This was a fantastic, balanced, and exhaustive review. Thank you! When they first announced the alarm capabilities, I looked into it and had the same reaction on their business model: don’t charge me for accessory functions but charge me for monitoring services and exhaustive video storage (give me X cameras for free for Y days for free, and charge for larger storage needs). I checked again after the video doorbell was added and continued used to rule this out given the same issues. As a last note, the room sensors are great and we use several of them every day. They are not, however, anything close to a good occupancy sensor. They can take upwards of 30 minutes not note that a room is unoccupied or say a room is unoccupied when someone is still there. I have Aqara FP2 sensors in most of my rooms now and those are the way to go for occupancy sensors, IMO. they take some patience to get working well, but when they do get set up well they are true occupancy sensors vs. the room sensors from Ecobee.
Thanks for the comment! I agree, mmWave sensors like the Aqara FP2 will almost always be superior occupancy sensors. Much more reliable for precise automations.
@@Dr_Cole the ecobee sensors themselves are as good as it gets for PIR type sensors. Perfectly adequate for simple motion and room occupancy. BUT, once again, it’s the software (Ecobee) that makes them less than desirable for certain functions like lighting controls. It’s the software that gives them that long delay before switching to “not occupied”. That’s great for HVAC control, but a seriously missed opportunity to let them be used as occupancy sensors with a (easily) user programmable delay for room occupancy, and a longer minimum delay for determining if that temp sensor should be included in the thermostat control algorithm. Or they could simply let us use HomeKit room temp/humidity/occupancy values for control (3rd party sensors) but we all know that’ll never happen as there is no short-term profit in it.
Placing key features behind a paywall sucks! With that said, if professional monitoring is a requirement for your security system and you are ok without a cellular backup this could be a good option. Professional monitoring requires a subscription no matter who you use and this one is priced well. Great review as always!
I have the whole package (thermostat doorbell and sensor). My thing is, I wish the doorbell use thread or matter. This would really help. I had to send my doorbell back to Ecobee for a replacement. The one I had wouldn’t connect to the network WiFi at some point. So when someone rings it, I would not hear it. Granted Ecobee customer service is excellent and helped me through the process. The one I have now so far works well
Agree with the paywall limitations. I avoid products that force this type of thing. I also avoid any product that requires cloud and sends videos up to their servers. When that is the case, the company employees almost always have a way to watch them. Even if they have policies against it. It could happen and is not acceptable to me.
100% agree - I tried the doorbell when it came out and returned quickly. The security system not being exposed to HomeKit was the final deal breaker for me. I don’t mind the price bc I like the professional monitoring and it’s a competitive price. I wanted this to be good so so much…but it just isn’t. One other Con that I think you could’ve mentioned was the volume of the siren. If your thermostat is a decent distance from your bedroom, and you use a sound machine or anything at night…it’s possible you may not hear it going off. I felt it was extremely quite compared to normal security system sirens. It needs a volume boost or they need to offer additional sirens.
You bring up a great point. "Add-on" sirens that you can pug in and place around the house would be a great addition to this system. Thanks for the comment!
I have been using the premium ECOBee for about a year. I have lost SIRI abilities twice and and takes a total reset of Ecobee and reconnecting Siri. Works sometimes and other times multiple resets. I get false alarms occasionally on both remote sensor or sensor built in to thermostat. I pay the $5/month just for listening of smoke alarms when I am gone. Not sure I trust it yet.
I hope Ecobee listen to this and take heed. All of this subscription crap has gotta stop. Especially when the product itself is only mediocre. Thanks 🙏 for another great informative video Shane.
I've been waiting for someone to cover this system! I love the concept of the thermostat being the central hub for everything; it's a brilliant idea. I'm also happy to pay for a video subscription just because I don't want to have to manage storage myself (at least for now, it's something I've been researching). The whole kit looks great, but if I can't tie everything in to Home Assistant, it's a complete non-starter for me. Even if that was part of the subscription, I'd be satisfied. Also, why Siri and Alexa but no Google Assistant? Ecobee seems to randomly pick and choose features to support.
