Hive · Hive vs tado°
Hive vs tado°: What Each Needs to Install in a London Home
Updated
Hive and tado° both switch a boiler from the wall, add smart radiator heads room by room, and work with an app. Hive always uses a receiver near the boiler; tado° uses one in its wireless kit, while its wired thermostat replaces your wall thermostat directly. They differ in how the parts talk to each other, which boilers they can modulate and what each maker offers for installation. This guide compares what each one needs to install, as checked on 31 October 2026.
In short
Both install at the wall without opening the boiler: Hive's receiver or tado°'s Wireless Receiver X takes the place of your old programmer, or a tado° Wired Smart Thermostat X replaces your wired room thermostat, and smart radiator heads replace old valve heads. Hive needs a Hive Hub at your router; tado° X needs a Thread border router, such as a Bridge X or the Wireless Receiver X itself. Both can use OpenTherm on compatible boilers, and either way the boiler-end connection needs a Gas Safe engineer.
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Which should you choose for your home?
Neither is right for every home. The questions that decide it at installation are practical:
- Hot water cylinder: both control it, Hive with its dual channel receiver and tado° X with its UK wireless receiver; tado°'s wired thermostat cannot control a cylinder
- Boiler modulation: both use OpenTherm on compatible boilers; tado° X has no eBUS or EMS support, so tado° lists many Worcester Bosch, Vaillant and Glow-worm boilers as on/off control only with X
- Heat pump: Hive says its engineers cannot yet install its thermostat on heat pumps; tado° sells a separate Heat Pump Optimizer X
- Smart home: tado°'s X thermostats, sensors and radiator thermostats are Matter-enabled; Hive works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit through the Hive Hub
- Already own one? Stay with it: tado° X cannot share a home with tado° V3+, and Hive's radiator valves need a Hive Hub
Jack All Trades (JACK) is also independent of tado GmbH: tado° product names are used only to describe the devices JACK pros install.
Hive and tado° X side by side
What each needs to install, from each maker's UK pages and manuals:
| Hive | tado° X | |
|---|---|---|
| Thermostat power | Batteries: 4 × AA (Thermostat) or 4 × AAA (Mini) | Wired Smart Thermostat X (2nd gen): USB-C rechargeable; 1st gen: 3 × AAA |
| Boiler-side receiver | Single channel (combi), dual channel (cylinder) or OpenTherm receiver | Wireless Receiver X (UK): combi, S-plan, Y-plan and OpenTherm |
| Connects to the internet through | Hive Hub at the router (Ethernet, or Wi-Fi on the current hub) | Bridge X, the Wireless Receiver X (itself a Thread border router), or a compatible third-party Thread border router |
| Hot water cylinder | Yes, dual channel receiver | Yes, Wireless Receiver X; not with the wired thermostat alone |
| OpenTherm | Compatible combis, single zone | Wired thermostat and wireless receiver; not system boilers |
| Smart radiator heads | Hive Radiator Valve: 2 × AA, three adaptors in the box | Smart Radiator Thermostat X: rechargeable battery pack, six adapters in the box |
| Maker's own installation | Sold at checkout; not on oil boilers | Offered on the UK wireless starter kits through a third-party installer; not on the wired or radiator thermostat kits |
| Standard warranty | 1 year; longer with a Hive+ membership | 2 years; 5 years when a tado°-registered professional installs a pack with a 5-year warranty card |
Checked 31 October 2026. Makers change products and offers; check your own kit.
How Hive installation is priced
A vetted pro prices your job from photos of the boiler, your existing controls and the Hive kit, and the JACK app shows you that fixed price before you book.
Where the wiring already is matters more than the device. A receiver that goes where an old programmer was, on the same wiring, is the simplest job. Hot water on a cylinder, an old wired thermostat to take out of the circuit, a receiver that has to move, or several zones each add time. A photo of the boiler, the old controls and anything labelled near the hot water cylinder lets the pro price what is really there.
Several devices go on one booking for one price: the thermostat, the hub, and Hive Radiator Valves for each room. Other jobs, such as a smart doorbell, can go on the same visit. Where parking has to be paid for, it is added at cost and agreed before you book.
Prefer to pay for the pro's time? Hourly hire works too: as a guide, smart home installation is typically £45–£95 per hour.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hive or tado° easier to install?
At the wall they are much the same job: the receiver goes where the old programmer was, on the existing wiring, and the thermostat is battery powered. The difference is the network part: a Hive Hub at the router, or a tado° Bridge X unless the tado° wireless receiver is used.
Can a JACK pro replace Hive with tado°, or tado° with Hive?
Yes, at the wall: the old receiver comes out and the new one goes in on the same wiring, and the old thermostat and radiator heads are swapped. If either the old or the new system uses OpenTherm, the boiler end needs a Gas Safe engineer.
Hive devices by type
Hive thermostat installation
The Hive Thermostat, the Thermostat Mini and older Hive thermostats: fitted, placed well and paired.
Hive receiver and hub installation
Single channel, dual channel and OpenTherm receivers, and the Hive Hub that runs the app.
Hive radiator valve fitting
Smart radiator heads for room-by-room control: adaptors matched, paired and scheduled.
Hive multizone installation
A Hive thermostat and receiver for each existing heating zone, wired, paired and labelled.
More guides
Who can install Hive?
Gas Safe engineer, electrician or DIY: what the rules in England say for each Hive job.
Does Hive work with my boiler?
Which boilers and heating systems Hive works with, and what each installation involves.
Where to put Hive
Hive's placement rules for the thermostat, receiver and hub, and moving them when the spot is wrong.
Hive receiver lights explained
What each light on a Hive receiver and hub means, and when to book a visit.
Switching to Hive
Replacing Nest, Honeywell, Drayton or an old programmer with Hive: what comes out and what goes in.
Hive installation cost
What moves the price of a Hive installation, and how the fixed price is worked out.
Hive in flats and rentals
Landlord permission, boiler cupboards, communal heating and range: Hive in flats and rentals.
Related services in London
Sources
The device facts and rules on this page come from these pages, checked on 31 October 2026.
- Hive Thermostat product page and FAQ (hivehome.com)
- Hive Thermostat Professional Installation Guide, 2025 (PDF)
- Hive Radiator Valve product page (hivehome.com)
- Hive Hub product page (hivehome.com)
- tado°: Is tado° X compatible with other tado° product lines?
- tado° Wireless Receiver X (UK) manual for professional installers (PDF)
- tado°: How to use a 5-year warranty
- tado° UK: boilers and underfloor heating
Jack All Trades (JACK) is an independent London service. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by Hive, Centrica or British Gas. Hive product names are used only to describe the devices JACK pros install, and prices are set by JACK pros, not by Hive. JACK pros do not work inside boilers or claim Gas Safe registration.
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