Ecobee Thermostat is Best Thermostat for Smart Homes [Detailed Review]
Ecobee is a well-known company that designs and manufactures various kinds of home-related accessories. Their range of thermostats is very popular due to their unique feature set. There are various types of thermostats that have been launched by this company. Here are few of their names.
Ecobee thermostat Types
1: Ecobee 4 thermostat
2: Ecobee 3 thermostat
3: Ecobee 3 lite thermostat
Both of these thermostats by Ecobee will be discussed in detail in this article. Each generation of the Ecobee thermostat carries some additional features which will also be covered in this article.
Ecobee smart thermostat
The Ecobee smart thermostat is the latest addition to the line up of thermostats by Ecobee. Released in the May, 2019, the all new Ecobee smart thermostat as the name indicates carries some smart features which were the demand of many customers. Ecobee has finally listened to the queries of its customers and have provided all of those missing smart features in the Ecobee smart thermostat.
The Ecobee smart thermostat has all new design which not looks great but also makes using the Ecobee smart thermostat a breeze. It has built in touchscreen which you can control just like your smartphone. It displays all the important information which a thermostat should display such as temperature and humidity levels.
The installation procedure of the Ecobee smart thermostat is also relatively straightforward. It is compatible with the Google home and Apple HomeKit applications. Both of these applications will allow you to control your thermostat over the wifi.
Ecobee 4 thermostat
The Ecobee is still one of the best options in the market for a home thermostat. There was a time when people had a lot of limited options when it comes to purchasing thermostats and other such related items. In today’s era, we have got a ton of options for every field of life. The Ecobee 4 thermostat is the one which adds to the number of options people have when it comes to purchasing a thermostat for your house.
The Ecobee 4 has a very easy installation procedure as you won’t need those fancy and expensive tools. Even your daily screwdriver can help you install the Ecobee 4 in your house. The Ecobee 4 has an attractive display which indicates the room temperature, outside temperature and some extras like date and time.
The user interface is quite easy to understand and follow as it provides the information in a thematic way which most of the users like. The Ecobee 4 thermostat also has excellent compatibility options as it lets you synchronize with applications like Google Home and Apple HomeKit. Unlike traditional thermostats, the Ecobee 4 has a remote sensor which helps you wirelessly control this thermostat. By default, the company provides only one remote sensor but you can always buy an extra if you need it, that’s not a problem.
Another great feature about the Ecobee 4 thermostat is that you can set the temperature settings if you are out of the home through the application. For example, if you are out on a vacation with your family, you can set the desired temperature through the app. This is a great add on as you can easily set and monitor the temperature of your home on the go. For your pets or kids can easily set the desired temperature even when you are not home.
Ecobee 3 lite smart thermostat
The Ecobee 3 lite smart thermostat is one advanced and up to dated thermostat for your household needs. What’s so great about this thermostat is its pricing as it is available for just under $170 on Amazon.
Now, these figures aren’t that cheap but for a smart home thermostat, it’s pretty impressive. For sure, people have a ton of other options too when it comes to thermostats but all of them aren’t the value for money options.
The Ecobee launched the smart 3 lite thermostat for those customers who had limited budget option. The original smart 3 thermostat definitely has a lot more features but it costs more too. The basic purpose of launching the Ecobee smart 3 lite thermostat was to fill the gap between those people who were looking for a smart thermostat for their home. As the name indicates the smart 3 lite is the Wi-Fi enabled thermostat. You can easily control the smart 3 lite thermostat using your personal computer or laptop.
The company has created a dedicated portal where you can log in and use the thermostat without using the built-in screen on the thermostat. For the same use age, they have also launched the dedicated application which does the same things. It lets you control the temperature of your thermostat wirelessly. This feature is great for those people who have pets or children at home as they can monitor the temperature using their smartphone. This way temperature would remain stable and they won’t feel uncomfortable.
Previously people have to set the temperature manually and had no access wirelessly. Though Wi-Fi enabled thermostats were available but they were costly. The smart 3 lite has solved this problem as it’s not that expensive yet it provides the wireless functionality on the go.
Ecobee Wi-Fi thermostat
The Ecobee Wi-Fi enabled thermostat was a great revolution of its time. People had the idea of these thermostats but the ability to control the thermostat wirelessly isn’t the new thing. Simple thermostats allow you to set the desired temperature and it maintains that temperature for you.
What the Wi-Fi enabled Ecobee thermostat had was the ability to control it through Wi-Fi. There is a web portal of Ecobee where you can sign in and can control your Ecobee thermostat wirelessly. Set your desired temperature on the computer without using the screen on the thermostat.
