Ecobee3 Lite cuts smart thermostat's price while keeping Apple HomeKit support
Ecobee on Monday launched the Ecobee3 Lite, a new version of its flagship thermostat that's cheaper than the original while retaining most of its core features.
The only things missing from the Lite are room sensors, and accessory compatibility, including humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and ventilators. The unit can't for instance detect whether a room is occupied. The benefit though is a much cheaper $169 pricetag, versus $249 for the regular Ecobee3.
The Lite otherwise features the same 3.5-inch color touchscreen and platform support, including HomeKit, Amazon Echo, Wink, IFTTT, and Samsung SmartThings. It can also be controlled with apps for iOS, Android, and the Apple Watch.
One difference with some other smart thermostats is ability to use hardwired power instead of batteries.
Ecobee is currently taking preorders for the Lite, which should ship on Oct. 31. Online people will be able to buy it from Amazon,
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=SnlbqrT3b2s&subid=&offerid=306581.1&type=10&tmpid=13127&RD_PARM1=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ecobee-ecobee3-lite-smarter-wi-fi-thermostat-black/5618010.p?skuId=5618010">Best Buy, Home Depot, and of course Ecobee itself, but outlet sales will initially be restricted to Home Depot.
The only things missing from the Lite are room sensors, and accessory compatibility, including humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and ventilators. The unit can't for instance detect whether a room is occupied. The benefit though is a much cheaper $169 pricetag, versus $249 for the regular Ecobee3.
The Lite otherwise features the same 3.5-inch color touchscreen and platform support, including HomeKit, Amazon Echo, Wink, IFTTT, and Samsung SmartThings. It can also be controlled with apps for iOS, Android, and the Apple Watch.
One difference with some other smart thermostats is ability to use hardwired power instead of batteries.
Ecobee is currently taking preorders for the Lite, which should ship on Oct. 31. Online people will be able to buy it from Amazon,
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=SnlbqrT3b2s&subid=&offerid=306581.1&type=10&tmpid=13127&RD_PARM1=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ecobee-ecobee3-lite-smarter-wi-fi-thermostat-black/5618010.p?skuId=5618010">Best Buy, Home Depot, and of course Ecobee itself, but outlet sales will initially be restricted to Home Depot.
Comments
I hope they keep the batteries as a backup power supply.
I finally like the idea of setting the stat via voice via my Amazon Echo and IFTTT etc (IMO-- Apple--- you snooze you lose. Non- TV commands should have been part of Siri in Apple TV-- without that silly remote... what a colossal miss... IMO)
Which stat do you like best for a simple use case (one stat rules my small house)?
Integtrates best with IFTTT/Perhaps Apple Phone home app when away?
Any review sites to recommend?
Also--- for my use case, batteries is it. How often do you have to re-charge or change? I have a simple programmable stat and the battery has been in for a few years.
Once I disconnected the remote sensor, everything seems to work as advertised... So I paid full price for a unit they now sell for ~$80 less
Upon looking at the tech specs, Ecobee Lite is powered the same as the regular Ecobee, using the C wire or an included transformer if you don't have a C wire.
The Nest batteries are trickle-charged from the HVAC outputs and is supposed to be transparent to the user. They do this because the thermostat occasionally needs more power than the HVAC system can provide (say during WiFi transmissions), so they charge continuously and transmit occasionally. Same principle as a two-way pager (remember those?) You wouldn't even KNOW it had a battery inside except that some bugs in the firmware caused some units to drain too fast and you ended up with a dead thermostat.
In all cases, these devices typically have enough reserve power to not reset when the power goes down-- not much reason to have the thermostat alive if the power goes down but you don't want to lose all your accumulated data and settings.
What I don't understand, rather than removing ALL sensor input to the device, why not remove the EXTERNAL sensors and leave the internal one, and make the external transformer an additional-cost item? That would make a better product that would compete better with Nest and put it on a level playing field with most Nest customers.
Check out Keen Home:
https://keenhome.io/
Yup. Use remote sensors. However, you won't be able to change the hot/cold spots. Ecobee3 controls temperatures based on occupancy. So, you may get the desired temperature at where you are, but other areas may be hotter or colder because you don't have regulated vents for these areas.
My little bitty condo is good for about 15-20% savings, so you would probably see about that much-- more if you started shutting off the parts of the house you're not occupying.
So when I was IN the living room it would be at the temperature selected, but the bedroom temps would wander-- and vice versa? That sounds reasonable, given that there's only ONE HVAC system.
Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.