I returned most my system after having the thermostat, three sensors and the doorbell. First, it doesn’t support HomeKit Secure Video, which basically means videos aren’t stored with HomeKit and getting the video means you have to pay for the subscription. Second, the “smart” sensors, do detect the temperature where they are placed but if you’re using them for motion sensors, mine would not set or reset to once I left the house, (showing motion even when there was no motion) which basically made them useless. Good news is I still use the thermostat, which is the best one out there, but I returned the sensors, and the doorbell and went back to the Aqara G4, which does support HomeKit Secure Video. It was a nice try by Ecobee, but it was a fail in my situation.
Awesome video as always!!! If you have the time, please also review the new Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen that just released! Apparently it is Matter certified! I’ll probably keep my Ecobee Premium though since it works perfectly with Apple Home and I haven’t experienced any issues.
For a security system would you recommend Abode over Eccobee? I love my 6 Eccobee thermostats and have been happy with my Ring alarm with the exception of no HomeKit integration.
I have abode and am here watching videos of what to replace it with. The camera is not worth connecting, the video quality is not the best and I have Unify cameras so the camera stays unplugged because trying to look at it is has hassle and event recoding and pulling events is difficult. The system fails often, there was a glitch 4 days ago where you couldn’t even arm or disarm your system. I have had to replace 2 key fobs and 2 sensors already and one is currently malfunctioning. The customer service was terrible today, which ultimately made me cancel, because that will be 3 sensors needing replacement gets expensive. Overall I wouldn’t recommend!
Just started switching over my home from ring/nest to ecobee as the old ring grandfathered plans get forced off in January. Been really happy so far with the doorbell cam quality and the general functions of the ecosystem.
Love the smart thermostat premium - but not sure I want to upgrade from my ST3s. Your “rant” is spot on. I probably won’t be considering EcoBee or MyQ products until they revise their stance towards smart home device interoperability.
Thanks @@Bflat233! I have not removed my Abode system yet. It is still in place. Making this video has actually made me consider making an updated Abode review. It's been a real long time since I discussed security systems on the channel. Happy to take suggestions and hear what you guys want to see.
I was a fan of my Ecobee thermostat until this video revealed how many additional features are locked behind subscription fees. Now I regret not choosing another company for our thermostat. 11:08
It’s funny I just installed my new Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium this week. Still working through the setting but I would never get their security system monitoring service.
Seems like it’d also be possible to use it as an intercom if it was located in an area where that’d be useful. One thing I also like about their thermostats is that they can send you reminders on when to change your filters (they do have a filter subscription, naturally, but you can just use the reminders without it) and when maintenance is suggested. I wonder if there would be a good way to ingest those reminders automatically into Reminders (like a Shortcut from the email message they send) -?-.
So what's the best alternative to Ecobee's Smarthome Security solution? I'm ready to go back to Nest with the 4th gen Nest Thermostat and the newer doorbell but Ecobee's alarm is real nice.
I have the the ecobee thermostat premium, but I didn’t get the camera so many down reason…. No 2k or 4K, need suscripción plan, do not support Apple secure video… etc, instead I chose the Lorex 4K door bell witch is way better…but not perfect ( don’t work with Apple HomeKit…) I’m big fan of apple HomeKit… 98% of my smart home work with Apple HomeKit….thanks for sharing this video and your honest review….
I have few ecobee products. Although the products are very good I cannot recommend due to the pay wall limitation. I am actively looking to replace with other product.
Just an FYI - One thing I would like to point out after reaching out to tech support regarding this option is that if you lose power, your alarm system goes out the door. It has a no options for backup power (run on batteries or cellphone backup internet). To me, this was a no go. Coming from the nest secure and now Ring Alarm, I like the fact that it continues to work as intended on backup power and cell phone connectivity.
Agreed. Thanks for sharing. I mentioned this some at the end in the "Pros & Cons" section. Battery and/or Cellular backup is certainly a good option to have for a security system.
