'Smart' heater vs heater with wifi controller?

[Crofter]

I'd like to add a simple wall mounted panel heater to our holiday cottage, so that we can keep it at a reasonable temperature when nobody is there, using the off peak overnight rate. At the moment we leave the heated towel rail on when the weather is cold, which is probably not the most cost effective method.

I was thinking of just buying a hardwired wifi relay (e.g. a 25A one from Shelly) but then I came across heaters with Wifi functionality built in. That's quite appealing because it would allow people in the cottage to use the heater as well.

I'm a bit worried about the longevity of any built in 'smart' technology though. Having owned an early Smart TV which after a couple of years was no longer supported, I feel that it's easy for the app to be updated and suddenly older tech no longer works. Maybe this could happen to the Shelly relay too, but at least in that case I only have to replace that one small component.

 

Any thoughts? And any recommendations?

[Crofter]

Anybody? Possibly not a common choice for the typical new build on here

[markc]

I would go simple heater (thermostat) and add any control for timer etc.

far too much stuff now that requires an app to use it.

i have just put two oil filled rads in my workshop but controlled with smart plugs for timing

Edited 5 hours ago by markc

[Crofter]

13 minutes ago, markc said:

I would go simple heater (thermostat) and add any control for timer etc.

far too much stuff now that requires an app to use it.

i have just put two oil filled rads in my workshop but controlled with smart plugs for timing

That's my gut feeling, but it doesn't let the person in the cottage operate it unless they download the app and log in.

[-rick-]

Keep it simple and use something like this?

 

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SMTGBD4.html

 

* Confirm with electricitian this is suitable

[markc]

3 hours ago, Crofter said:

That's my gut feeling, but it doesn't let the person in the cottage operate it unless they download the app and log in.

I use Tapo plugs and you can control by app but also turn on/off using the button, nice bit is that if you manually over-ride, the next schedule cycle reverts back to auto control.