ecobeeSmart Thermostat Enhanced - Programmable Wifi Thermostat - Works with Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant - Energy Star Certified - Smart Home

Just got through installing my new Ecobee smart thermostat – enhanced version. It’s not the easiest thing to get up and running, but if you watch a few YouTube videos and pay close attention to the wiring requirements prior to attempting it, you’ll have it set up in 30 minutes. This was important because while you’re installing it, the AC has to be shut off. Mine came with a trim ring included, which was important because my previous thermostat footprint was a lot bigger than this so it saved me having to patch up paint around the edges.Make sure you know whether or not you have an active C wire connected to your existing thermostat (normally a blue wire) AND “operable” - meaning it’s hooked up to a C post on your existing thermostat — because if you don’t, this could complicate installation requiring you to install a wireless adapter to your main AC unit (included with mine but not needed). I don’t use Apple or Google to control it. I just use my wireless router and an Ecobee iOS application on my iPad, which seems to work fine. You to set it up manually if you’d like without using your phone or tablet, which is what I did. The main menu on the unit itself is pretty intuitive. Granted, its day one right now so I’ll post more if I see any issues. It seems to be working great and I like the schedule capability that allows you to set home, away, and sleep modes to adjust the temperature differently and automatically which is light years ahead of my ancient Honeywell unit. There is also a motion detector on the unit which can determine if you’re home or not and reset the temperature automatically. I turned that function off because we come and go often during the day and don’t want my AC ramping up every 2 hours.

This is not battery operated. If your house’s thermostat wiring doesn’t come with a C wire, consider paying for professional installation. The C wire is what supplies constant power to this thermostat, but some houses didn’t bother to run that wire because they assumed your thermostat will use batteries. This does NOT mean you’re out of luck, but it does make the install more complicated.You will either need to run an additional wire through your walls or you’ll need to install the included PEK (not all thermostats of ecobee include it, so check your model and house wiring before buying). The PEK is, in my opinion, an ingenious piece of technology that deserves praise for how magical it seems. It repurposes 2 existing signal wires so that one wire becomes the C wire carrying constant power, and then the other wire carries various voltage levels to indicate multiple signals between thermostat and PEK; the PEK then translates those voltages and splits them back into separate wires for the rest of the system.However, it does require work near or in your HVAC unit. I had to spend a good bit of time carefully inspecting the colored wires, making sure I knew exactly which is which. Again, houses are all different and some might use nonstandard wire colors; for example, my blue wire functioned as the Y wire, with no yellow in sight! You should be absolutely sure of what does what; you’ll probably want to read up on the purpose of each wire. ecobee includes stickers to help you label the wires as you investigate.But once the PEK is installed, the thermostat works beautifully. The touch screen is responsive, it walks you through startup easily, and the app is full of features and settings galore.Again, paying for a professional will save you wiring confusion whether you need the PEK installed or just run a new wire.

we like these thermostats so much we purchased two for both of our homes. They are easy to understand easy to install and easy to operate. Have had them now for quite some time with absolutely no issues unlike our previous purchase of the nest, which to me was difficult to operate would definitely recommend this product

My 12-yr-old thermostat finally gave out and I wanted to get another of the same. My local HVAC company no longer carries this brand. There are no other suppliers within 100 miles of me. I contacted the thermostat company but they don't sell online or direct to public. I not only like this thermostat for the many options it has, but I like that it has subscription-free remote access via a nice app and also their website.So, I bought the Ecobee Enhanced. I have simple wiring so install was very quick. The Ecobee app and the webpage are good for remote control. I am not using the two occupancy sensors just yet. In fact, I have dumbed down everything on the Ecobee and it is just on heating hold mode with one temperature right now. As a dumb thermostat it's working fine. I don't have a need for all the programming options right now but am eager to see how they compare to my old thermostat when I do. The old unit was the bomb.I give the Ecobee four stars instead of five for a couple of minor reasons:1) My thermostat is in a narrow hallway. I liked walking by my old thermostat and seeing the standby screen with weather, indoor temp, and time. If I wanted to adjust it, I just needed to touch the screen first to 'wake it up'. The Ecobee has a similar standby screen, but it's not possible for me to see it LOL As soon as the Ecobee 'senses' someone coming near it switches the display. This is a big complaint from others as well. There is even a Reddit thread, "Sneaking up on my Ecobee..." LOL I do wish the company would make leaving the standby screen on display as an option. 99 times out of 100 I'm just walking by and not going to adjust anything.2) The Ecobee website does not offer the option to leave me logged in so I can quickly access the thermostat's settings. Many websites ask, on a private device, to remember for some period like 30 days. My old thermostat's webpage was that way. Not Ecobee's, I have to login every time no matter how many times a day I access it. I also cannot bookmark the exact settings page I want like I could with my old thermostat, always have to enter from the main screen.If/when I start using programmed modes again this will be a lot more painful. I am on my computer all day long so it's easier for me to bookmark and hop to a webpage quickly for everything I do. I really don't want to have to pull out my phone and call up an app. Not the end of the world, but website could be a lot more friendly.