I was going to get the window and door sensors but found out before this video (and you just confirmed it) that you have to pay for this very basic feature. I will NOT be buying any other products from ecoBee except for the thermostat. I will use other company products like the Aqara door and window sensors to check for my windows or doors to see if they are open and will create automations in Apple Home to turn off the thermostat. I do NOT have to have ecoBee sensors to do that. I also do not approve of their removing API's in HA to force people to use their subscription services.
That is a nice feature. I probably wouldn't have even thought about this if it didn't actually happen to me while I was out of town. It all worked really well.
I wonder if they’ll come out with a hub to only control the security system for houses without central a/c. On another note, I’d like to see ecobee come out with a solution for controlling mini-splits. Haven’t been impressed with the options so far.
What they should’ve done, since there is a subscription for most or all of the security features, is to add cellular back up in case you lose network connection. At least that would add a bit of justification for the cost of subscribing. I agree, though don’t like subscription models either.
I am actually okay with the subscription on this one as it is (currently) fairly cheap. Of course that could change at anytime. But I don’t like that they pulled the HA API and I don’t like that it has absolutely no failsafe backup measures whatsoever which I think if someone is going to brand a product as a security system, that is a requirement.
Not enough HomeKit for me. Sad because I own an ecobee. Not really happy with the my ecobee though. I really just want to change the temperature from HomeKit and ignore the scheduler, but no true way to disable it and you just end up in hold mode forever.
I found this to be an acurrate review. I use the system for air quality monitoring and also turn off Tstats with the window door sensors. thru HK and I do not subscribe to the security monitoring. I will use the monitoring when needed. Where else can you get motion sensing occupancy sensing and air quality monitoring in 1 package.
Good question. Not 100% sure. Sometimes dust can get in the smoke detectors and cause them to sound off if they are not cleaned out every so often. I assume that's what it was.
Wow I bought the thermostat premium hoping I could add security system and doorbell later. But everything is locked behind paywall and ecobee app. That sucks. My technically illiterate partner can only use homeapp 😂 Great video. thank you.
I love my ecobee thermostat and was excited to see them add new products but this aint it... Also, you can use homekit to auto mate AC turning off if windows are open. MY aqara window sensors will turn off thermostat if windows have been opened for more than 20 mins.
I was a full on ecobee supporter building out with sensors in every room till I realized it limited HVAC efficiency system choices. If you are looking to get a variable system (anything past 2 Stage heating or cooling) the ecobee system becomes useless.
Damnit I was planning on buying the doorbell cam today but this is giving me pause. I need to upgrade my doorbell cam but it seems ecobee is the only real option for apple users. Not sure what to do.
Ecobee removed grouping of thermostats to keep the mode/temp in sync across multiple thermostats. I have to use HA automations to keep them in sync. If they're removing API access, then this is no longer an option for new users. Paywalls suck all around! If they remove API access for existing API customers, I'll switch to a different thermostat.
As of now, they say API access will continue working for existing customers. They just are not accepting any new API registrations. Hopefully they do not pull it completely from existing users.
Absolutely not a fan of the cloud! I have an ecobee 4 thermostat and I am OK with it. The single most annoying issue that I have with it is that occasionally I get a white rectangle the size of their notifications display and I have to pop the thermostat off and reconnect it (like a reboot). I will probably be changing it out in the future if they start restricting more things. I have a bunch of temperature sensors with it, but I do not use them to do any HVAC activation things. I mostly use Aqara and or Sonoff Zigbee sensors with Home Assistant. I am not a believer in co mingling different systems like security with any other of systems in the house. Security should be a stand alone product. A lot of DIY'ers use their Home Automation sensors as a primary security system. Unfortunately, when the Internet goes down so does their security, unless you have a Cell module for backup. I use the DIY sensors to compliment my alarm system, mostly for the perimeter notifications and the Unify cameras also notify me when there are people, cars or animals in front of them. I will be adding a Starlink Mini to my home setup soon. I just finished switching out my older motion sensors with the inexpensive Linptech Human Presence sensors. Granted they are only 1 zone, but that is all I need them for. Never finished improving the systems.
I'll never buy any system that hides features behind a pay wall. I can get behind a security system monitoring plan should I need one, but that should not include features for the system.
