8/13/2023 0 Comments Ecobee weather popIf you're worried about potential hacks (and you should be), Ecobee is generally in a good place. I paid for it-less than $100 per year for cloud video backup alone was worth it for me. This service also enables smoke alarm detection (the sensors listen for it, they don’t actually detect smoke) and 30-day video history so you can save clips. If you subscribe to Ecobee Haven for $5 per month, it'll automatically arm and disarm the system for you, and it's smart enough to know when you're the one that's entering your home. I feel uncomfortable having an alarm system directly linked to the police (and potentially burdening them with false alarms), so this is actually a perk for me. You'll have to hope the alarm scares them away. If an intruder is entering, the system doesn’t actually talk to the local police. It can also tell you which rooms are currently occupied if you’re hunting for someone, like a child.īy default, you'll need to manually arm or disarm the Ecobee system when you leave or enter your home so that it doesn't blare an alarm. I can quickly see when my dog jumps on the couch when no one's home (and even yell at him to get off via the included speaker in the SmartCamera). You can see everything from the live camera view to real-time temperatures in each room. The Ecobee smartphone app is an excellent companion too. ![]() It’s been performing this task flawlessly ever since. I sleep hot, so my first test was to have it change our evening temperature to something chillier, and then ramp it up to a warmer daytime setting in the morning. (Alexa is exclusively built into the thermostat, but you can also control everything via Google Assistant, Apple's HomeKit, Samsung's Smartthings, or IFTTT.) It has a shockingly good microphone for such a little device, routinely hearing me shout “Alexa” more clearly than the similarly placed Echo speaker. It shows the weather, the current indoor temperature setting, and it serves as an Alexa hub, should you want to set any timers or have any questions for the voice assistant. The rounded-square touchscreen of the thermostat acts as a mini smart display of sorts. (You can turn this off if you want.) When you’re home, you can set it to never have the camera on, which is a nice privacy perk (though this is also available on many smart security cameras). The individual sensors collect detailed real-time data about your home, viewable in a companion app, going so far as to know when you’re home using location data. That means you really only need one door/window sensor or one other smart sensor per room, never both. ![]() Since I had both the camera and the thermostat, I chose to pair it all to the latter, as it was in the most central space of my home.īoth hubs do exactly what you think-regulate temperature and watch for intruders, respectively-while the door/window and smart sensors detect both motion and temperature. Regardless of what you choose, everything is either tied to the company’s excellent touchscreen smart thermostat or its indoor security camera as a hub. The most similar bundle available now is “ Sweet Dreams,” which includes the thermostat, security camera, and one room sensor, but you can always add other items individually or hunt for another bundle suited to your needs. I received three motion SmartSensors, two door/window sensors, a SmartCamera, and the SmartThermostat with Voice Control in the Security Bundle. When I first signed up to try an Ecobee system, the company had slightly different bundles than it offers now. Ecobee's SmartThermostat and SmartSensor.
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