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ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control, Black
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- ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control, Black
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Top positive review
Ecobee Smart Thermostat has more than replaced Nest Smart Thermostat
June 6, 2019
I purchased the new ecobee smart thermostat with voice because I'm one of those that likes the latest technology.
Honestly I've not noticed a lot of obvious difference yet between my ecobee 4 & the new one. The old sensors work fine with it & are very easy IMO to migrate over. The new sensor is much different to install & stumped us for a bit because it doesn't install at all like old sensors. You use the app to install new ones & the thermostat is used for sync of old ones.
I did have one room that frequently temporarily lost connection due to distance I assume. Only been a short time but no loss of connectivity yet with new smart sensor.
The thermostat is fairly easy to install & ecobee has great tech support so far. This thermostat can setup more automatic like the nest but also has a lot of manual configuration if you want it. I chose manual due to my system being duel fuel but since we have natural gas we prefer to bypass heat pump usage. This is simple with Nest but more complicated with Ecobee. I had to contact support for help on bypassing the heat pump. They were great!
The stats data is awesome & much more detailed than Nest stats. Ecobee has detailed run times for stages, fan, heat, cool, aux, etc. Also has humidity, sensor, weather impact etc. I've not gotten past a full calendar month so I don't have the advanced stats yet.
The thermostat isn't ugly IMO as some say. It is much easier to access functions than the Nest IMO though. It has a full color touch screen that is very responsive. All functions are accessible on the thermostat while everything but installation settings are available on web portal & iOS app. Sorry I haven't tried Android yet.
Background for why I chose Ecobee Smart Thermostat w voice
I've been a Nest user since beginning but due to no new innovations & Google threatening the eco system as well as I had to have entire HVAC duct system changed out & redesigned. I decided to give the Ecobee-4 a try about 3 weeks ago because new system design had one thermostat for over 3000 sq’. I felt like the remote sensors would be a good virtual zone system to balance rooms if needed.
I had ecobee-4 & 10 sensors, I was quite impressed with how well it worked until I received notice of new Ecobee Smart Thermostat with voice control.
The Nest just didn't have the ability to create a virtual zoned system with its attempt at sensors. Also I prefer my Amazon eco system over Google's ecosystem because amazing works better with my home automation.
Honestly I've not noticed a lot of obvious difference yet between my ecobee 4 & the new one. The old sensors work fine with it & are very easy IMO to migrate over. The new sensor is much different to install & stumped us for a bit because it doesn't install at all like old sensors. You use the app to install new ones & the thermostat is used for sync of old ones.
I did have one room that frequently temporarily lost connection due to distance I assume. Only been a short time but no loss of connectivity yet with new smart sensor.
The thermostat is fairly easy to install & ecobee has great tech support so far. This thermostat can setup more automatic like the nest but also has a lot of manual configuration if you want it. I chose manual due to my system being duel fuel but since we have natural gas we prefer to bypass heat pump usage. This is simple with Nest but more complicated with Ecobee. I had to contact support for help on bypassing the heat pump. They were great!
The stats data is awesome & much more detailed than Nest stats. Ecobee has detailed run times for stages, fan, heat, cool, aux, etc. Also has humidity, sensor, weather impact etc. I've not gotten past a full calendar month so I don't have the advanced stats yet.
The thermostat isn't ugly IMO as some say. It is much easier to access functions than the Nest IMO though. It has a full color touch screen that is very responsive. All functions are accessible on the thermostat while everything but installation settings are available on web portal & iOS app. Sorry I haven't tried Android yet.
Background for why I chose Ecobee Smart Thermostat w voice
I've been a Nest user since beginning but due to no new innovations & Google threatening the eco system as well as I had to have entire HVAC duct system changed out & redesigned. I decided to give the Ecobee-4 a try about 3 weeks ago because new system design had one thermostat for over 3000 sq’. I felt like the remote sensors would be a good virtual zone system to balance rooms if needed.
I had ecobee-4 & 10 sensors, I was quite impressed with how well it worked until I received notice of new Ecobee Smart Thermostat with voice control.
