{"id":5443,"date":"2020-07-22T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/blog\/johnson-controls-lux-cs1-smart-thermostat-review-a-rather-ho-hum-addition-to-a-crowded-market\/"},"modified":"2020-07-22T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T10:00:00","slug":"johnson-controls-lux-cs1-smart-thermostat-review-a-rather-ho-hum-addition-to-a-crowded-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/johnson-controls-lux-cs1-smart-thermostat-review-a-rather-ho-hum-addition-to-a-crowded-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnson Controls\u2019 Lux CS1 smart thermostat review: A rather ho-hum addition to a crowded market"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Johnson Controls\u2019 Lux CS1 smart thermostat review: A rather ho-hum addition to a crowded market<\/h2>\n

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Johnson Controls acquired smart thermostat maker Lux Products in late 2018, and the Lux CS1 follows in the footsteps of that company\u2019s affordable GEO and Kono products, which are still available. The $99 Lux CS1 looks more conventional than either of those two, but all three thermostats rely on the same app.<\/p>\n

Installation<\/h2>\n

Smart thermostat manufacturers all seem to have settled on the same installation routine, asking the user to label the wires coming out of the wall as they detach them from the existing thermostat, push them into the labeled holes on a new backplate, and then snap the front piece with the display on before dealing with the user interface and app to finish setup.<\/p>\n

\"lux<\/a> Jason D\u2019Aprile \/ IDG<\/small>
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The Lux app\u2019s main screen is sparse, reporting only the most pertinent information.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A series of quirks, however, led to the Lux CS1 being one of the more troublesome installs I\u2019ve dealt with. Once I had the thermostat wired and powered, for instance, the display just showed the word \u201cboiler.\u201d As it turned out, you\u2019re supposed to use the up and down buttons to cycle through all the types of furnace the thermostat might be connected to until you find the one appropriate for your home. But starting with what is probably the least<\/em> likely type of heating system isn\u2019t exactly intuitive.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, nearly all the thermostat\u2019s system options are accessible only via the thermostat itself and not the app. No explanations are provided for most of the thermostat\u2019s options, and the four-inch monochrome LCD display\u2019s font style makes some of the text hard to read. Turning to the paper user manual didn\u2019t help much, thanks to typos and poorly written and illustrated instructions.<\/p>\n

C-wire not required<\/h2>\n

Most smart thermostats depend on the presence of a C-wire to ensure they receive enough electrical power. The Lux CS1 offers two workarounds if there is no C-wire in your wall. The first has you partially rewire your furnace\u2019s control panel, moving the G wire from the panel\u2019s Fan terminal to its Transformer terminal, and then plugging one end of the included \u201cpower wire\u201d into the control panel\u2019s Cool terminal and the other end into its Fan terminal. This procedure, however, isn\u2019t compatible with electric furnaces or heat pumps (the thermostat is <\/em>compatible with those devices otherwise).<\/p>\n

\"lux<\/a> Johnson Controls<\/small>
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That grill on the right-hand side of the Lux CS1 isn\u2019t a speaker or even for ventilation\u2014it\u2019s just a decal.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other method is to install the $18 Lux Power Bridge<\/a>, which is sold separately. This accessory also requires that you access and perform some rewiring of your furnace\u2019s control panel. (This YouTube video from the manufacturer shows you how to install the Power Bridge<\/a> with a Lux Kono smart thermostat, but the process is the same for the Lux CS1.)<\/p>\n

Programming the Lux CS1<\/h2>\n