Amazon Smart Thermostat wiring for 4 wires, no c wire

The Amazon Smart Thermostat works with this setup, but you’ll need an adapter or extra wire (details below).

R, W, Y and G is the classic furnace + central AC setup found in millions of US homes, one wire short of what most smart thermostats want. The fix is usually an adapter at the furnace, not new wire.

1Snap a photo of your old thermostat’s wires (optional)

AI reads the terminal letters and wire colors, then you double-check them. Photos are not saved.

2Tick every terminal that has a wire

Pull the faceplate off your old thermostat. Use the letter printed next to each wire, not its color. Skip short jumper wires between two terminals.

More labels (W3, X, X2, K, PEK, L, S, T, U, HUM, DEHUM)

3A few quick questions

Do you have a heat pump?

A heat pump is an outdoor unit that both heats and cools. Heat pump thermostats usually have an “EM HEAT” or “AUX” setting.

Do any of these apply?

4Your wiring

Your system: 1-stage heat, 1-stage cooling, fan, no C wire · 4 wires

Which smart thermostats work with your wires?

Amazon Smart Thermostat

Works with an adapter
No C wire: use Amazon’s C-wire power adapter. Per Amazon’s guide, the G wire moves to C and the Y wire moves to K.
Wires from the wallAmazon Smart ThermostatRred · 24 V powerRWwhite · Heat, stage 1WYyellow · Cooling, stage 1KGgreen · FanC
WireColorJobConnect toNote
Rred24 V powerR
WwhiteHeat, stage 1W
YyellowCooling, stage 1KAdapter carries cooling + fan on this wire
GgreenFanCMoves to C with the adapter

Install steps

  1. Turn off power to the furnace/air handler (switch or breaker) and the AC condenser. Confirm the old thermostat is dead.
  2. Photograph the old wiring, then label each wire with the letter it came off. Ignore short jumpers.
  3. Install the adapter at your furnace or air handler following its instructions, with power still off.
  4. Connect each wire to the Amazon Smart Thermostat terminal shown above. Cap unused wires one at a time.
  5. Restore power and finish setup in the app.
  6. Test heat, cool and fan. If a breaker trips or equipment runs nonstop, power off and call a pro.

What you need

  • Amazon Smart ThermostatThe thermostat itselfCheck price
  • Amazon C-wire power adapterRequired without a C wireCheck price

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Confirm against the official Amazon install guide. The app also checks your wiring during setup.

Frequently asked questions

Where does each wire go on the Amazon Smart Thermostat?

R → R; W → W; Y → K; G → C.

Do I need a C wire for the Amazon Smart Thermostat?

No C wire: use Amazon’s C-wire power adapter. Per Amazon’s guide, the G wire moves to C and the Y wire moves to K.

Other thermostats for this setup

Amazon Smart Thermostat: other setups