I believe you are correct. For some reason I thought it did but after checking more carefully, HomeKit isn’t supported. Of the stats I researched, the only 2 that support it seem to be the Sensi and the Ecobee3 and 4 whose apps are reported to be inaccessible from what I’ve read.
Since it looks like I might have to be restricted to using Alexa for voice control, I also did some more research on the Nest and found a section in their history of updates which stated improvements for blind users so I downloaded the app, created a Nest account and I seemed to be able to navigate the app pretty well with VO. In addition, I also found there are skills available that allow you to ask Alexa for quite a bit of info including the current temp. For these reasons, I decided to order the Nest third generation and just received it. As soon as I can get it installed, I’ll report back to the list on how accessible it is for me. From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Sieghard Weitzel Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 7:29 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: RE: WiFi thermostats As far as I know the Honeywell does not support Home Kit/SIRI. From: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Rick Alfaro Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2017 1:52 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> Subject: RE: WiFi thermostats Chip, thanks for the great summary. So far I’m leaning to the Honeywell RTH9585WF1004 since it’s app looks to be at least somewhat workable. The Ecobee4 looked interesting but I found the demo mode in the app to mostly be inaccessible with no way to interact with the controls with VO. The skill you mentioned sounds very interesting. Is there any skill available that will allow you to create schedules? Also, how much can you really do via the Echo or Siri? I get the feeling it’s quite limited. From: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Chip Orange Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2017 3:45 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> Subject: RE: WiFi thermostats I have several years of experience with the Nest thermostats: we own two, and we have two Nest smoke detectors as well (primarily because they will call your phone if an emergency occurs at home). The Nest app is moderately accessible … I have not been able to set schedules using it. Also, if the thermostat has a problem connecting to your wifi, or via the internet to the Nest main servers, it will display error messages only on the thermostat (which you usually have to have sighted help to deal with). You could get around the inability to set schedules by use of the “learning” feature (having your installer clear all learning after installation and testing is very helpful). Each time you make an adjustment to the temp, the idea is that if it sees you do this repeatedly it will make a schedule for you. My wife found it confusing when it would suddenly make a temperature setting change without explanation, so we eventually turned off learning (I guess it’s a personal preference). It’s very nice that the Nest will manage humidity in a home which has a two-speed or a variable speed system. It does this by running the system at slower speeds when the humidity rises too high. Even with a standard single speed system the Nest will manage humidity by “over-cooling” up to 4 degrees if you enable this feature. However, it takes sighted assistance to adjust the humidity level setting (it’s not something you usually ever adjust again however). It’s a very good idea to get an installer who is certified as a “Nest Pro”, so ask them. Turns out my installer was not, and I am still arguing with them, and trying to teach them about Nest features. Their one employee who understood Nest thermostats has left them. If you have both Nest thermostats and smoke detectors, if you have any smoke the detectors will cause your heating or air conditioning to shut off to stop the spread of smoke … a nice feature. Their smoke detectors report the problem with a recorded voice announcement, along with its location, such as “low battery in the dining room” or “smoke in the up stairs”, so this is also nice. They self test themselves monthly, and report the results to you via the app. While the ability to control Nest thermostats is built into the Echo, I use a third party Skill called “The Thermostat” because it allows me to ask it what is the humidity in the up stairs, and other such additional questions and commands, so you may want to look into this skill as it works with many models. Hth, Chip From: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Rick Alfaro Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2017 1:22 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> Subject: WiFi thermostats Hello listers. I know this topic has been discussed several times on this list. At the time I had a functioning WiFi thermostat from Radio Thermostats known as the Filtreet CT50. Unfortunately, it’s bitten the dust and no longer connects to my network, even not after long hours of trouble shooting including the wiring. It’s time for me to move on so I’d like to purchase a thermostat that works with Alexa. The one I’ve seen on Amazon is the Ecobee3 lite second gen for $168 via Prime shipping. Of course the real issue is whether or not it’s IOS app is workable with VoiceOver. If anyone has had any experience with this brand, I’d be interested in knowing your experience in terms of accessibility. 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