whats up guys im ben from authentech, and today we'll be checking out a top of the line,
smart thermostat from ecobee!
This is their GEN 4, packed with some really awesome features.
lets jump right in.
In the box is the main ecobee thermostat unit PLUS one remote room sensor, I'll cover more
on these little-game-changers shortly.
Quality is fantastic, it has top of line design.. looks very elegant, classy, and modern.
In the kit they include everything you need to self install which is PRETTY EASY as long
as you follow their instructions.
You remove your old thermostat, re-connect the wires, clip on the screen and you SHOULD
be good to go.
Now two points here, a) make sure your current system will work with ecobee before proceeding,
they have lots of installation and compatibility help on their website.. and b) even I ran
into a little hiccup, and I've installed a ton of these smart thermostats in my day.
Turns out in my new home I have TWO stage heating which I had no idea, so after connecting
all the wires to the same points as my old-school thermostat, heating mode would blow out cold
air and AC would blow hot air.
I called ecobee support, and out they were super helpful, the gentlemen solved the issue
and walked me through the resolution, which was swapping a couple wires and tweak a few
settings in the menu, wallah!
He even stayed on the line with me as I tested it to make sure all worked well.
This was fantastic customer support, FOR FREE mind you, that I was impressed to receive.
;) and no, he had no idea I was making a youtube video
Here are some of my favorite features!
The ecobee display is clean and minimal, though still shows you pertinent information, like
system mode, humidity, indoor temp, temperature slider, and with a single tap you can view
local weather and forecasts, and menu controls.
Next feature is a biggie, the ecobee sets itself apart from just about ALL other smart
home thermostats, by offering you these room sensors..
its one of those inventions that you tell yourself, "that just makes" and "how come
no one else has done this"..
I'm looking at YOU NEST..
These little room sensors pair with your ecobee, and help manage hot or cold spots throughout
your home.
They're mini portable thermometers that read each rooms temperature AND occupacy with a
motion sensor built in.
Battery life is awesome, since they use low-power radio frequency to communicate with the ecobee,
they're rated to last up to FOUR years.
They are well designed and inconspicuous.
You can pair UP TO 32 sensors with your ecobee, that's pretty incredible and even opens up
the opportunity to make this a POSSIBLE office or business Pro thermostat solution.
It just makes sense the thermostat takes readings of temp throughout your home since your thermostat
is usually located in only ONE spot, so sure, maybe that ONE area is kept at your target
temp, but then throughout your home there are hot and cold spots.
These sensors can help your thermostat AVERAGE the temp control for all your sensors, or
JUST some, or for example, place one in the bedroom or babies room at night, and tell
the ecobee to ONLY adjust temp based upon that ONE room.. this is SO cool and very helpful
to have.
Its kinda like a MUST HAVE for any ecobee owner, and im really glad they include one
sensor in the starter pack.
Now that leads me to my ONE major complaint with these little sensors, if you want MORE,
they are NOT cheap.. a two pack is currently 79 bucks!
Ouch..
i'd love to see the price on these guys drop.
A mini-pro-hack that you can use these remote sensors for, since the whole system is z-wave
compatable, connect them to SmartThings and create automation routines, for example, auto
click ON these LIGHTS when motion is detected in this room!
Stay tuned (subscribe button) as I'll be covered a LOT more on SMART HOME tech in future videos
coming soon!
The other big headline feature, the ecobee FOUR comes with Amazon Alexa built-in!
Now you have full voice control, and thats not ONLY to control the temp of your thermostat,
but since its Alexa, you can control many of your other smart home devices as well.
It has embedded microphones to hear you from across the room, and you can set a timer,
add milk to your shopping list, or even play music through the built-in speaker.
So not ONLY is there a mobile app to control your ecobee from anywhere, and tweak settings
as well...
BUT they ALSO offer you an online web dashboard where you can control the thermostat and settings,
AND view some really in-depth analytics and usage data on your heating and cooling.
I spent a bit of time in here poking around and there's a LOT of cool information.
With some help and guidance, you could probably make some minor adjustments here and there
to your heating and cooling, and see massive savings of energy and MONEY over time.
I've been using the ecobee for a few months now and I've really enjoyed it, and i rave
about it to anyone who asks!
I give it my full recommendation!
I'll give you the links to check out pricing and more info down in the description.
Make sure you hit that subscribe button for more tech vieos like this all the time
Huge thanks to ecobee for sending me the sample unit
Until next time, lets live authentic