Dude! Please do away with the cheap ecobee white plastic trim around your thermostat. Spend a little money and patch the wall properly so you don’t need it. The thermostat with the metal trim and glass looks beautiful by itself. You spend all of this money on content and production quality, I can’t believe you choose to continually show us this travesty. Other than that, I love your show dude you rock.
immediate L with it being subscription based. genuinely no reason for all of this to not be locally hosted or atleast have the option for people who don't want cloud integration.
Sorry to say I have the thermostat and the doorbell, but the doorbell is a piece of shit. They charge you a month fee and sometimes it doesn’t even detect packages or even animals like dogs and cats.
This was a fantastic, balanced, and exhaustive review. Thank you! When they first announced the alarm capabilities, I looked into it and had the same reaction on their business model: don’t charge me for accessory functions but charge me for monitoring services and exhaustive video storage (give me X cameras for free for Y days for free, and charge for larger storage needs). I checked again after the video doorbell was added and continued used to rule this out given the same issues.
As a last note, the room sensors are great and we use several of them every day. They are not, however, anything close to a good occupancy sensor. They can take upwards of 30 minutes not note that a room is unoccupied or say a room is unoccupied when someone is still there. I have Aqara FP2 sensors in most of my rooms now and those are the way to go for occupancy sensors, IMO. they take some patience to get working well, but when they do get set up well they are true occupancy sensors vs. the room sensors from Ecobee.
Thanks for the comment! I agree, mmWave sensors like the Aqara FP2 will almost always be superior occupancy sensors. Much more reliable for precise automations.
@@Dr_Cole the ecobee sensors themselves are as good as it gets for PIR type sensors. Perfectly adequate for simple motion and room occupancy. BUT, once again, it’s the software (Ecobee) that makes them less than desirable for certain functions like lighting controls. It’s the software that gives them that long delay before switching to “not occupied”. That’s great for HVAC control, but a seriously missed opportunity to let them be used as occupancy sensors with a (easily) user programmable delay for room occupancy, and a longer minimum delay for determining if that temp sensor should be included in the thermostat control algorithm.
Or they could simply let us use HomeKit room temp/humidity/occupancy values for control (3rd party sensors) but we all know that’ll never happen as there is no short-term profit in it.
Thank you for not accepting a sponsorship for this review! Much appreciated 🙏
I trust him to give his real opinion even with a sponsorship.
Thanks for the review. Nobody really has covered ecobee because it has a subscription.
Placing key features behind a paywall sucks! With that said, if professional monitoring is a requirement for your security system and you are ok without a cellular backup this could be a good option. Professional monitoring requires a subscription no matter who you use and this one is priced well. Great review as always!
I have the whole package (thermostat doorbell and sensor). My thing is, I wish the doorbell use thread or matter. This would really help. I had to send my doorbell back to Ecobee for a replacement. The one I had wouldn’t connect to the network WiFi at some point. So when someone rings it, I would not hear it. Granted Ecobee customer service is excellent and helped me through the process. The one I have now so far works well
Agree with the paywall limitations. I avoid products that force this type of thing. I also avoid any product that requires cloud and sends videos up to their servers. When that is the case, the company employees almost always have a way to watch them. Even if they have policies against it. It could happen and is not acceptable to me.
100% agree - I tried the doorbell when it came out and returned quickly. The security system not being exposed to HomeKit was the final deal breaker for me. I don’t mind the price bc I like the professional monitoring and it’s a competitive price. I wanted this to be good so so much…but it just isn’t.
One other Con that I think you could’ve mentioned was the volume of the siren. If your thermostat is a decent distance from your bedroom, and you use a sound machine or anything at night…it’s possible you may not hear it going off. I felt it was extremely quite compared to normal security system sirens. It needs a volume boost or they need to offer additional sirens.
You bring up a great point. "Add-on" sirens that you can pug in and place around the house would be a great addition to this system. Thanks for the comment!
I have been using the premium ECOBee for about a year. I have lost SIRI abilities twice and and takes a total reset of Ecobee and reconnecting Siri. Works sometimes and other times multiple resets. I get false alarms occasionally on both remote sensor or sensor built in to thermostat. I pay the $5/month just for listening of smoke alarms when I am gone. Not sure I trust it yet.
