Ecobee
Founded in 2007, the Ecobee company was one of the earliest entrants into the “smart thermostat” market. The Ecobee product family includes thermostats, room sensors, and indoor security cameras.
The Ecobee line has been our favorite for years – we have found it to be reliable, widely compatible, and just generally enjoyable to use.
Ecobee highlights
These features set Ecobee apart from the competition:
- Room temperature sensors – the original and, in our opinion, the best. These sensors allow your thermostat to take into account the temperature of locations nowhere near the main unit
- Power Extender Kit included – this adapter, included with most Ecobee models, makes up for a missing C-wire in some HVAC systems
- Alexa built in (Ecobee 4 and Ecobee SmartThermostat models) – having Alexa built into the hardware is a huge win for diehard Alexa fans
- … but you can also completely disable Alexa if it’s not your thing
- Nice screen with easy to use controls
- Use “Follow Me” to track your movement throughout the house in tandem with easy-to-set-up schedules
- E-mailed monthly usage reports
- Works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings
- History of continued product development and improvement by Ecobee
Current ecobee models
ecobee SmartThermostat
The ecobee SmartThermostat is ecobee’s flagship thermostat model. It ships with a battery powered room sensor that you can place anywhere in your home, a Power Extender Kit to assist in installations that lack a c-wire, and extensive HVAC accessory support (humidifier, dehumidifier, HRV or ERV, and ventilator) not found on the “lite” model.
It has an Alexa microphone built into the hardware, meaning it functions (almost) like an Echo device in addition to being a thermostat.
Our Review | See it on Amazon.com
ecobee Lite SmartThermostat
This “pared down” ecobee lacks some HVAC accessory support and it doesn’t come with a room temperature sensor (although it does support them, so you can buy one later if you want). The Power Extender Kit is still included.
Our Review | See it on Amazon.com
Comparison: ecobee Lite vs. Nest Thermostat E
Major ecobee hardware releases
Current-gen models are marked with a *
- ecobee SmartThermostat [2019] *
- ecobee4 [2017]
- ecobee Lite SmartThermostat [2016] *
- ecobee3 [2014]
- ecobee Smart Si [2012]
- ecobee Smart [2008]
More on Ecobee
Crunching the numbers: 3rd-party projects and alternative ways to analyze your Ecobee or Nest data