Many thanks for your informative input, I have been on the fence with the whole Evohome vs. Heat Genius dilemma for a while now (despite reading numerous professional comparisons and reviews) but your post has helped to clarify a few things.
I also prefer the big name backing of Honeywell and the slick interface of the app and main controller (and ease of use of course!) however the occupancy sensor feature of HG was interesting and would be extremely useful for me and the family’s unpredictable circumstances!
I’m not sure why Honeywell themselves have not added this option to their otherwise fully-featured system, (I guess it would be simple thing to do?) but I hope they will in the future! Otherwise it seems from the posts here that the ST workaround would be just as viable once it is up and running - I do hope so and that’s the gamble I’ll take opting for Evohome over HG.
Aesthetically speaking, I also hope Honeywell release a better looking in-room wall thermostat for Evohome, something along the lines of their single-zone Lyric or voice-controlled thermostat products…
Aaron - many thanks for your comments and confirmation.
Most companies that have not added geo presence/occupancy have avoided it so far because the fact is it’s not a very precise technology and it tends to depend on a lot of local issues. So it will work great for some customers, but be unreliable for others.
All of Which means a lot of handholding and customer support adding both cost for the company and lowering customer satisfaction ratings because of something they really have very little control over.
Whether based on GPS, Wi-Fi, motion detection, or some combination, there are just going to be a percentage of customers whose devices think they are away when they’re really home using current methodologies.
So a lot of companies are just waiting for better detection technology to come along before adding it into their systems.