The Nest just didn't have the ability to create a virtual zoned system with its attempt at sensors. Also I prefer my Amazon eco system over Google's ecosystem because amazing works better with my home automation.
103 people found this helpful
Top critical review
Great amenities, awful interface.
July 1, 2019
They could give me 6 buttons and make me happy:
-mode (heating/cooling/auto/off)
-cooling set point up
-cooling down
-heat up
-heat down
-fan toggle
They didn't. To turn the fan on you have to go into the menus. To set the temp up you touch and drag, but it's hard to control. Seriously, there's no button to change the set temperatures one degree. There's not even a button for "I'm a little cold" so the smart thermostat can figure it out.
The stats online are cool, but underutilized. Ecobee will gladly leave your blower fan on 100% of the time trying to heat your house, even if the heater is broken and the ambient temperature isn't changing.
There's no support for geothermal sync water temp. No support for local home automation, always goes through their website. Community is at the same time very helpful and toxic while blind to the shortcomings of the product.
I want to love it, but I don't.
-mode (heating/cooling/auto/off)
-cooling set point up
-cooling down
-heat up
-heat down
-fan toggle
They didn't. To turn the fan on you have to go into the menus. To set the temp up you touch and drag, but it's hard to control. Seriously, there's no button to change the set temperatures one degree. There's not even a button for "I'm a little cold" so the smart thermostat can figure it out.
The stats online are cool, but underutilized. Ecobee will gladly leave your blower fan on 100% of the time trying to heat your house, even if the heater is broken and the ambient temperature isn't changing.
There's no support for geothermal sync water temp. No support for local home automation, always goes through their website. Community is at the same time very helpful and toxic while blind to the shortcomings of the product.
I want to love it, but I don't.
23 people found this helpful
Showing 1-10 of 289 reviews
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June 6, 2019
I purchased the new ecobee smart thermostat with voice because I'm one of those that likes the latest technology.
Honestly I've not noticed a lot of obvious difference yet between my ecobee 4 & the new one. The old sensors work fine with it & are very easy IMO to migrate over. The new sensor is much different to install & stumped us for a bit because it doesn't install at all like old sensors. You use the app to install new ones & the thermostat is used for sync of old ones.
I did have one room that frequently temporarily lost connection due to distance I assume. Only been a short time but no loss of connectivity yet with new smart sensor.
The thermostat is fairly easy to install & ecobee has great tech support so far. This thermostat can setup more automatic like the nest but also has a lot of manual configuration if you want it. I chose manual due to my system being duel fuel but since we have natural gas we prefer to bypass heat pump usage. This is simple with Nest but more complicated with Ecobee. I had to contact support for help on bypassing the heat pump. They were great!
The stats data is awesome & much more detailed than Nest stats. Ecobee has detailed run times for stages, fan, heat, cool, aux, etc. Also has humidity, sensor, weather impact etc. I've not gotten past a full calendar month so I don't have the advanced stats yet.
The thermostat isn't ugly IMO as some say. It is much easier to access functions than the Nest IMO though. It has a full color touch screen that is very responsive. All functions are accessible on the thermostat while everything but installation settings are available on web portal & iOS app. Sorry I haven't tried Android yet.
Background for why I chose Ecobee Smart Thermostat w voice
I've been a Nest user since beginning but due to no new innovations & Google threatening the eco system as well as I had to have entire HVAC duct system changed out & redesigned. I decided to give the Ecobee-4 a try about 3 weeks ago because new system design had one thermostat for over 3000 sq’. I felt like the remote sensors would be a good virtual zone system to balance rooms if needed.
I had ecobee-4 & 10 sensors, I was quite impressed with how well it worked until I received notice of new Ecobee Smart Thermostat with voice control.
The Nest just didn't have the ability to create a virtual zoned system with its attempt at sensors. Also I prefer my Amazon eco system over Google's ecosystem because amazing works better with my home automation.
Honestly I've not noticed a lot of obvious difference yet between my ecobee 4 & the new one. The old sensors work fine with it & are very easy IMO to migrate over. The new sensor is much different to install & stumped us for a bit because it doesn't install at all like old sensors. You use the app to install new ones & the thermostat is used for sync of old ones.