You did a great job of having a fast paced video with lots of info about all the products and features! I need to upgrade to an Ecobee thermostat
Thanks for the kind words! 🙏
Thanks Shane! As always, you have provided a great rundown of the pros and cons. We appreciate you!
Thank you for watching! 🙏
With the new Nest thermostat matter enable would you be testing it out
This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks Shane, you are the OG!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
👍🏼 Thanks for the video and honesty (unlike a couple other RUclipsrs)
👎🏼 Ecobee
I hope Ecobee listen to this and take heed. All of this subscription crap has gotta stop. Especially when the product itself is only mediocre. Thanks 🙏 for another great informative video Shane.
I've been waiting for someone to cover this system! I love the concept of the thermostat being the central hub for everything; it's a brilliant idea. I'm also happy to pay for a video subscription just because I don't want to have to manage storage myself (at least for now, it's something I've been researching). The whole kit looks great, but if I can't tie everything in to Home Assistant, it's a complete non-starter for me. Even if that was part of the subscription, I'd be satisfied.
Also, why Siri and Alexa but no Google Assistant? Ecobee seems to randomly pick and choose features to support.
I returned most my system after having the thermostat, three sensors and the doorbell. First, it doesn’t support HomeKit Secure Video, which basically means videos aren’t stored with HomeKit and getting the video means you have to pay for the subscription. Second, the “smart” sensors, do detect the temperature where they are placed but if you’re using them for motion sensors, mine would not set or reset to once I left the house, (showing motion even when there was no motion) which basically made them useless. Good news is I still use the thermostat, which is the best one out there, but I returned the sensors, and the doorbell and went back to the Aqara G4, which does support HomeKit Secure Video. It was a nice try by Ecobee, but it was a fail in my situation.
Awesome video as always!!! If you have the time, please also review the new Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen that just released! Apparently it is Matter certified!
I’ll probably keep my Ecobee Premium though since it works perfectly with Apple Home and I haven’t experienced any issues.
For a security system would you recommend Abode over Eccobee? I love my 6 Eccobee thermostats and have been happy with my Ring alarm with the exception of no HomeKit integration.
I have abode and am here watching videos of what to replace it with. The camera is not worth connecting, the video quality is not the best and I have Unify cameras so the camera stays unplugged because trying to look at it is has hassle and event recoding and pulling events is difficult. The system fails often, there was a glitch 4 days ago where you couldn’t even arm or disarm your system. I have had to replace 2 key fobs and 2 sensors already and one is currently malfunctioning. The customer service was terrible today, which ultimately made me cancel, because that will be 3 sensors needing replacement gets expensive. Overall I wouldn’t recommend!
@@missj7765 thanks. So, with that being said, what are you considering as a replacement that will work with Apple HomeKit ?
Just started switching over my home from ring/nest to ecobee as the old ring grandfathered plans get forced off in January.
Been really happy so far with the doorbell cam quality and the general functions of the ecosystem.
Thanks for sharing!
Love the smart thermostat premium - but not sure I want to upgrade from my ST3s.
Your “rant” is spot on. I probably won’t be considering EcoBee or MyQ products until they revise their stance towards smart home device interoperability.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks @@Bflat233! I have not removed my Abode system yet. It is still in place. Making this video has actually made me consider making an updated Abode review. It's been a real long time since I discussed security systems on the channel. Happy to take suggestions and hear what you guys want to see.
I was a fan of my Ecobee thermostat until this video revealed how many additional features are locked behind subscription fees. Now I regret not choosing another company for our thermostat. 11:08
It’s funny I just installed my new Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium this week. Still working through the setting but I would never get their security system monitoring service.
Seems like it’d also be possible to use it as an intercom if it was located in an area where that’d be useful. One thing I also like about their thermostats is that they can send you reminders on when to change your filters (they do have a filter subscription, naturally, but you can just use the reminders without it) and when maintenance is suggested. I wonder if there would be a good way to ingest those reminders automatically into Reminders (like a Shortcut from the email message they send) -?-.
