Andrew O'Hara
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.
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.
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.
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.
Charles Martin
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15 Comments
I don’t want any indoor cameras! Where are all the outdoor HomeKit systems? How long is it going to take to get one company that makes all of it? An indoor camera, an outdoor camera, a doorbell, the window & door sensors, deadbolt, garage door opener etc? It seems like now you have to get the indoor cameras from these guys, the outdoor cameras from those guys, the door sensors from whoever, the deadbolts from them, the garage door opener from ¯\_(ツ)_/¯...
This shit isn’t rocket science. if I had a few million I’d just incorporate, hire a couple guys and do it myself.
cornchip said:
The only company doing that as far as I can tell is Nest.
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. ;)
First off, dump Alexa. I don’t want or need Jeff Bezos spying on me.
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?