I did have one room that frequently temporarily lost connection due to distance I assume. Only been a short time but no loss of connectivity yet with new smart sensor.
The thermostat is fairly easy to install & ecobee has great tech support so far. This thermostat can setup more automatic like the nest but also has a lot of manual configuration if you want it. I chose manual due to my system being duel fuel but since we have natural gas we prefer to bypass heat pump usage. This is simple with Nest but more complicated with Ecobee. I had to contact support for help on bypassing the heat pump. They were great!
The stats data is awesome & much more detailed than Nest stats. Ecobee has detailed run times for stages, fan, heat, cool, aux, etc. Also has humidity, sensor, weather impact etc. I've not gotten past a full calendar month so I don't have the advanced stats yet.
The thermostat isn't ugly IMO as some say. It is much easier to access functions than the Nest IMO though. It has a full color touch screen that is very responsive. All functions are accessible on the thermostat while everything but installation settings are available on web portal & iOS app. Sorry I haven't tried Android yet.
Background for why I chose Ecobee Smart Thermostat w voice
I've been a Nest user since beginning but due to no new innovations & Google threatening the eco system as well as I had to have entire HVAC duct system changed out & redesigned. I decided to give the Ecobee-4 a try about 3 weeks ago because new system design had one thermostat for over 3000 sq’. I felt like the remote sensors would be a good virtual zone system to balance rooms if needed.
I had ecobee-4 & 10 sensors, I was quite impressed with how well it worked until I received notice of new Ecobee Smart Thermostat with voice control.
The Nest just didn't have the ability to create a virtual zoned system with its attempt at sensors. Also I prefer my Amazon eco system over Google's ecosystem because amazing works better with my home automation.
June 12, 2019
I just switched from a Nest 3rd Gen thermostat with 2 remote sensors. I loved the Nest because of it’s simplicity and design. I’ve had a Nest for around 6 years. I’m no fan of Google and they now own Nest. They recently announced that they were going to end the Works with Nest program. It would have killed a good deal of my automations that depend on the program. Google has since reversed course and said that they would allow us to keep our old accounts and therefore our gadgets would continue to work.
Why did I switch camps? Well, I was intrigued by the idea of the Follow Me mode. I have multiple sensors around my house. I bought 4 additional plus the one that came with this thermostat. Ecobee knows what room I’m in and adjusts the temperature accordingly. It's like magic. This feature alone was worth switching for because Nest only allow you to use it’s sensors based on a time schedule. I also love that I now have Apple Siri support along with Alexa and IFTTT. I could control the Nest with Alexa but as I discovered Google has other ideas about that and to make matters worse they refuse to add Siri support.
After using the Ecobee for a week I have yet to see it enter Smart Away. I can monitor the motion sensors from HomeKit and I see that my cats constantly trigger them during the day. I’ve had to resort to turning off that feature and using geofencing to trigger Away / Home modes. Ecobee has added support for Apple HomeKit but I’ve had trouble with that as well. I have no idea why, maybe it’s because I don’t have the strongest cellular signal at my house. What I found is that using Life360 and IFTTT is far more reliable and works where HomeKit fails. As I understand it, Apple is working on HomeKit geofencing to improve it in iOS 13. Time will tell but for now I’ll stick with Life360. It sends a command through IFTTT to set Away and when I come home it sends the command to resume schedule.
The new room sensors are small and unobtrusive and they claim to have a 5 year battery life using the largest button cell I’ve ever encountered. I wonder how much those cost when it’s time to replace them?
Design wise I like the Nest better. The interface on the Ecobee is complicated and confusing. I’ve found that some things are easier or maybe mandatory to change on the unit itself or the web interface. The app seems to be missing some of the settings. I feel that the actual LCD panel could be larger. As it is there is a huge bezel and tons of wasted space. The bezel houses the spatial microphones and proximity sensor but there is really no reason the screen couldn’t be larger. I would like to see the screen change color, blue for cooling and orange for heating like the Nest. Many of the advanced settings are not explained in any detail as to what they actually do. I wouldn’t feel comfortable changing some of theses settings without the advice of a qualified A/C technician.
