Amazon Smart Thermostat Installation Guide

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Installing Amazon Smart Thermostat

If you are not comfortable working with electrical wiring or your home heating and cooling system, contact an HVAC service company to install and set up your Thermostat.

Important: Before starting work on the Thermostat or the heating and cooling system (HVAC), always switch off the power to the HVAC at the breaker box or the system’s primary power switch. Verify the power is off before removing the device faceplate. Do not touch any exposed wire ends.

  1. Remove the faceplate or box from your old thermostat. Before disconnecting any wires, take a picture of the wiring connections for later reference.
  2. Look for any of the following indicators that your system is high-voltage:
    1. Warning labels that say 110v or 220v
    2. Wires labeled L1 or L2
    3. Wires connected by wire nuts (screw-on caps)If you see any of those high voltage indicators, the Amazon Smart Thermostat won’t work with your system.
  3. Make careful notes of which terminals have wires connected. Take a photo with your phone for reference, including the terminal labels.
  4. Remove one wire at a time. Use the stickers that came with your Amazon Smart Thermostat to label each wire with the terminal it came from. Repeat until all wires have been removed and labeled. Don’t let the labeled wires fall back into the wall.
  5. Make sure there is a wire for the C terminal, which provides power from the HVAC system to the Thermostat. If you have no wire for the C terminal, some newer homes might have an unused wire behind the wall plate. If there is no unused wire to convert to a C wire, a C-Wire Adapter is required. We recommend the adapter compatible with the Amazon Smart Thermostat. If you find an unused wire, label it with the C sticker, and connect the other end of that wire at your HVAC system’s control panel to the C terminal, sometimes labeled as “24V” or “24 common”. Then connect the end at the Thermostat to the C terminal.
  6. Remove the wall plate from your old Thermostat. Install the Amazon Smart Thermostat optional trim plate if you want, and then install its wall plate so the labeled wires can come through.
  7. When the wall plate is fastened to the wall, connect each labeled wire from the wall into the slot as directed in the Alexa app. Refer to the labels, and the picture you took if needed. After connecting, gently tug each wire to make sure they’re connected. Make sure the R terminal switch is in the up position.
  8. Close the wire cover on the wall plate. Then align the Amazon Smart Thermostat faceplate with the wall plate and press together gently until it clicks into place.
  9. Turn the heating/cooling system power back on at the breaker box or switch where you turned it off.

If the Thermostat shows SEt or the temperature, it’s successfully installed. If nothing shows on the Thermostat, turn off the system power, remove the faceplate and make sure all the wires are connected properly. Then turn the power back on.

Connect a C-wire Adapter to Your Amazon Smart Thermostat

Amazon Smart Thermostat C-wire Installation Guide

Important: Before starting work on the Thermostat or the heating and cooling system (HVAC), always switch off the power to the HVAC at the breaker box or the system’s primary power switch. Verify the power is off before removing the device faceplate. Do not touch any exposed wire ends.

  1. With the Thermostat faceplate off, take a photo of the wiring and wire labels, for later reference.
  2. Go to your HVAC system and remove the cover to reveal the control board. Take a photo of the wiring, labels and terminal connections there for reference.
  3. Find and label the wires connected to these terminals:
    • G
    • W or W1 – If you have a heat pump, there may be wires at the O, B or O/B terminal instead of W.
    • R or Rc
    • Y or Y1
    If a terminal has multiple wires connected, label only the wire running to your Thermostat.
  4. Disconnect only the wires you just labeled from the control board.
  5. In the C-wire Adapter, insert the disconnected wires into these terminals on the “Thermostat” side of the adapter:
    • W or O/B wire to W terminal
    • G wire to C terminal
    • R or Rc wire to R terminal
    • Y or Y1 wire to K terminal
  6. Connect the wires from the “Equipment” side of the adapter to the matching terminals on the HVAC control board. Place the adapter near the control board and close the HVAC cover.
  7. At your Smart Thermostat, label the G wire as C, and label the Y wire as K. Disconnect those two wires and then reconnect them into the matching C and K terminals.When you’re done wiring, you should have wires in the C and K terminals, and no wires in the Y or G terminals.
  8. Close the wire cover on the wall plate, then attach the Thermostat faceplate. Turn on the power to the HVAC system, at the breaker or system switch. If the Thermostat display shows SEt or the temperature, it’s connected successfully.

Setting Up Amazon Smart Thermostat

  1. On your mobile device, open the Alexa app .
  2. Open More  and select Add a Device .
  3. Under All Devices, select Thermostat .
  4. Under What brand is your thermostat?, select Amazon.
  5. Under Has your thermostat already been installed on the wall?:
    • Select No for guided instruction in the app on how to connect the wiring and install your Thermostat.
    • Select Yes for instruction in the app on how to connect your Thermostat to Wi-Fi and to Alexa.

