Simply put, a thermostat is a control mechanism. These are most commonly found in a centrally located area within the home. Thermostats act as the user interface for a central air conditioning system. Thermostats can tell the ambient air temperature and determine whether to turn the air conditioner on or off dependent on its settings. In the old days, thermostats contained mercury and used mechanical means to connect electrical circuits which sent an on or off signal to the air conditioning or heating system. Now, thermostats have the ability to use more complex circuitry and even wireless technology to turn the comfort system on or off. Homeowners can now turn their air conditioner on from across the globe!
Programmable Thermostats are designed to adjust the temperature during certain parts of the day. For example, if you like your home a little cooler at night, you can set this type of thermostat to lower the temperature in the home an hour before bed.
Non-Programmable Thermostats are simple in that they will do their best to keep the ambient temperature within the home at a certain set temperature.
The term digital thermostat usually refers to the type of interface that they use (they look more like a little TV screen). They can be programmable, non-programmable , wireless or wired into the cooling system.
Wireless Thermostats or Wi Fi Capable thermostats usually have all of the bells and whistles including mobile apps, seperate room zoning capabilities, and multi stage heating settings.