This model has very good audio quality. I often use it to listen to music and talk radio. From what I’ve read it’s a big improvement over the audio quality of the old model.
So what I have gained by switching? Built in Alexa and Siri support. Follow Me mode and additional room sensors. There has been a huge learning curve too but in the end I’m happy with it.
EDIT: After much trial and error I learned that I was setting up Geofencing with HomeKit incorrectly. The ecobee app itself has Geofencing built in but it only supports one user. If you want multiuser Geofencing you have to use HomeKit or if you are an android user then there are probably different steps that I am unaware of. I had Geofencing turned on in the ecobee app and I was also trying to use Geofencing in HomeKit. You can’t use both simultaneously. After turning off Geofencing in the ecobee app and setting up Geofencing in HomeKit everything started to work properly.
Edit December 11th, 2019: Ecobee issued a firmware update and broke one of the main features that I loved about this setup, GEOFENCING with Apple HomeKit is broken. They say to enable eco+ with minimal settings and the feature will still work but that doesn’t address the problem that I contacted them about. They broke the feature and either don’t understand the problem or don’t care. The way it works now is that the thermostat wants to try and schedule Home/Away modes based on what is senses via the motion sensors in the house. What if I’m off work on a holiday or I’m sick and stay home? The thermostat will go into away mode and I have to switch the comfort setting back. Using Geofencing it wouldn’t enter Away mode unless the last person left the house. See the problem?
See the email I sent and their response below....
ME: Hi, After I got the firmware update to enable eco+ I am no longer able to use HomeKit and Geofencing to select COMFORT Settings. It only allows me to select a heating or cooling mode and the temperature. You broke one of the main features of the system that I use daily. All I want is for HomeKit to put the ecobee into Away mode when the last person leaves home and Resume Schedule when the first person arrives home. It used to work perfectly. Now it doesn’t. Now I’m forced to use IFTTT and Life360. Too complicated for me. Make HomeKit work again. You should also consider multi user / household support for Geofencing in your own app. It’s stupid to have geofencing built in for only a single user.
Ecobee: Hello,
Apologies for the late reply.
If you have disabled eco+ completely, then the Smart Home/Away will also be disabled. I would suggest using a very minimal percentage of eco+ and that way Smart home/Away will be enabled.
Regards,
ecobee Support
Jay Hannah
Dec 4, 8:26 AM EST
More correspondence with Ecobee support on this issue...
ecobee Support (ecobee Support)
Dec 11, 12:54 PM EST
Hello,
With regards to geofencing, yes we are experiencing some issues and our team is looking into it. I understand that at the moment, the schedule is rigid and I am not entirely sure if eco+ is causing this.
But I will have to reach out and get a confirmation on this.
Regards,
ecobee Support
Jay Hannah
Dec 11, 5:06 AM EST
I’m not talking about SMART HOME / AWAY, I’m talking about the GEOFENCING features of Apple HomeKit. There is a huge difference. I see that Smart Home / Away is still there but I want the system to recognize via Geofencing when the last person leaves the house and then set the comfort profile to AWAY. It’s a smarter way of doing this because your scheduling system is rigid but GEOFENCING is dynamic based on the location of the users phones. What if I’m home from work on a sick day? Your rigid schedule tries to set the system to Smart Away if I’m in bed sleeping with no movement in the house. Geofencing wouldn’t allow that because my phone hasn’t left the house so it knows I’m home and wouldn’t set the comfort profile to Away. See the difference? Please fix this issue. Why can’t your new eco+ setup work in tandem with Geofencing? Think about this. You are designing a “Smart Thermostat” so make it smart enough to know when someone is home based on Geofencing. It could be an option to turn off if someone doesn’t want to use it but don’t kill the feature for the rest of us.
