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I have an ecoBee thermostat that connects to the internet. My internet goes out ALL the time, especially in summer (thanks for nothing, Cox Comms). My thermostat still works, I just can't adjust it from my phone downstairs because it's offline.

I bought it because I would bump my temp up to about 79 in summer, but if I heard that an afternoon dust storm was coming in and I was at the office, I would crank it down to 74 so if the power went out it would at least be cool for a while when I got home.

No doubt something you can do from its control panel.

We bought a top-of-the-line air system for our home complete with touch screens and everything. A wall control went out 12 years later. There were no replacements anywhere in the USA even though we had been promised stocked parts for twenty years. We had to upgrade from a $1200 to a $3200 controller, plus $500 installation. I design and build electronic devices that size, none are worth over $80 in manufacturing costs.

My next air conditioning system will feature a tilting mercury switch thermostat; or, maybe a generic temperature controller from Home Depot. (Or make it myself) Oh, the horror! It won't be able to control humidity, the fan speed, or nag me on my phone. I'll die, I tell you!