Skip to main content
All CollectionsUsing tado°How to use your tado° devices
How does tado° X control Heating Zones? How can I change the Zone Controller of a room?
How does tado° X control Heating Zones? How can I change the Zone Controller of a room?
tado° avatar
Written by tado°
Updated this week

Each room that you create in the tado° app can belong to a heating zone. Typically, rooms within heating zones also share the same piping system that carries hot water and their heat requests are managed by one device called a Zone Controller.

Eligible devices

The devices that are eligible to become Zone Controllers are:

  • Wired Smart Thermostat X

  • Wireless Receiver X (included in the Wireless Smart Thermostat Starter Kit)

  • Heat Pump Optimizer X

Selecting a Zone Controller in the app

  1. First add and connect all your tado° devices in the tado° app. Each room control device (Smart Radiator Thermostat X, Wired Smart Thermostat X, or Wireless Temperature Sensor X) creates a new room which you can name (e.g. living room, bedroom, etc.). If multiple room control devices are physically located in the same room, make sure they are listed in the same room in the tado° app.

    There is no limit for the number of Smart Radiator Thermostat X devices that can belong to a room. However, the tado° app won’t allow more than one Wireless Temperature Sensor X or Wired Smart Thermostat X to belong to the same room, as the tado° app only allows one reference device per room to measure the temperature. If they are physically located in the same room, you may need to create an additional room in the tado° app.

  2. To add or remove a device from a room in the tado° app, go to Settings > Rooms & Devices, select the device you’d like to move, under Move to another room select the room you’d like to move the device to. Confirm your choice.

  3. Locate the closest eligible device per room.

    1. Some rooms display a Zone Controller by default.

    2. If a room contains a Wired Smart Thermostat X, this is the default Zone Controller.

    3. If a room contains a Wireless Temperature Sensor, the Wireless Receiver X that it communicates with is the default Zone Controller. The Wireless Receiver X doesn’t need to be in the same room.

    4. Other rooms will be independent by default (no Zone Controller).

  4. Assign your Zone Controller:

    1. Go to Settings > Rooms & Devices.

    2. Select the name of the room you want to adjust.

    3. Under Heating Zone, select Zone Controller and change to a different controller or select No Zone Controller (independent).

    4. Select your chosen Zone Controller from the list. This list will display the serial numbers of your devices.

Please note: Thread border routers including the Bridge X, Wireless Receiver X, and Heat Pump Optimizer X will always be listed separately from the rooms under the category Other devices.

Examples of correct Zone Controller setups:

Most houses only have one Heating Zone.

Example A: One Wired Smart Thermostat X controls the heating of the whole house. This is the Zone Controller. Smart Radiator Thermostats X are installed in all rooms to control the temperature in each room individually. To request heat, the Smart Radiator Thermostat X communicates with the Wired Smart Thermostat X to turn on the boiler or heat pump.

Example B: A Wireless Temperature Sensor X acts as the central room thermostat and it controls the boiler through the Wireless Receiver X. Here the Wireless Receiver X is the Zone Controller. To request heat, the Smart Radiator Thermostats X communicate with the Wireless Receiver X to turn on the boiler.

Example C: Some rooms in the house have no Zone Controller assigned. This setting is ideal if the room doesn’t belong to the heating zone controlled by the Zone Controller.

For instance, this works in houses with different heating zones for radiators and underfloor heating. The Smart Radiator Thermostat X doesn’t communicate with the Smart Thermostat X, which is the Zone Controller of the underfloor heating zone only. Radiators and underfloor heating are controlled independently of each other in this example.

Select each room that shouldn’t be linked to the Zone Controller and set the Zone Controller option to No Zone Controller (independent).

Example D: There are two or more heating zones, e.g. for different floors. In this example, each Wired Smart Thermostat X controls the heating zone for the floor it is on. The radiators are equipped with Smart Radiator Thermostats X.

The rooms on each floor are assigned to the respective Zone Controller for that floor. When a Smart Radiator Thermostat X on the upper floor needs heating, it informs the Wired Smart Thermostat X that controls the upstairs heating zone.

Example E: There are two or more heating zones, e.g. for different floors, controlled by wireless thermostats. In this example, each heating zone is controlled by Wireless Smart Thermostats X, which consist of Wireless Receivers X controlling the zone valves, while Wireless Temperature Sensors X measure the temperature. Radiators are equipped with Smart Radiator Thermostats X. Each room needs to be assigned to the Wireless Receiver X that controls the valve to its respective heating zone.

Did this answer your question?