Make your air conditioner modern with Tado's smart thermostat
Plenty of companies produce smart thermostats to control your home's heating, but what if your air conditioner isn't part of the same system? Tado, which already produces Nest-like smart thermostats for heating systems in Europe, is now working on a device that'll do the same for cooling. Tado Cooling connects to your home's AC unit over infrared, and lets you control the temperature while out and about from your smartphone. In addition, there's geo-fencing, so it'll shut down if you go away, and come back on when you reach a certain distance away from your home.
If you lose your smartphone, the front of the hardware is capacitive, so you'll be able to control it straight from the LED display, and the device will also regulate the humidity in your home. Since no company can resist the lure of crowd funding, Tado has taken to Kickstarter to raise the $150,000 necessary to begin the production run, and you can bag a regular model for $70 or a limited-edition colored version for $180. If, like us, however, you've got Kickstarter fatigue, then you can pick up a retail model for $150 with it launches in August.