Note: During setup and connection with Alexa, the Thermostat might send a configuration failure notification to your Alexa app. In most cases, this failure can be resolved by restarting the Thermostat, so it can install any updates. To restart, remove the faceplate from the wall plate, wait a few seconds, then gently reattach it. If you then receive another configuration failure notification, contact Customer Support.

Reset Amazon Smart Thermostat

Tip: Most common issues can be resolved by restarting the thermostat. Gently detach the device faceplate from the wall plate, wait a few seconds, and then reattach it.

If restarting your thermostat doesn’t resolve the problem, you can reset the device to its original factory settings. A factory reset erases all data on the thermostat, including HVAC configuration and device settings.

  1. On the Smart Thermostat, press the Up Temperature, Down Temperature, and Mode buttons together for 10 seconds, until rEs appears on the display.
  2. Press and hold the Mode button for 5 seconds, until the device resets.

The Wires Are Connected, But the Device Isn’t Getting Power

  • Check that the power to the HVAC system is turned on at the circuit breaker or system switch.
  • Make sure the circuit breaker or fuse to the HVAC system wasn’t blown during installation. The breaker or fuse can blow if power wasn’t turned off first, or wire tips touched during installation.
  • Remove the thermostat faceplate and check that your wiring connections match the directions in the Alexa app installation instructions. If you took photos of the wiring during installation, refer to the photos to make sure that the wiring configuration matches that of your old thermostat.
  • Remove the thermostat faceplate and gently check that each wire is well connected. To be sure, you can remove and reconnect each wire.
  • Remove the thermostat faceplate and look at the R jumper switch, the blue jumper cover at the lower right corner. If you have one R-wire, make sure it’s connected to the R terminal (not to Rc), and that the R jumper switch is in the up position. If you have two R-wires, they should connect to R and Rc, and the jumper switch should be in the down position.
  • Did your previous thermostat have batteries? If so, and you connected a C-wire to your new thermostat, the C-wire might not be connected correctly to your HVAC control board. At your HVAC control board, check that the wire matching your thermostat C-wire is connected to the terminal labeled “24 V Common.”

The Thermostat and the HVAC System Didn’t Connect with Each Other

  • If the thermostat display shows SEt with a blinking yellow light, the thermostat might need to install updates first. You can allow a little time for updates to install before retrying the installation.
  • Close the Alexa app and restart. If the Thermostat device page has a notification that installation failed, try to reinstall the Thermostat. If that fails, contact Customer Support.

The Thermostat Isn’t Connecting with Alexa

  • Download or update the Alexa app from your device’s app store.
  • Check that the thermostat is connected to your Wi-Fi network. Rebooting the Wi-Fi router can also be helpful.
  • Try removing the thermostat from your Alexa app and then reinstalling it with a partial reset. See Reset Your Amazon Smart Thermostat and Keep Your HVAC Connections.
  • Try removing the thermostat from your Alexa app and then reinstalling it with a full factory reset. See Reset Your Amazon Smart Thermostat.

The Thermostat Display Is Blank

  • The display might dim when inactive. Touch the display face to activate it and see the full display.
  • Increase the display brightness, in the Alexa app in the Thermostat device settings.
  • Make sure all the wiring is correct, according to the Alexa app instructions, and firmly connected.

The Thermostat Shows the Wrong Temperature

  • Make sure that the Thermostat is installed away from heaters or air conditioners, sunlight, open windows, kitchens, or other sources of heat or cold air.

The Heating and Cooling Systems Aren’t Working As Expected

  • Check whether your HVAC is configured correctly in the Alexa app, in Thermostat Configurations.

Note: Before working on the Thermostat or HVAC system, always switch off system power at the breaker box or the system’s primary power switch. Verify that the power is off before beginning installation. Don’t touch any exposed wire ends.

  • Check that the wiring is correct, according to the Alexa app instructions, and firmly connected.
  • To check heating problems, set the system to Off in the Alexa app. Then set it to Fan mode, and listen for the system fan to turn on. After it turns on, use the app to turn on Auto mode, to switch off the fan. Then set the app mode to Heat, and set the temperature higher than the room temperature. Listen for the heating elements to turn on, followed by the fan turning on. If not, check in your Thermostat and the control board of your HVAC system to see if the W wire is connected. If it is, and heat is still not working, try a factory reset of your Thermostat.
  • To check cooling problems, on your Alexa app, set your Thermostat to Cool mode. Set the temperature below room temperature, and see if your outdoor HVAC unit turns on.

Control Your Amazon Smart Thermostat by Voice

Use any Echo device connected to your network to set or adjust the temperature.Try these voice commands, using a connected Echo device or the Alexa app on your mobile device.

