Ecobee is expanding its range of smart home accessories today, with the introduction of a new SmartCamera with voice control, the new SmartSensors for doors and windows and a new Haven security platform to monitor everything. I've spent the last two weeks testing the latest Ecobee announcements, including details on HomeKit support, future updates, and more.

Ecobee SmartCamera with voice control

The leader of today's announcements from Ecobee is the Voice Control SmartCamera, which was previously rumored but is now official. The new SmartCamera enabled by HomeKit Ecobee features 1080p video with 180 degree field of view, as well as panoramic, tilt and zoom support automatically or via the Ecobee application.

The SmartCamera is designed for indoor use, but if you want to use it to monitor the outside, you can do so by placing it in a window and activating what Ecobee calls "Window Mode". When you enable this, the camera can clearly see through the glass at night, turning off the infrared lights to eliminate glare.

Ecobee offers a robust set of controls for the SmartCamera in its application, including recording events for motion and people detection, adjustable motion sensitivity, an adjustable activity area, and the ability to easily turn it on or off. When motion is detected, the SmartCamera is automatically locked and fixed to capture the motion.

Ecobee also emphasizes the focus on privacy with device processing and mandatory authentication of two factors:

Unlike other smart cameras that constantly send video to the cloud for processing, the ecobee SmartCamera with voice control is equipped with an 8-core processor and packaged with enough processing power to eliminate cloud-based analysis, instead using cloud-based analysis. device - videos are shared in the cloud only when the camera is armed and detects movement. ecobee has also introduced mandatory two-factor authentication to protect SmartCamera users from unwanted access from third parties.

The Voice Control SmartCamera is available for $ 179 on the Ecobee website. There are different package options and they are available below.

Ecobee SmartSensors for doors + windows

Along with the SmartThermostat with voice control last year, Ecobee also debuted a new version of the SmartSensor for movement and temperature. In addition to these SmartSensors, Ecobee has also announced new SmartSensors for doors and windows.

SmartContacts are used to monitor the status of doors and windows. It works just like other door and window sensors; Align the base sensor with the appropriate magnet and you can monitor when a door or window is open or closed, and when motion is detected.

Like the rest of the Ecobee line, SmartSensors for doors and windows offers HomeKit functionality. What this means is that you can use the Ecobee application or the Home application to monitor the status of doors and windows. And when your Ecobee system is armed, you will receive a push notification if a door or window is open:

The new SmartSensor door and window ecobee extends the Haven ecobee throughout your home. If a door or window opens and your home is armed, you will receive a notification to keep you under control from anywhere. You can match the SmartSensors ecobee with the SmartCamera or with an existing ecobee smart thermostat.

SmartContacts are available in a two-pack for $ 79. You can also package them with a package of two SmartSensors for $ 99.

Refuge

All of these come together to fuel what Ecobee calls Haven, a "truly smart home monitoring platform that eliminates the need for single-use keyboards, programs and devices." In essence, Haven connects all your Ecobee hardware from the Ecobee app on your iPhone and iPad.

The key feature of Haven is called Autopilot, which intelligently learns when you leave home and get home, based on usage patterns, geolocation and WiFi connectivity. Ecobee's point of view is that home security systems generally rely on you to manually arm and disarm when you leave or arrive, but Haven does handle them automatically.

The company explains:

The new car feature of the ecobee is in the center of Haven. Autopilot uses the intelligence of all the in-house eco-friendly devices to better understand user models and automatically adapt to suit their needs. Regardless of whether the camera automatically shuts off with Autopilot upon arrival at home, arming or disarming the alarm system or changing the temperature, Haven connects the dots to restore harmony in the home.

The Haven platform connects to the very popular Thermostat line of Ecobee, including voice control SmartThermostat, ecobee3, ecobee3 lite and ecobee4. Thermostats can detect sudden fluctuations in temperature and monitor occupancy and send you an alert or recommendation if they detect something out of the ordinary.

Ecobee's Haven offers a free 30-day trial, and after that you have two price levels to choose from:

• Essential: home monitoring + autopilot and video storage for up to one device ($ 5 / month USD, $ 7 / month CAD)
• Expanded: Home Monitoring + Autopilot and Video for Unlimited Devices ($ 10 / month USD, $ 14 / month CAD)

Prices

Here's how the prices break down on board for the new Ecobee home security line, with various different packaging and package options. You can find all the details on the Ecobee website.

