ecobee launches HomeKit security system with camera, door tags, monitoring service
After months of leaks, ecobee has officially released its new HomeKit-equipped security camera, as well as a new set of door and window sensors which can all be paired with a new home monitoring service dubbed Haven.
ecobee's new lineup
After primarily focusing on its Smart Thermostat, the most recent of which launched last year, ecobee is launching a wave of new products.
There have been bits of information leaked out for months prior to the official launch. With the launch now here, the full picture is revealed.
The camera records at 1080p and features a 180-degree field of view. It features two-way talk, person detection, night vision, Smart Focus that keeps your eyes on the action, and activity zones to cut down on notifications. It also has Amazon Alexa built-in that can be triggered hands-free, similar to an Echo Dot or ecobee's Smart Thermostat.
Ecobee SmartCamera
All video is encrypted and processed locally, supports two-factor authentication, and shuts down when family members are around. Two weeks of video history is stored when subscribing to Haven.
HomeKit support is baked into the camera though HomeKit Secure Video is absent at launch. Ecobee says it is something they are actively working on and will likely come down the line.
ecobee SmartSensors for doors and windows
The second new product for ecobee which previously focused solely on connected thermostats is a new set of door and window SmartSensors. The SmartSensors only monitor when doors and windows are opened or closed, and they have a presence sensor to detect when someone is or isn't in the room. This allows these sensors to know when someone is coming into the home versus going. They too support HomeKit.
Both the camera as well as the new sensors get more powerful when combined with ecobee's last new product -- Haven. Haven is a home monitoring subscription that helps you monitor your home and nixes the need for keypads or fobs.
Haven monitors doors and windows to let you know when they are opened when you are away. It will auto arm and disarm as you arrive or leave the home and send smart notifications only when necessary. The service provides 14 days of video history for a connected camera.
Haven will run $5 a month for one camera or $10 a month for unlimited cameras and includes home monitoring. The new SmartSensors for doors and windows run $79 for a two-pack -- the same as the standalone SmartSensors for the thermostat that also detect occupancy. Finally, the new ecobee SmartCamera costs $179 which is a bit on the high side when we see new HomeKit cameras launching for as low as $39.99.
ecobee's new lineup
After primarily focusing on its Smart Thermostat, the most recent of which launched last year, ecobee is launching a wave of new products.
There have been bits of information leaked out for months prior to the official launch. With the launch now here, the full picture is revealed.
The camera records at 1080p and features a 180-degree field of view. It features two-way talk, person detection, night vision, Smart Focus that keeps your eyes on the action, and activity zones to cut down on notifications. It also has Amazon Alexa built-in that can be triggered hands-free, similar to an Echo Dot or ecobee's Smart Thermostat.
Ecobee SmartCamera
All video is encrypted and processed locally, supports two-factor authentication, and shuts down when family members are around. Two weeks of video history is stored when subscribing to Haven.
HomeKit support is baked into the camera though HomeKit Secure Video is absent at launch. Ecobee says it is something they are actively working on and will likely come down the line.
ecobee SmartSensors for doors and windows
The second new product for ecobee which previously focused solely on connected thermostats is a new set of door and window SmartSensors. The SmartSensors only monitor when doors and windows are opened or closed, and they have a presence sensor to detect when someone is or isn't in the room. This allows these sensors to know when someone is coming into the home versus going. They too support HomeKit.
Both the camera as well as the new sensors get more powerful when combined with ecobee's last new product -- Haven. Haven is a home monitoring subscription that helps you monitor your home and nixes the need for keypads or fobs.
Haven monitors doors and windows to let you know when they are opened when you are away. It will auto arm and disarm as you arrive or leave the home and send smart notifications only when necessary. The service provides 14 days of video history for a connected camera.
Haven will run $5 a month for one camera or $10 a month for unlimited cameras and includes home monitoring. The new SmartSensors for doors and windows run $79 for a two-pack -- the same as the standalone SmartSensors for the thermostat that also detect occupancy. Finally, the new ecobee SmartCamera costs $179 which is a bit on the high side when we see new HomeKit cameras launching for as low as $39.99.
Comments
This shit isn’t rocket science. if I had a few million I’d just incorporate, hire a couple guys and do it myself.
Example:
What other Nest products can do when Nest Protect detects smoke or CO
Smoke emergency
CO emergency
Google Nest thermostats
help prevent smoke from
spreading through the vents
from making it worse
Google Nest cameras
on your phone or tablet. Tap the video to switch over to your camera’s
live feed.
subscription
Note: Emergency clip recording is OFF by default. To turn it on, go to Protect> Settings> Works with Protect.
Other Nest Protects
alarm and let you know where
the smoke is detected
alarm and let you know where
the CO is detected
For whatever reason, perhaps Apple or perhaps Nest or perhaps a bit of both, they are not (yet?) HomeKit certified. Ecobee looks to be on the right track in the meantime. tho I'm not a fan of their camera base.
One oddity...
Ecobee apparently shares your usage with the local utility provider. Don't steal electricity.
The whole point of HomeKit compatibility is you don't need someone who does it all. Buy the outdoor camera from someone and the garage door opener from somebody else. You'll likely never find a company that makes garage door openers and cameras and locks. Different core competencies.
I got an Ecobee thermostat several months ago (without Alexa) and it works great. Good connectivity, more flexibility in installation and great support. I wish I would’ve known about the door sensors before I got the Eve sensors. I’m curious as to how they know someone’s in the room - are they using the motion detection from the thermostat or Bluetooth from your iphone?
https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/apple-amazon-google-partner-to-create-better-smart-home/
In our primary house I was having some trouble with the installation of the first thermostat. I contacted ecobee support and they were pretty fast to reply, called me and then had me sending pictures of my installation and pictures of the boards in our furnace. It turned out that the C wire was not connected at the furnace, a pretty easy fix. Their support was great. When I installed the second thermostat it was stuck in a boot loop. Another fairly quick call with ecobee support and they sent me a replacement. So far so good.
I installed the third thermostat at our vacation home and it went off without a hitch, no issues at all and it maybe took 15 minutes to remove the old thermostat and install and setup the new thermostat.
However, at our primary residence I get “no response” messages every day from one or both thermostats. I get “no response” occasionally from some Hue bulbs and from some iDevices things I have (and almost never from Lutron) but with ecobee it’s daily and a little frustrating (typically waiting a minute or two is all it takes to get a response but that isn’t ideal). Meanwhile, the one in our vacation home is ready every single time either of us checks on it, which also is an at least daily occurrence.
That “no response” is what would make me hesitate. It’s not that big a deal when all I’m trying to do is adjust the temperature but could be a bigger deal if that was happening with a security camera.
Ecobee camera is priced at $179, for legacy 1080p , required $5 month charge to access stored videos, no local SD storage, nor ability to connect to a home NVR / onvif system.
I was wondering why Ecobee stopped innovating on the HVAC industry. Ecobee spent years building their brand in improving air conditioning. So much of Ecobee's success and revenue has been from utility subsidies, and government incentives. No smart vents, no O2/CO2/VOC sensors, no FarUVC sterilizers, no ERV/HRV's, No economizers. They don't even have a window air conditioner, nor rebranded dehumidifier.
Trust is non existent in the smart home market. I've owned 250+ devices, with issues on every single device and every platform. When the support forums start saying issues are fixed, people are complaining less. That does not equal customers having less issues with the product. They mean the issue of the customer complaining has been fixed.
I sure do love my Ecobee thermostats and room sensors though! Hopefully Ecobee will keep pushing and creating more. I'd love some smart vents to come from them as well.
Eufy (a division of Anker) finally implemented Homekit Secure Video on their Eufy 2 outdoor cameras. I'll be picking some up as soon as a good deal rolls around. It's annoying that most of these devices still rely on a wireless hub. Also annoying is that almost all these outdoor cameras come exclusively in white. We all don't live in houses with white trim, people!