So what's the best alternative to Ecobee's Smarthome Security solution? I'm ready to go back to Nest with the 4th gen Nest Thermostat and the newer doorbell but Ecobee's alarm is real nice.
Absolutely brilliant and detailed review. Much appreciated.
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!
Hi Shane,
Any update for bulldog water shut off valve . Can work with HomeKit?
Thanks
How would you compare it to setting up a system via Aqara/Homekit?
I have the the ecobee thermostat premium, but I didn’t get the camera so many down reason…. No 2k or 4K, need suscripción plan, do not support Apple secure video… etc, instead I chose the Lorex 4K door bell witch is way better…but not perfect ( don’t work with Apple HomeKit…) I’m big fan of apple HomeKit… 98% of my smart home work with Apple HomeKit….thanks for sharing this video and your honest review….
Sounds like you gave ecobee a list of things to improve on if they want more sales (HKSV and expose the security system to Apple Home)
At least for Apple Home users... thanks for watching!
I have few ecobee products. Although the products are very good I cannot recommend due to the pay wall limitation. I am actively looking to replace with other product.
In regards to the iPad that’s mounted next to your ecobee is there a video of it’s installation?
Yep! Check it out here: ruclips.net/video/NvRzNE5PdwA/видео.htmlsi=ZcBZ0ebcf83SzIDX
@@ShaneCreates awesome, thanks a lot!
Just an FYI - One thing I would like to point out after reaching out to tech support regarding this option is that if you lose power, your alarm system goes out the door. It has a no options for backup power (run on batteries or cellphone backup internet). To me, this was a no go. Coming from the nest secure and now Ring Alarm, I like the fact that it continues to work as intended on backup power and cell phone connectivity.
Agreed. Thanks for sharing. I mentioned this some at the end in the "Pros & Cons" section. Battery and/or Cellular backup is certainly a good option to have for a security system.
I was going to get the window and door sensors but found out before this video (and you just confirmed it) that you have to pay for this very basic feature. I will NOT be buying any other products from ecoBee except for the thermostat. I will use other company products like the Aqara door and window sensors to check for my windows or doors to see if they are open and will create automations in Apple Home to turn off the thermostat. I do NOT have to have ecoBee sensors to do that. I also do not approve of their removing API's in HA to force people to use their subscription services.
Could one use HomeKit Window & Door Sensors to turn off Thermostat when Window/Door is open, & not pay Subscription?
Yes you could create your own automations to achieve the same results. Might just be a little more difficult to set up.
One of my favourite feature that u mentioned was the ability to call 911 for your home area if you are outside of the jurisdiction
That is a nice feature. I probably wouldn't have even thought about this if it didn't actually happen to me while I was out of town. It all worked really well.
I wonder if they’ll come out with a hub to only control the security system for houses without central a/c. On another note, I’d like to see ecobee come out with a solution for controlling mini-splits. Haven’t been impressed with the options so far.
What they should’ve done, since there is a subscription for most or all of the security features, is to add cellular back up in case you lose network connection. At least that would add a bit of justification for the cost of subscribing. I agree, though don’t like subscription models either.
I am actually okay with the subscription on this one as it is (currently) fairly cheap. Of course that could change at anytime. But I don’t like that they pulled the HA API and I don’t like that it has absolutely no failsafe backup measures whatsoever which I think if someone is going to brand a product as a security system, that is a requirement.
Not enough HomeKit for me. Sad because I own an ecobee. Not really happy with the my ecobee though. I really just want to change the temperature from HomeKit and ignore the scheduler, but no true way to disable it and you just end up in hold mode forever.
love your video!
I found this to be an acurrate review. I use the system for air quality monitoring and also turn off Tstats with the window door sensors. thru HK and I do not subscribe to the security monitoring. I will use the monitoring when needed. Where else can you get motion sensing occupancy sensing and air quality monitoring in 1 package.
Great video
Shane why did your alarm go off in the first place?
Good question. Not 100% sure. Sometimes dust can get in the smoke detectors and cause them to sound off if they are not cleaned out every so often. I assume that's what it was.