On Dec 10, 2019, 2:00 PM -0500, support@ecobee.com, wrote:
ecobee Support (ecobee Support)
Dec 10, 2:00 PM EST
Why did I switch camps? Well, I was intrigued by the idea of the Follow Me mode. I have multiple sensors around my house. I bought 4 additional plus the one that came with this thermostat. Ecobee knows what room I’m in and adjusts the temperature accordingly. It's like magic. This feature alone was worth switching for because Nest only allow you to use it’s sensors based on a time schedule. I also love that I now have Apple Siri support along with Alexa and IFTTT. I could control the Nest with Alexa but as I discovered Google has other ideas about that and to make matters worse they refuse to add Siri support.
After using the Ecobee for a week I have yet to see it enter Smart Away. I can monitor the motion sensors from HomeKit and I see that my cats constantly trigger them during the day. I’ve had to resort to turning off that feature and using geofencing to trigger Away / Home modes. Ecobee has added support for Apple HomeKit but I’ve had trouble with that as well. I have no idea why, maybe it’s because I don’t have the strongest cellular signal at my house. What I found is that using Life360 and IFTTT is far more reliable and works where HomeKit fails. As I understand it, Apple is working on HomeKit geofencing to improve it in iOS 13. Time will tell but for now I’ll stick with Life360. It sends a command through IFTTT to set Away and when I come home it sends the command to resume schedule.
The new room sensors are small and unobtrusive and they claim to have a 5 year battery life using the largest button cell I’ve ever encountered. I wonder how much those cost when it’s time to replace them?
Design wise I like the Nest better. The interface on the Ecobee is complicated and confusing. I’ve found that some things are easier or maybe mandatory to change on the unit itself or the web interface. The app seems to be missing some of the settings. I feel that the actual LCD panel could be larger. As it is there is a huge bezel and tons of wasted space. The bezel houses the spatial microphones and proximity sensor but there is really no reason the screen couldn’t be larger. I would like to see the screen change color, blue for cooling and orange for heating like the Nest. Many of the advanced settings are not explained in any detail as to what they actually do. I wouldn’t feel comfortable changing some of theses settings without the advice of a qualified A/C technician.
This model has very good audio quality. I often use it to listen to music and talk radio. From what I’ve read it’s a big improvement over the audio quality of the old model.
So what I have gained by switching? Built in Alexa and Siri support. Follow Me mode and additional room sensors. There has been a huge learning curve too but in the end I’m happy with it.
EDIT: After much trial and error I learned that I was setting up Geofencing with HomeKit incorrectly. The ecobee app itself has Geofencing built in but it only supports one user. If you want multiuser Geofencing you have to use HomeKit or if you are an android user then there are probably different steps that I am unaware of. I had Geofencing turned on in the ecobee app and I was also trying to use Geofencing in HomeKit. You can’t use both simultaneously. After turning off Geofencing in the ecobee app and setting up Geofencing in HomeKit everything started to work properly.
Edit December 11th, 2019: Ecobee issued a firmware update and broke one of the main features that I loved about this setup, GEOFENCING with Apple HomeKit is broken. They say to enable eco+ with minimal settings and the feature will still work but that doesn’t address the problem that I contacted them about. They broke the feature and either don’t understand the problem or don’t care. The way it works now is that the thermostat wants to try and schedule Home/Away modes based on what is senses via the motion sensors in the house. What if I’m off work on a holiday or I’m sick and stay home? The thermostat will go into away mode and I have to switch the comfort setting back. Using Geofencing it wouldn’t enter Away mode unless the last person left the house. See the problem?
See the email I sent and their response below....
ME: Hi, After I got the firmware update to enable eco+ I am no longer able to use HomeKit and Geofencing to select COMFORT Settings. It only allows me to select a heating or cooling mode and the temperature. You broke one of the main features of the system that I use daily. All I want is for HomeKit to put the ecobee into Away mode when the last person leaves home and Resume Schedule when the first person arrives home. It used to work perfectly. Now it doesn’t. Now I’m forced to use IFTTT and Life360. Too complicated for me. Make HomeKit work again. You should also consider multi user / household support for Geofencing in your own app. It’s stupid to have geofencing built in for only a single user.
Ecobee: Hello,
Apologies for the late reply.
If you have disabled eco+ completely, then the Smart Home/Away will also be disabled. I would suggest using a very minimal percentage of eco+ and that way Smart home/Away will be enabled.
