location for the plug was ‘interesting’ due to the nature of the building layout, but here Drayton Wiser support proved to be excellent. As I tried various locations for the plug they were able to see the strength of the connection being made and their advice, patiently delivered, was invaluable. A few weeks later when I had a query, a call to their support was answered promptly and professionally.

The Wiser system has now been running flawlessly for several months and the control from the hub, thermostat or app has been very straightforward. Setting schedules is easy, and the variable boost function has proved far more useful than I imagined.

Downsides? As I spend hours each day at my computer it would be good if there was a web-based app to control the system rather than my iPad or phone and given that customer support could see the signal strength between the heat hub and thermostat it would be useful if this facility could be extended to users. Maybe a future enhancement.?

In summary, I’m really pleased with the unit. The thermostat is small and neat (and mobile), the app such a doddle to use that my technophobic wife (who never managed our previous ‘old-school’ controller) is very confident to use and the customer support has been exemplary.

Need to know this
This is a good internet thermostat and the support was v good from Drayton. Unfortunately it doesn’t work with my Huawei B535 4g modem. The system works by pairing the hub to an account run on Drayton servers via your WiFi/Internet set up. Your mobile phone must also be connected to the same WiFi network. The system uses the 2.4g WiFi band so you will need to have separate 5g and 2.4g networks – usually a simple modem setting if not on by default. The support engineers explained this and emailed me some info for my Huawei modem on using channels 1, 6 or 11 rather than auto. Sadly this didn’t work so I have lost the ability to use the app to control the system. Not too critical for us as this is installed in a Static Caravan and not in constant use. We can however still use the desk thermostat which comes with the system.

Works as it should
A direct replacement for the old controller – simple removal and a replacement of the controller (hub). Followed the connectivity instructions and connected quickly and easily. App downloads & works OK, all features I need are there. I would like an ‘off’ setting for the heating (during the summer) but this is possible by using the ‘Away mode’ option with the hot water switched on. You can also use the ‘manual’ option but each device needs setting, so a bit more hassle. I found that the temperature readings on the TVRs (radiator valves) to be low but after contacting Wiser, did a reset and they are pretty good now. Thought about knocking off a * but as the support was quick and effective so I didn’t.
I have moved one of the TVRs around the house and it connects OK (with out an extender) at my furthest radiator ~8m away and through 3 walls. My walls are lathe and plaster. Will be buying further TVRs.
I have tested out of the house (3G) and it all works as if I am in the house.

Works as it should
A direct replacement for the old controller – simple removal and a replacement of the controller (hub). Followed the connectivity instructions and connected quickly and easily. App downloads & works OK, all features I need are there. I would like an ‘off’ setting for the heating (during the summer) but this is possible by using the ‘Away mode’ option with the hot water switched on. You can also use the ‘manual’ option but each device needs setting, so a bit more hassle. I found that the temperature readings on the TVRs (radiator valves) to be low but after contacting Wiser, did a reset and they are pretty good now. Thought about knocking off a * but as the support was quick and effective so I didn’t.
I have moved one of the TVRs around the house and it connects OK (with out an extender) at my furthest radiator ~8m away and through 3 walls. My walls are lathe and plaster. Will be buying further TVRs.
I have tested out of the house (3G) and it all works as if I am in the house.

Drayton smart plug Wiser RF extender.
For use with wiser heating system and wiser app really, Can be used with Alexa google assistant and IFTTT, does work with Apple home as yet, would be nice if it had sunset and sunrise option for lighting control unfortunately doesn’t yet.

App has improved a lot over the last 2 years and seems robust and reliable
eview for the 2 zone + hot water system. Installed in October 2017 and initially the servers were struggling and had intermittent control from outside the property, but not had any server issues that i have noticed in the last 6 months or so. its a new build house so has two zones and not had any connectivity issues with either the wifi or the thermostats to the hub, but the walls aren’t solid stone by any means but signal strength reported in consistant and appears solid and robust. probably 10m straight line from hub to stats, and 10m hub to wifi router.
The Good, schedules and remote control work really well and temperature control is great (at least as reported by app vs the set point) the graphs and visualisation in the app are informative and useful. haven’t changed the batteries in either thermostat since install so 2 years+ at this point – which is a pleasant surprise.
the not so good, heating can be triggered by placing the mobile thermostat somehwere cold – which is a sneaky way of putting the heating on without changing the set points ! but thats a husband and wife discussion point rather than technology related.
the smart start or eco mode (starts boiler early to reach set point by the time the schedule requests) is a bit hit an miss (as reported by the app. doesn’t always reach temp target by schedule time, but once at target temp it controls really well.
improvments recently – record of number of hours call for heat activated, temp vs setpoint
would like to see – call for heat timeline vs temp, download of data from app.

really happy with the system, other family members have hive, and for me this is more flexible. I have purchased a TRV but not yet fitted it so will be interresting to see how well that integrates with the app.

OK, could be bette
I’ve had this running for about 6 months now. Although in my use-case it is working fine, I am finding the feature set pretty limited (given that what is missing is generally software).

There is no ‘Work from home/holiday’ setting. Actually, in my case, I’d really like to have an option of A or B week. You can force ‘away’ mode to keep the heating on, but then it stays on till you remember to turn it off.
There is no CSV save/restore for settings.
Away mode doesn’t have a ‘away until’ setting. So this means I can’t easily say I’m going to be out for most of the day.
Comfort mode can mean the heating coming on rather too early in the morning (and mine is noisy).
There is no data export for easier analytics (although there is a HomeAssistant plugin, so this has a viable workaround).
Alexa can’t ‘boost’ the temperature or turn on the hot water.
A hot water thermostat would be nice (although a little hard to use).
Proper multi-account design is rather sad to see absent.

works perfectly, integrates with App well
I found the set up a little bit confusing, but in light of the ease of which I put the wiser heat controls in, I thouht it was only a matter of patience and thought to get things working properly. When they did, everything works perfectly, and I am VERY pleased with the performance. I think I will be getting a couple more shortly.

I use it for an electric heater, coming on 30 minutes before the main heating ( LPG ) and everything so far works perfectly.

Works well
Having been very disappointed with Drayton Controls previous product which never worked fully and the controller needed replacing after two years, I decided to try this, their new product, as I like the fact that the thermostat is completely self contained requiring no wiring for either control or recharging, and because their support had been very good. I have been using the product to control my heating and hot water for the last three months and it has worked perfectly in all respects. In terms of effectiveness, the room temperature has been maintained on target (with the MiGenie this was never the case) under all conditions. When making the purchase I still some doubts, but now am very pleased I did so.