Smart home & IoT · Category + house type
Will thermostats work properly in a new build?
The answer
Wall units that must stay reachable all winter. In a new build, the building itself is usually the deciding factor: foil-backed insulation board in walls and ceilings.
What this building does to Wi-Fi
- • Foil-backed insulation board in walls and ceilings
- • Metal stud partitions
- • Often a media plate cupboard the router is hidden in
What to do about it
- • Foil acts like a mirror — the signal will not go through it
- • Find out whether the house has network sockets in the rooms; many new builds do
- • Never leave the router shut inside the services cupboard
What thermostats need from the network
- • 2.4 GHz reaching the hallway or landing
Mesh considerations
- • Once mounted, it cannot roam. If you add mesh, restart the thermostat so it picks the nearest box.
The kit we cover on this shelf
- • Hive thermostat — scores 86/100 in the Compatibility Index
- • tado° smart thermostat — scores 82/100 in the Compatibility Index
- • Nest Learning Thermostat — scores 80/100 in the Compatibility Index
If the free fixes don't do it
Only worth reading after you've tried everything above. Nobody pays to be listed and we don't rank kit by commission.
- Deco X50 (3 pack) — The most forgiving mesh for a normal brick house. One Wi-Fi name, and it takes a network cable if you can run one. (around £180–£220)
See prices - eero 6+ (3 pack) — Easiest set-up of the lot and very stable, but you manage it entirely through the phone app. (around £170–£230)
See prices
How we keep this honest
Checked September 2026. Evidence used on this page: Manufacturer documentation, Verified WiFiXpert case data.
- • The maker says so in their own published documentation.
- • We have seen this ourselves in cases people brought to us.
We re-check this page when: published wi-fi requirements change.