Regards,
ecobee Support
Jay Hannah
Dec 4, 8:26 AM EST
More correspondence with Ecobee support on this issue...
ecobee Support (ecobee Support)
Dec 11, 12:54 PM EST
Hello,
With regards to geofencing, yes we are experiencing some issues and our team is looking into it. I understand that at the moment, the schedule is rigid and I am not entirely sure if eco+ is causing this.
But I will have to reach out and get a confirmation on this.
Regards,
ecobee Support
Jay Hannah
Dec 11, 5:06 AM EST
I’m not talking about SMART HOME / AWAY, I’m talking about the GEOFENCING features of Apple HomeKit. There is a huge difference. I see that Smart Home / Away is still there but I want the system to recognize via Geofencing when the last person leaves the house and then set the comfort profile to AWAY. It’s a smarter way of doing this because your scheduling system is rigid but GEOFENCING is dynamic based on the location of the users phones. What if I’m home from work on a sick day? Your rigid schedule tries to set the system to Smart Away if I’m in bed sleeping with no movement in the house. Geofencing wouldn’t allow that because my phone hasn’t left the house so it knows I’m home and wouldn’t set the comfort profile to Away. See the difference? Please fix this issue. Why can’t your new eco+ setup work in tandem with Geofencing? Think about this. You are designing a “Smart Thermostat” so make it smart enough to know when someone is home based on Geofencing. It could be an option to turn off if someone doesn’t want to use it but don’t kill the feature for the rest of us.
On Dec 10, 2019, 2:00 PM -0500, support@ecobee.com, wrote:
ecobee Support (ecobee Support)
Dec 10, 2:00 PM EST
June 18, 2019
Before I ordered this item I did some research and my choices at that time or between the ecobee and the nest. However after talking to the HVAC representative from my local air-conditioning repair company I was advised that they strongly recommended I go with the ecobee and not the Nest. In fact I was told they advise their customers against using the nest product. I did not install this myself I paid a licensed AC person to install it when I had my inside central heating and air AC unit replaced. And thus far it is working perfectly. It is fairly easy to operate after registering it online and you can control it either or manually in the hallway where we have it located or through the app you can download to your phone. Or login to their website. I am very happy with my purchase thus far and I noted that it was recommended by critics who is reports I had read online before my purchase.
June 17, 2019
When my sister confessed she was still using an old analog thermostat, I tried to talk her into an Ecobee. She balked at the price, even when I told her it would pay for itself within months this summer (she lives in Sacramento). SO I bought the newest Ecobee SmartThermostat (Ecobee 5?) and gave her my old Ecobee 3lite.
Installation was simple for me, as I already had the wires labeled from my 3lite. Just a quick change of the baseplate and I was done. Once connected, I was easily able to program it using the ecobee website.
I am convinced that connected/smart households are the way of the future, and I'm pleased to see Ecobee working to take that future vision and make it a socially responsible thing of today. I will continue to support Ecobee as long as they continue to make innovative products in such an innovative way!
Installation was simple for me, as I already had the wires labeled from my 3lite. Just a quick change of the baseplate and I was done. Once connected, I was easily able to program it using the ecobee website.
I am convinced that connected/smart households are the way of the future, and I'm pleased to see Ecobee working to take that future vision and make it a socially responsible thing of today. I will continue to support Ecobee as long as they continue to make innovative products in such an innovative way!
June 23, 2019
In addition to be being a great thermostat, this feature packed smart thermostat is the key to my smart home automation. And installation and setup are easy for the average DIYer. One thing that sets this t-stat apart from the competition is the addition of remote sensors (one is included with the t-stat). The remote motion and temperature sensors can be configured to average temps in the rooms that are occupied to assure maximum comfort. Different comfort programs can be configured to use any or all sensors. I am using a total of 6 sensors and at night I only use the bedroom sensor to control the t-stat. This guarantees that the bedroom is exactly the temp I set, winter or summer. The integrated Alexa voice service makes this already great smart thermostat even smarter. This allows voice control through any echo device or the t-stat itself. The speaker has been upgraded in this new ecobee. Steaming music is OK but it also allows pairing with an external bluetooth speaker for even better sound. Also upgraded in this new t-stat is the processor which produces lightening fast response to the touch screen. Ecobee easily integrates with larger smart home ecosystems including; Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, Wink, Haiku, Logitech Harmony, Vera, Control 4 and others. This smart thermostat exceeds my expectations and is a key component to my automated home.