The bundle is not complete unless it has a water leak detector sensor
Wow I bought the thermostat premium hoping I could add security system and doorbell later. But everything is locked behind paywall and ecobee app. That sucks. My technically illiterate partner can only use homeapp 😂 Great video. thank you.
This system doesn’t currently have external cameras outside the doorbell yet other systems like Abode do. I’m struggling with calling it complete…
What is that screen device next to the ecobee?
iPad 9th Gen
@@johnonadeko4436 Shane has a few videos in his back-catalog on setting up an iPad as a wall-mount HomeKit interface. Check ‘em out!
I wish things like the camera support just was an extension of HomeKit rather than forcing me to their other hardware or services.
I love my ecobee thermostat and was excited to see them add new products but this aint it... Also, you can use homekit to auto mate AC turning off if windows are open. MY aqara window sensors will turn off thermostat if windows have been opened for more than 20 mins.
I was a full on ecobee supporter building out with sensors in every room till I realized it limited HVAC efficiency system choices. If you are looking to get a variable system (anything past 2 Stage heating or cooling) the ecobee system becomes useless.
Damnit I was planning on buying the doorbell cam today but this is giving me pause. I need to upgrade my doorbell cam but it seems ecobee is the only real option for apple users. Not sure what to do.
While there aren't many, there are other HomeKit doorbell cameras. Logitech Circle View and Aqara G4 video doorbell are a couple other options.
It is a nice thermostat but one warning. I have an emoji in my WiFi name and ecobee does not support that so I cannot connect.
Thanks for sharing. I would never put an emoji in my wifi name. I imagine that would be problematic for many devices.
Ecobee removed grouping of thermostats to keep the mode/temp in sync across multiple thermostats. I have to use HA automations to keep them in sync. If they're removing API access, then this is no longer an option for new users. Paywalls suck all around! If they remove API access for existing API customers, I'll switch to a different thermostat.
As of now, they say API access will continue working for existing customers. They just are not accepting any new API registrations. Hopefully they do not pull it completely from existing users.
Soon as you said subscription decide not for me
This is what want from Apple. A homepod with display with "HomeOS" or something on it.
🤞🤞🤞
Absolutely not a fan of the cloud! I have an ecobee 4 thermostat and I am OK with it. The single most annoying issue that I have with it is that occasionally I get a white rectangle the size of their notifications display and I have to pop the thermostat off and reconnect it (like a reboot). I will probably be changing it out in the future if they start restricting more things. I have a bunch of temperature sensors with it, but I do not use them to do any HVAC activation things. I mostly use Aqara and or Sonoff Zigbee sensors with Home Assistant. I am not a believer in co mingling different systems like security with any other of systems in the house. Security should be a stand alone product. A lot of DIY'ers use their Home Automation sensors as a primary security system. Unfortunately, when the Internet goes down so does their security, unless you have a Cell module for backup. I use the DIY sensors to compliment my alarm system, mostly for the perimeter notifications and the Unify cameras also notify me when there are people, cars or animals in front of them. I will be adding a Starlink Mini to my home setup soon. I just finished switching out my older motion sensors with the inexpensive Linptech Human Presence sensors. Granted they are only 1 zone, but that is all I need them for. Never finished improving the systems.
I'll never buy any system that hides features behind a pay wall. I can get behind a security system monitoring plan should I need one, but that should not include features for the system.
Dude! Please do away with the cheap ecobee white plastic trim around your thermostat. Spend a little money and patch the wall properly so you don’t need it. The thermostat with the metal trim and glass looks beautiful by itself. You spend all of this money on content and production quality, I can’t believe you choose to continually show us this travesty. Other than that, I love your show dude you rock.
immediate L with it being subscription based. genuinely no reason for all of this to not be locally hosted or atleast have the option for people who don't want cloud integration.
And yet, they still not available in Europe..🤦♂️
False sense of security loose internet and wifi to stat and alarm goes off you will not get a alert it's not supervised
this is very scare, my cat sad
Sorry to say I have the thermostat and the doorbell, but the doorbell is a piece of shit. They charge you a month fee and sometimes it doesn’t even detect packages or even animals like dogs and cats.
No subscriptions!