• Total comfort and security package in the house: USD 499 USD, CAD 699 USD
  • SmartThermostat with voice control
  • SmartCamera with voice control
  • Package 2 SmartSensor
  • SmartSensor for doors and windows with 2 packages
• Home comfort with voice control package: $ 313 USD, $ 449 CAD
  • SmartThermostat with voice control and SmartSensor included
  • Package 2 SmartSensor
• Home Security Package: $ 279 USD, $ 399 CAD
  • SmartCamera with voice control
  • Package 2 SmartSensor
  • SmartSensor for doors and windows with 2 packages
• Home comfort package: $ 236 USD, $ 329 CAD
  • smart thermostat ecobee3 lite
  • Package 2 SmartSensor
• Room cover package: USD 319, USD 449 CAD
• Sensor Coverage Package: $ 99 USD, $ 139 CAD
  • Package 2 SmartSensor
  • SmartSensor for doors and windows with 2 packages
• ecobee SmartCamera with voice control: USD 179, USD 249 CAD
• ecobee SmartSensor for doors and windows Package 2: $ 79 USD, $ 99 CAD

9to5Mac's ia

Today's announcement of the Ecobee is quite extensive, including the SmartCamera, SmartContact sensors for doors and windows and the Haven platform that hides behind everyone. I've been using SmartCamera for the past two weeks, along with two SmartContacts, and my existing SmartSensors and SmartThermostat configuration, which I reviewed last summer.

The SmartCamera is probably the most important announcement from Ecobee today and is up to expectations. The integration with the Ecobee application is robust, and the support for motion and person detection has been incredibly reliable in my testing.

Ecobee SmartCamera doesn't support HomeKit Secure Video at launch, but the company tells me it's something they're actively working on, hoping to make the feature available soon. HomeKit Secure Video would bring HomeKit integration of the SmartCamera to the next level, rivaling other options from companies such as Logitech.

But the Home app, even with the HomeKit Secure Video cameras, does not support some of the key features of the Ecobee SmartCamera. In particular, this includes panning, zooming and tilting, which means you'll need to jump into the Ecobee app to use any functionality. Of course, this is an issue that Apple has to solve, not Ecobee.

In the Ecobee app, it's easy to see a live stream from the SmartCamera, as well as a log of all the activities detected by the camera. In the "History" tab of the app, you can view a stream of records from when SmartCamera detected movement or a person.

As for SmartContacts, they won't win any design awards, but they do their job. I already had contact sensors on all windows in my house, installed by the original builder to comply with HOA rules. These are much smaller and less visible than the Ecobee SmartSensors for doors and windows, but again, there are many more features packed into the Ecobee.

I installed SmartSensors for doors and windows on the front door and the door in my yard and they were perfect in terms of reliability. The Ecobee app updates quickly and sends me an alert when a door is opened unexpectedly.

Perhaps what is most impressive about Ecobee is its continued support for many different ecosystems. He has always been a loyal supporter of HomeKit and continues with the new SmartSensors and SmartCamera. There is also Amazon Alexa support, SmartThings and Google Assistant will be "coming soon". Ecobee SmartCamera can also serve as an Alexa speaker.

That said, we also found the Ecobee application to be reliable and useful for monitoring everyone, as needed. It is easy to set up different home monitoring configurations, including "Arm Away", "Arm Stay" and "Disarm". Again, much of this is possible through the Haven platform and the Autopilot feature described above.

The home screen in the Ecobee app also serves as a useful place to quickly view the status of your Ecobee accessories at a glance. If you are already an Ecobee thermostat user, you will know many of the controls that can now apply to SmartCamera and SmartContacts.

competition

In February, we also reviewed the Abode Iota alarm system, which includes HomeKit support. Abode and Ecobee adopt two very different approaches to smart home security and you can read the full recap of the Abode system here for more details.

We'll have more coverage of the latest Ecobee announcements in the future, especially as SmartCamera adds HomeKit Secure Video support. How do you feel about Ecobee's new home security announcements? Tell us in the comments!

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: