The folks at Trane have been in the heating and cooling business for more than 80 years, designing and manufacturing HVAC products for both residential and business use. Their XL824 Connected Control ($333.95) joins an impressive roster of digital home thermostats that allow you to control your heating and cooling system using a smartphone or a PC. This model offers a 4.3-inch full-color touch screen, numerous scheduling options, and both wired and wireless network connectivity. It also features a built-in Nexia Home Intelligence bridge that lets you connect to scores of Z-Wave home automation devices. However, it's a bit more expensive than other smart thermostats we've seen, including the Honeywell Lyric and our Editors' Choice, the Ecobee3.

Design and Features
The XL824 has a built-in Wi-Fi b/g/n radio for wireless communication with your router. It also has an RJ-45 jack for wired Ethernet, and embedded Nexia bridge circuitry that allows the thermostat to control Z-Wave devices. The detachable wall plate contains 19 wiring terminals for heating and cooling, fans, remote sensors, and auxiliary devices such as humidifiers and dehumidifiers.

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The XL824 is similar in appearance to the Honeywell Prestige that we reviewed back in 2013. It's a rectangular thermostat measuring 3.3 by 5.4 by 1.2 inches (HWD) and has two-tone silver bezels that frame the 4.3-inch color touch screen. The indoor temperature is displayed on the left side of the screen, and right below that you can see the system status (idle, heating, cooling) and which schedule is active (Home, Away, Sleep). Tapping this area opens the temperature control panel where you can adjust high and low set points and create schedules.

To the right of the temperature readout is an area that displays the current outdoor temperature and the low and high temperatures for the day. Tap this area to view your local five-day weather forecast and receive weather alerts. Below the weather is an indoor humidity reading.

A bar along the top of the screen displays the date, time, and network status (in bars), while the bar along the bottom contains Menu, System Mode, Circulate (Fan Mode), and Air Cleaner buttons. You can choose one of three air cleaner cycles (Auto, Quick, Allergy), one of three fan modes (Auto, On, Circulate), and one of five system modes (Auto, Heating, Cooling, Off, Emergency Heat). On the far right you can view and change heating and cooling set points and enable a 1-Touch Preset. The 1-Touch Preset feature allows you to create heating and cooling set points for Home, Away, and Sleep time periods when regular scheduling is disabled.