  • “Set the temperature to 68 degrees.”
  • “Set cooling to 70 degrees.”
  • “What’s the temperature in the house?”
  • “How can you help me save energy?”
  • “Turn off the heat.”
  • “I’m leaving”, or “I’m home.”
  • “Is the thermostat on?”
  • “Set thermostat to auto mode.”

Set Your Home Temperature with a Routine

Routines can control your Amazon Smart Thermostat for you, including temperature setting, brightness, and mode.Use the Alexa app to create routines.

  1. Open the Alexa app .
  2. Open More  and select Routines.
  3. Select Plus .
  4. Select When this happens, and follow the steps in the app to choose what starts your routine.
  5. Select Add action, and on the Add New page, select Smart Home, then All Devices, then select your Smart Thermostat.
  6. Select the thermostat action you want, such as setting temperature or turning on fan mode, then select Next.
  7. Finish setting up the routine and then select Save.

Program Your Home Temperature Schedule

Set your Amazon Smart Thermostat schedule in the Alexa app.

  1. Open the Alexa app .
  2. Open Devices  and select Thermostat .
  3. Under Thermostats, select your Smart Thermostat to open its control dashboard.
  4. Select Settings .
  5. Select Thermostat Schedule.
  6. Under Schedule, enter the times and temperatures you want for each daily event.To duplicate the day’s schedule to other days of the week, select Copy Schedule to Another Day.
  7. To start your schedule, turn on the Use thermostat schedule switch.

Note: If you make manual temperature adjustments when your Thermostat is on a schedule, the change sets a temporary hold on the schedule. The temperature change holds until the schedule reaches the next change point, such as from Home to Sleep.

Adjust Your Home Temperature Manually

Press controls on the Amazon Smart Thermostat display, or use the Alexa app as a remote control.

To make quick temperature adjustments, press the Temperature Up or Temperature Down arrows on the Amazon Smart Thermostat display. Press the Mode indicator to switch between cooling, heating, and fan modes.

To adjust temperature and modes, in the house or away from home, you can also use the Alexa app.

  1. On your mobile device, open the Alexa app .
  2. Open Devices  and select Thermostat .
  3. Under Thermostats, select your Thermostat to open its control dashboard.
  4. Use the dial to set the temperature you want. Select the button beneath the dial to change the mode.

Tip: If you’ve set a schedule for your thermostat, manual changes temporarily override the schedule. The temperature you requested holds until the next scheduled change time, such as from Home to Sleep.

Control Your Home Temperature with Alexa Hunches

Set up Automatic Actions to manage your temperature automatically when Alexa has a hunch you’re asleep or away.Use the Alexa app to set up Automatic Actions.

  1. Open the Alexa app .
  2. Open Devices  and select Thermostat .
  3. Under Thermostats, select your Smart Thermostat to open its control dashboard.
  4. Select Settings .
  5. Select Alexa automatic control.
  6. Switch on Set sleep temperature or Set away temperature and follow the on-screen instructions.

With Automatic Actions, Alexa adjusts the temperature for you, when she has a hunch you’re asleep or out of the house.

Note: Automatic Actions are assigned to only one thermostat. If you have more than one Amazon Smart Thermostat, you can control the others with schedules, by voice, or manually.

Change the Display on Your Amazon Smart Thermostat

Use the Alexa app to adjust brightness or switch to Celsius.

  1. Open the Alexa app .
  2. Open Devices  and select Thermostat .
  3. Under Thermostats, select your Smart Thermostat to open its control dashboard.
  4. Select Settings .
  5. Select Thermostat configuration.
  6. Select Temperature units to switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius display. Select Display brightness to set the brightness of Active and Inactive display modes.

Update the Wi-Fi Settings on Your Amazon Smart Thermostat

Use the Alexa app to set or update your Amazon Smart Thermostat’s Wi-Fi settings.In the Alexa app:

  1. Select Devices , then select Thermostat .
  2. Select your Amazon Smart Thermostat from the list.
  3. Select Settings .
  4. Select Thermostat configuration.
  5. Select Wi-Fi, then follow the on-screen instructions.

What Do the Display Lights on Your Amazon Smart Thermostat Mean?

Learn about device icons and buttons in the Alexa app.

  1. Open the Alexa app .
  2. Open Devices and select Thermostat .
  3. Under Thermostats, select your Smart Thermostat.
  4. Select Settings .
  5. Select Thermostat configuration.
  6. Select Thermostat icons.
  7. Tap icons on the screen display for descriptions of their functions.

Note: The Info icon on the left of the display means you have an alert or notification about your thermostat. When it appears in red, yellow, or green, go to the Smart Thermostat page in your Alexa app.