One of the most popular smart home items these days would probably be the smart thermostat. Even HVAC manufacturers have started making their own versions. Here’s my view of the ecobee3 lite.
I had narrowed it down to ecobee and Nest, but it’s direct integration with SmartThings, the ability to add room sensors and the decent discount from my power company was what ultimately helped me make my decision.
Installation
Installation was pretty straight forward with input from their very responsive and helpful support team. I have an older HVAC system and it was hard to identify some of the wires. Once it was connected, setup was a breeze (no pun).
Daily Use
In addition to the unit itself, the ecobee can be controlled through their app (which is wearable friendly) as well as your voice through voice assistants like Google Home. You can also control it through a web portal that contains a ton of data about your system, home and how it fairs against other homes.
ecobee Room Sensors
I ended up adding room sensors to every area of the house. Doing this allows me to average temperatures together. Also, the built-in motion sensors can make adjustments based on occupancy.
ecobee3 lite Integration
One cool thing I setup with my SmartThings system is using the motion sensors to turn off lights or ceiling fans in areas that have been empty for a while. Or, turn things on when people occupy an area. You can even ask Google Assistant what the temperature in a specific room is. These sensors will come in handy even more when I end up implementing smart vents in the future.
For the features and price, the ecobee3 Lite was the choice for me. Some may want to take a look at the ecobee4 as that one comes with room sensors and has Amazon Alexa built in.