July 1, 2019
They could give me 6 buttons and make me happy:
-mode (heating/cooling/auto/off)
-cooling set point up
-cooling down
-heat up
-heat down
-fan toggle
They didn't. To turn the fan on you have to go into the menus. To set the temp up you touch and drag, but it's hard to control. Seriously, there's no button to change the set temperatures one degree. There's not even a button for "I'm a little cold" so the smart thermostat can figure it out.
The stats online are cool, but underutilized. Ecobee will gladly leave your blower fan on 100% of the time trying to heat your house, even if the heater is broken and the ambient temperature isn't changing.
There's no support for geothermal sync water temp. No support for local home automation, always goes through their website. Community is at the same time very helpful and toxic while blind to the shortcomings of the product.
I want to love it, but I don't.
-mode (heating/cooling/auto/off)
-cooling set point up
-cooling down
-heat up
-heat down
-fan toggle
They didn't. To turn the fan on you have to go into the menus. To set the temp up you touch and drag, but it's hard to control. Seriously, there's no button to change the set temperatures one degree. There's not even a button for "I'm a little cold" so the smart thermostat can figure it out.
The stats online are cool, but underutilized. Ecobee will gladly leave your blower fan on 100% of the time trying to heat your house, even if the heater is broken and the ambient temperature isn't changing.
There's no support for geothermal sync water temp. No support for local home automation, always goes through their website. Community is at the same time very helpful and toxic while blind to the shortcomings of the product.
I want to love it, but I don't.
June 11, 2019
I have an older home with a Goodman split AC unit. The old thermostat didn't have a C wire installed, but the provision was there in the wire harness. I thought that I might have to install the PEK unit, but after a little research on my air handler unit, and I located the C terminal on the air handler control board. I ran the spare blue wire in the thermostat harness to the C terminal on the air handler, and the other end to the C terminal on the ecobee. Viola! It all works flawlessly. If you take your time and research your system, install is simple.
June 11, 2019
Note: Make sure you either save your schedule either as screenshots or write it down as you may not see the old settings once you disconnect the old thermostat
Upgraded our ecobee 3 to the new thermostat with Alexa. Was easy. Took a pic of the existing wires, turned off the HVAC using the emergency switch, wired in the new base.
Selecting the wifi was easy within the APP and not cumbersome like when i had to configure it using the on screen keyboard (welcome change). Paired with HomeKit and Alexa and I was up and running in under 10 minutes. Configuring my daily schedules took another 5 min using the web interface.
Bonus: i was able to use my older sensors with the new thermostat just by removing the battery and putting the battery back in and the thermostat detected the sensor, so now i have 4 sensors around the rooms.
Pairing of the newer model sensor is a little different and requires using the mobile app to scan the barcode (took me a little while to figure out and the thermostat also gives you this hint when you insert the battery in the sensor ;) )
Alexa features work well, as does music. i mostly use it for news brief and the speaker is adequate for it.
Upgraded our ecobee 3 to the new thermostat with Alexa. Was easy. Took a pic of the existing wires, turned off the HVAC using the emergency switch, wired in the new base.
Selecting the wifi was easy within the APP and not cumbersome like when i had to configure it using the on screen keyboard (welcome change). Paired with HomeKit and Alexa and I was up and running in under 10 minutes. Configuring my daily schedules took another 5 min using the web interface.
Bonus: i was able to use my older sensors with the new thermostat just by removing the battery and putting the battery back in and the thermostat detected the sensor, so now i have 4 sensors around the rooms.
Pairing of the newer model sensor is a little different and requires using the mobile app to scan the barcode (took me a little while to figure out and the thermostat also gives you this hint when you insert the battery in the sensor ;) )
Alexa features work well, as does music. i mostly use it for news brief and the speaker is adequate for it.
June 27, 2019
This product was probably the best experience I've had with a device ordered online. The packing was compact and well protected. The thermostat comes with a protective film to avoid scratches during installation. Not that it would because the thing just snaps on after getting the wiring set up.
I'm a mediocre DIY guy, at best. But this thing was a snap to install. My HVAC system is at least 20 years old, and the thermostat was a Honeywell that's at least 10 years old. First off, the instructions come in a nice little book, only in English (not one big fold out sheet with 17 other languages) and seems like it was written by someone who is a native English speaker... The instructions are simple and straightforward, step-by-step, with accurate pictures.
I followed the steps, one per page, until I got to the last step of the wiring at my HVAC system's control panel. I hit a small snag when there wasn't a clear place to put the last wire. I called the help line, and within a couple minutes, the clearly knowledgeable tech guy had the exact fix. I put the wire where he told me and done! The last few remaining steps went fast and the whole process took less than 20 minutes. My ecobee was installed by yours truly.
I did one more tiny snag when the app wouldn't register my ecobee thermostat (because I had just registered it online using my laptop, duh). Another call to the tech people and the issue was resolved immediately. The pairing with the sensors is a piece of cake. All that's needed is some basic tools and a smart phone to do it all.
I would recommend having a wire stripper when you do the install. A couple of my old wires were a bit corroded and the wire stripper made it a simple fix. I felt like a pro because the whole thing was so easy. The alexa on the ecobee works great. I really couldn't be more satisfied with my new ecobee smart thermostat. Well done ecobee guys. You really hit it out of the park with this product! DIY folks, don't be afraid to do this one yourself, it's too easy.
I'm a mediocre DIY guy, at best. But this thing was a snap to install. My HVAC system is at least 20 years old, and the thermostat was a Honeywell that's at least 10 years old. First off, the instructions come in a nice little book, only in English (not one big fold out sheet with 17 other languages) and seems like it was written by someone who is a native English speaker... The instructions are simple and straightforward, step-by-step, with accurate pictures.
I followed the steps, one per page, until I got to the last step of the wiring at my HVAC system's control panel. I hit a small snag when there wasn't a clear place to put the last wire. I called the help line, and within a couple minutes, the clearly knowledgeable tech guy had the exact fix. I put the wire where he told me and done! The last few remaining steps went fast and the whole process took less than 20 minutes. My ecobee was installed by yours truly.
I did one more tiny snag when the app wouldn't register my ecobee thermostat (because I had just registered it online using my laptop, duh). Another call to the tech people and the issue was resolved immediately. The pairing with the sensors is a piece of cake. All that's needed is some basic tools and a smart phone to do it all.
I would recommend having a wire stripper when you do the install. A couple of my old wires were a bit corroded and the wire stripper made it a simple fix. I felt like a pro because the whole thing was so easy. The alexa on the ecobee works great. I really couldn't be more satisfied with my new ecobee smart thermostat. Well done ecobee guys. You really hit it out of the park with this product! DIY folks, don't be afraid to do this one yourself, it's too easy.
June 20, 2019
I've owned 3 different generations now, each new upgrade has never ceased to amaze me with the capabilities they continue to improve upon. Ecobee is continously improving it's platform and function abilities. My favorite about this new generation is the improved sensors, five year battery life... that's a major improvement for these sensors.. The sensors are quick to adapt to your every need and are integratable to your Alexa. I have one sensor that I even use to turn on my foyer light and unlock the front door when "secretly" activated. As for the thermostat itself, its fast as lightening and extremely efficient with assisting me to save money. The app supports is great with follow me find me throughout the house. If you use the web portal you even can generate reports on the usage times in comparison to outside temperatures which gives me a better insight on how to continue to be more efficient financially but also improving the lifespan of my A/C unit. Navigating the setup is not bad, customer support is excellent!, If you have a smart home and need to integrate the system with specialized functions from Alexa, be patient, it will work like a charm. The upgrades for this new unit make it worth while over previous generations.
There are 288 customer reviews and 342 customer ratings.
