Fifth-gen ecobee thermostat with HomeKit promises better Wi-Fi, added Alexa & Spotify features

ecobee's fifth-generation thermostat, compatible with Apple HomeKit, should be mostly an evolutionary device but include important upgrades in wireless, Spotify, and Amazon Alexa connectivity, according to a product leak.

The thermostat will have a quad-core processor and include dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support for the first time, big-box chain Lowe's said in a product listing spotted by Zatz Not Funny. ecobee is simultaneously planning a new remote "SmartSensor" with better pairing range and battery life, plus faster occupancy detection.

That detection can potentially improve heating and cooling efficiency, but ecobee's existing remote sensors have been criticized as too slow, often taking many minutes before they realize someone has left a room.

People enabling the thermostat's built-in Alexa speaker will finally be able to take advantage of calling, drop-in, and messaging features, something normally reserved for Amazon Echo devices. Spotify subscribers will meanwhile be able to push music and podcasts to the speaker via Spotify Connect.

U.S. pricing and a release date have yet to be revealed, though Lowe's claims the product will cost $329 Canadian, about $243 U.S.

The ecobee4 is one of the most popular smart thermostats on the market, competing mainly with Google's Nest. The Nest doesn't yet support HomeKit, although it does connect with iPhones and iPads in other ways.

20 Comments

hmurchison 11823 comments · 23 Years

About 5 years ago

Trash. They basically ran out of ideas a couple of years ago and now stuff in services that aren't complementary.

sflocal 6133 comments · 16 Years

I just installed a Homekit-compatible ceiling fan, my first homekit device ever and I'm sold on the idea. It's just amazing to how Apple has made all this stuff so easy.

I've always been thinking of putting in a modern thermostat, but now that the thought of one being homekit compatible will certainly have me as a potential customer.

red oak 1104 comments · 13 Years

LOL. Spotify. Here is a company that is seriously overreaching and does not even understand its place in the market or its mission. It has gone off the rails

(which is bad for me personally, as I have Ecobee 3's in my home)

red oak said:

LOL. Spotify. Here is a company that is seriously overreaching and does not even understand its place in the market or its mission. It has gone off the rails

(which is bad for me personally, as I have Ecobee 3's in my home)

My first smart thermostats was the Ecobee 2nd gen (if that's the one that started supporting HomeKit) and it was nice. The only reason why I didn't go Ecobee for my 2nd thermo was that I got a great deal on a Honeywell T5 and frankly 250 bucks is too much for a thermostat. Two generations later I can't really say that this company has it's pulse on the future. They announced an overdone switch (when people really want dimmers) and have gotten too cozy with Alexa. Innovate guys.

Kuyangkoh 838 comments · 7 Years

sflocal said:

I just installed a Homekit-compatible ceiling fan, my first homekit device ever and I'm sold on the idea. It's just amazing to how Apple has made all this stuff so easy.
I've always been thinking of putting in a modern thermostat, but now that the thought of one being homekit compatible will certainly have me as a potential customer.

Ecobee 3 had been homekit since