Honeywell Home's smart thermostats traditionally integrate well with home systems. Past models could connect with compatible Resideo air quality and filtration systems, for example. But the latest X8S thermostat, out now, goes well beyond what Honeywell Home or any other thermostat brand has tried.
The X8S is packed with tricks and the upgrade to a flashy smart display is only one of them. That 5-inch display can show indoor and outdoor temperatures, current weather, indoor air quality readings a humidity. But the most impressive part comes when you connect a third-party video doorbell from security company Ring or fire safety company First Alert.
With these brands, Honeywell Home's X8S thermostat can show you a live view of whatever your video doorbell is seeing. Add the two-way audio component, and you can use the thermostat like an intercom, too, seeing and talking to people when you get an alert.
That's useful if you don't really want an extra smart hub and your thermostat is somewhere handy like near the kitchen or bedroom, in case you can't make it to the front door right away (or don't want to).
Can other smart thermostats serve as camera viewers?
The only thing I've seen come close to these camera streaming capabilities is the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, but that only works with Ecobee's own camera options. This is the first time I've seen a thermostat connect to third-party video doorbells, and I'm all here for this combo of smart home and home security.
The big question is if this video doorbell compatibility extends to more brands in the future. Right now the integration is useful for Ring users, but what if you have a Nest or Tapo video doorbell instead? Blink doorbells would be a particularly good expansion, since both Blink and Ring are owned by Amazon. It will be interesting to see how Honeywell Home expands this technology in the future, but so far this is a thermostat innovation well worth watching.