After Tado introduced subscription requirements for features that were previously free, I went looking for an alternative. In this review I share my experience with the Habi smart heating system, including the wireless thermostat, boiler controller and smart radiator valves, after around a month of use.
Why I Looked for a Tado Alternative
When Tado made a change in October that meant new users had to subscribe for features like allowing smart radiator valves to call for heat, I went in search of an alternative. That led me to Habi, a smart heating range from Salus Controls.
Salus Controls have been around for quite a while and have a range of heating-related products. Under the Habi brand, they launched a new smart heating lineup, initially exclusive to Screwfix in June 2025. I bought the Habi wireless thermostat, boiler control and several TRV radiator valves with my own money and have been using them for about a month.
Before I get into the details, I want to be upfront: while Habi started off strong, it has become progressively less reliable in my home. Because of this, I cannot recommend it as a smart heating solution, even though there is a lot to like on paper.
Pricing and Value
Habi is positioned as an affordable smart heating option:
- Smart radiator valves (TRVs) – around £40 each
- Wireless thermostat and boiler control kit – around £80
Compared to some competitors, that is a very attractive price, especially when you factor in Matter over Thread support and the ability for the valves to trigger the boiler control.
Key Features and Specifications
The Habi range is built around modern smart home standards and a simple, no-frills app experience.
Matter and Smart Home Compatibility
- Matter over Thread compatible
- Works with Google Home, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa and SmartThings
- Initial setup is via the Habi app, after which you can control devices from your preferred platform
- Boiler control acts as a Thread border router for the Habi devices
- All products include a 5-year warranty
Wireless Thermostat and Boiler Control
- Wireless thermostat powered by 2 × AA batteries
- ITLC advanced load compensation to avoid overshooting the target temperature
- Dial-based temperature adjustment and a function button
- Boiler receiver can control heating and, if applicable, separate hot water
- Receiver includes physical buttons for on, off and auto modes (follows schedules)
Radiator Valves (TRVs)
- Powered by 2 × AA batteries
- Connect via Thread, using the boiler receiver as the border router
- Ultra-quiet valve actuation
- Onboard LCD display with a turn wheel and top button
- Child lock option available in the app
- Temperature offset adjustable by ±2.5°C in 0.5°C increments
- Includes a Danfoss RA adapter if you need it
What’s Missing?
Although the feature list looks good, there are a few notable omissions:
- No OpenTherm support. This will be a dealbreaker for people who want more advanced boiler modulation. Salus effectively sell the boiler control separately, so in theory an OpenTherm version could appear in future, but that is only speculation.
- No native geofencing or open window detection. Schedules are basic: on, off and boost, with no built-in location-based automation.
Personally, I am not too bothered about open window detection, but geofencing feels essential in a modern smart heating system so you are not paying to heat an empty home.
Design and Hardware
Boiler Control
The boiler control is a simple white box that would not look out of place on a wall, although mine lives in a cupboard. The physical buttons on the front are a big plus, letting you turn heating and hot water on, off or to auto even if wireless connectivity fails.
Wireless Thermostat
The thermostat has a rounded back piece and a protruding circular dial. There is a function button in the bottom-right corner and the dial is used to adjust temperature. The screen shows the essentials: current temperature, target temperature while adjusting, boost status and connectivity. The display only lights up when you interact with it.
Radiator Valves
The TRVs look very similar to Tado V3+ valves. The LCD is clear and simple, and with the wheel and button on top you can adjust most settings directly on the valve, which is genuinely handy once you know the controls. As a package, the design is simple, modern and unobtrusive.
Installation and Setup
I previously filmed a full setup video, so here is the shorter version of the process I followed.
Hardware Installation
- I replaced an existing Tado wireless control with the Habi boiler receiver and wired it in myself. If you are not comfortable with heating electrics, you should use a qualified heating engineer, which is an extra cost to consider.
- The wireless thermostat is screwed to the wall and is straightforward to mount.
- The TRVs simply screw onto existing adjustable radiator valves, with adapters included for common fittings.
- A nice touch: all packaging, including battery packaging, is cardboard. There is no plastic at all.
App Setup
Setup in the Habi app is generally smooth:
- Create an account, then create a home.
- Add the wireless boiler receiver first.
- If you sign in using Google or Apple and want to stay signed in, you must tick the “stay signed in” option in the app, even though the placement of this checkbox does not make that especially clear.
- Most of my devices paired quickly, although one radiator valve needed a few factory resets and restarts. I suspect there may have been some server downtime at the time, but it is hard to know for sure.
- Once devices are in the Habi app, you put each one into Matter pairing mode to add it into your chosen ecosystem such as Apple Home.
- Importantly, you pair using the Matter codes shown in the app rather than the printed codes that come in the box.
Habi App Experience
The Habi app is simple but functional and gives you control over devices, schedules and basic settings.
Home Screen and Device Control
- The Home screen shows devices and rooms along with their current and target temperatures.
- You can adjust the set temperature using plus and minus controls directly from the overview.
- Tapping into a device shows more details and controls, including on/off and schedule toggle.
Device Options
For each device you can:
- Change the device name and room
- Access and edit schedules
- See battery and connectivity status
- Turn on child lock
- Adjust temperature offset (very useful for TRVs)
- Use an identify mode to make the device light up so you can see which one you are working on
Schedules
Scheduling is one of the strongest parts of the Habi app:
- Create schedules per device
- Set the same schedule every day, weekdays and weekends, or different schedules per day
- Add multiple time slots, each with its own start time and target temperature
The interface for managing slots is well thought out and intuitive, making it easy to build a day’s heating pattern. There are also basic global options such as units, hour format, data collection and notifications. All devices have built-in frost protection for safety.
Matter and Apple Home Integration
Because Habi lacks native geofencing, I rely on Apple Home for location-based control and more advanced scheduling.
I have created automations in Apple Home that:
- Adjust temperatures at various times of day if someone is home
- Turn off heating when the last person leaves
- Run a shortcut when the first person returns, which checks the time and sets different rooms accordingly to effectively resume the schedule
- Integrate other devices such as my Meross Matter electric underfloor heating controller for the bathroom
When the Habi devices are online, this setup works well. The valves can call for heat from the boiler receiver and Apple Home handles the geofencing side of things.
Performance, Reliability and Battery Life
This is where the experience falls down for me.
Offline Devices and Border Router Issues
The biggest problem I have had is that devices keep going offline. The boiler receiver itself has been fine: it is on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with a static IP and has been rock solid. However, the wireless thermostat and several TRVs regularly lose their connection to the receiver.
When I contacted Habi support about my bedroom TRV, which was going offline more than any other, I was told it was due to low signal. That might be plausible, except the radiator in question is roughly 20 feet from the receiver downstairs with only a door in the way. The wireless thermostat, on the same floor as the bedroom and about ten feet from the receiver, also drops offline occasionally.
This suggests to me that the issue is not simple range but a weakness in the Thread border router implementation on the boiler receiver. Moving the receiver outside the cupboard did not solve the problem, and there does not seem to be any clear pattern to when devices drop off.
Testing and Troubleshooting
I even bought an extra radiator valve to see whether my bedroom valve was faulty. For a while I had two valves side by side: one connected and one not, which further highlighted how inconsistent the connection could be. The thermostat and another valve have also spent a fair amount of time offline, reinforcing my suspicion that this is a system-level issue rather than a single defective device.
Battery Life and Noise
In terms of battery usage, early indications from the TRVs suggest something in the region of six to nine months on a set of AA batteries, which is reasonable for this type of device.
The valves are quiet but not completely silent. You can hear them move, but they are quieter than Tado V3 valves, although not as quiet as the newer X valves. They should not wake you up at night.
Customer Service
It is worth noting that my experience with Habi’s customer service has been positive. During the pre-purchase phase I sent several emails with questions, and during weekday working hours the responses were quick and helpful. Unfortunately, good support does not fully compensate for a system that proves unreliable in day-to-day use.
Final Verdict: Great Idea, Let Down by Reliability
On paper, Habi gets a lot right. The pricing is very competitive, the design is modern and unobtrusive, the app is simple but effective, and Matter over Thread support with integration into platforms like Apple Home makes it very flexible. The ability for radiator valves to trigger heating is exactly what many people want as they move away from subscription-based platforms.
However, a heating system has to be reliable above all else, and in my experience Habi simply is not. Persistent issues with devices dropping offline, even at modest distances from the receiver, mean I cannot recommend it as a smart heating solution right now.
If you have tried Habi or other Salus products yourself, it would be interesting to hear whether you have had similar issues or a more reliable experience. For the moment though, despite its promise, Habi is not the Tado replacement I was hoping for.