There is also a dedicated application available for the same use age. The difference is that you will use the app on your smartphone. Through the app, you can directly control your Ecobee thermostat without any difficulties. For this purpose, Ecobee introduced a specific sensor with the help of which all of this was made possible.
With the Wi-Fi functionality, you can easily set the temperature of your residence when you are out. You don’t have to rely on someone else to control the thermostat. You can do it all on your smartphone with the help of a dedicated application. The installation of the Ecobee thermostat isn’t that difficult. If you already have a thermostat installed in your house you just have to fix the new one there.
Nest thermostat vs. Ecobee
The Nest thermostat and the Ecobee thermostat both of them are the popular choices of the consumers. When buying a thermostat for the house mostly people opt for these two brand options. Both of these thermostats are there in the market for a quite a long period of time therefore, have good market presence.
The first concern people have in their mind is the pricing. The pricing of both of these thermostats is pretty much the same i.e. 250$. There is not a huge difference in the pricing which makes the comparison of both of these thermostats very interesting. People will look for and compare the other aspects of these thermostats to find out which one will suit their needs the best. As far the emerging saving aspect is concerned, we found the nest thermostat to be a better option.
It has a built-in energy-saving mode which helps you save the energy on the go. In the user manual, the company has given the specific temperature readings. By adjusting the temperature according to these mentioned readings, the nest thermostat will consume less electricity. This is the main feature which really attracted many potential buyers. The overall build of the nest thermostat is also pretty solid as it is made up of stainless steel. The shape of the nest thermostat is also proper round compared to the bit square shape of the Ecobee thermostat. Overall, it would depend on the customer that which one is the best as it’s a matter of personal preference.
Ecobee thermostat manual
Like every digital product, the Ecobee smart thermostat also comes with a user manual. The user manual can be found inside the box and it indicates the important buttons of the smart thermostat. It also guides users and novices how to install the Ecobee smart thermostat for the best output.
What accessories you will need and how to properly use them to install the thermostat. Apart from all these the manual also indicates what accessories you get with the Ecobee smart thermostat. This can be classified as the user checklist that aims to guide the users what accessories will they get with the packaging. They should verify whether they have got all of them or not, just to be on the safer side.
Each and everything about the smart thermostat can be found on this manual. There is a dedicated portion for troubleshooting problems and their solution. As these thermostats are mostly used by families therefore, the language has been kept very simple and straightforward. In case you lost the user manual that came in the box, you can download the same from the official website of Ecobee. Ecobee thermostat wiring
Ecobee thermostat wiring
The Ecobee thermostats can be a bit tricky to install in your home especially if you are installing it for the first time. You must have all the required tools such as screwdrivers and a hammer. When you open the circuit of the Ecobee thermostat, you will see the different color of wires going all around the circuit. Don’t get confused, each of the wire has its own function and we’ll explain that to you. There is a total of five color wires in the circuit and all of them need to be connected differently. The first one is the red one which actually connects to the main power source line. You have to connect this red line to the main power source of your house.
The next one would be the white color wire. This wire basically acts as a fuse wire for the circuit and blocks the excessive heat into the main circuit. The green wire controls the fan speed of the blower which is there in the Ecobee thermostat.
The next yellow wire is for the air conditioning or heating system if you have them in your house. What this will do is that it will automatically turn off or on the air conditioning system or the heating system based on the temperature settings. So there are all the colored wires you will find in the circuit system of the thermostat.
Ecobee thermostat blank screen
Many users have reported the issue of blank screen on their Ecobee thermostat. This issue was pretty common among the early generation of the Ecobee thermostats. On different forums this issue has been reported multiple times.
Due to this issue the company started manufacturing these thermostats with better circuit and wiring. In reality, it’s not that big of an issue as it mostly happens when something is wrong with either your home’s wiring or the thermostats circuit wiring. If it’s the issue of your homes electrical wiring, you can tackle this issue easily but if it’s about the thermostats wiring then you need to read the user manual.
Not thoroughly reading the user manual is one main issue with our people. As every troubleshoot option is mentioned in the user manual. If it’s the wiring issue in the thermostat, you have to open the circuit and look for the fuse wire. The fuse wire may have shortened the circuit due to certain reasons. Due to the shortening of the circuit, the thermostat won’t work properly.
In most of the cases, this was the main reason for the screen of the thermostat going blank or transparent. In your case, if it’s not the issue then you should read the user manual again to sort out the issue or reach the support team of Ecobee for a better opinion?
