Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, Homekit Wi Fi, Works with Amazon Alexa Apple Google Assistant

I have been using the Ecobee 4 since it was released in 2019, and I have been very impressed with it. It is a smart thermostat that learns your schedule and programs itself to save energy. It also has a built-in Alexa speaker, so you can control your thermostat with your voice. One of the things I like most about the Ecobee 4 is its ability to learn my schedule. I have it set to automatically turn on when I wake up and off when I go to bed. It also knows when I am away from home and turns down the heat or air conditioning to save energy. I also like the Ecobee 4's built-in Alexa speaker. I can use it to control my thermostat, play music, get news, and more. It is very convenient to be able to control my thermostat with my voice. Overall, I am very happy with the ... MoreI have been using the Ecobee 4 since it was released in 2019, and I have been very impressed with it. It is a smart thermostat that learns your schedule and programs itself to save energy. It also has a built-in Alexa speaker, so you can control your thermostat with your voice. One of the things I like most about the Ecobee 4 is its ability to learn my schedule. I have it set to automatically turn on when I wake up and off when I go to bed. It also knows when I am away from home and turns down the heat or air conditioning to save energy. I also like the Ecobee 4's built-in Alexa speaker. I can use it to control my thermostat, play music, get news, and more. It is very convenient to be able to control my thermostat with my voice. Overall, I am very happy with the Ecobee 4. It is a smart thermostat that learns my schedule, saves energy, and has a built-in Alexa speaker. I would definitely recommend it to others. Here are some pros and cons of the Ecobee 4: Pros: Learns your schedule and programs itself to save energy Built-in Alexa speaker Easy to use Programmable Wi-Fi enabled Remote access Energy efficient Stylish design Cons: Can be expensive Requires C-wire (not compatible with all HVAC systems) Some users have reported connectivity issues Not compatible with all voice assistants Overall, the Ecobee 4 is a great smart thermostat that offers a lot of features and benefits. It is a bit expensive, but it is worth the investment if you are looking for a way to save energy and make your home more comfortable.

Amazing Thermostat -- Round 3!

This is the third Ecobee I've had. Again Ecobee knocks it out of the park. The thermostat's leading feature is the ability to average the remote sensors (and even select which ones are in use for a given comfort setting).At night, we only use the sensors in the bedrooms, during the day, our main floor and basement (where the kids play). We continually find that the ecobee is the best thermostat we've had.We also use the security addon feature, not for security purposes but to detect if a door or window (that we care about) is left open which will suspend the use of AC or heat. We've had a bunch of construction done on our home, and this allows the workers to do their job and not worry about changing the Thermostat.There are some downsides to this thermostat. ... MoreThis is the third Ecobee I've had. Again Ecobee knocks it out of the park. The thermostat's leading feature is the ability to average the remote sensors (and even select which ones are in use for a given comfort setting).At night, we only use the sensors in the bedrooms, during the day, our main floor and basement (where the kids play). We continually find that the ecobee is the best thermostat we've had.We also use the security addon feature, not for security purposes but to detect if a door or window (that we care about) is left open which will suspend the use of AC or heat. We've had a bunch of construction done on our home, and this allows the workers to do their job and not worry about changing the Thermostat.There are some downsides to this thermostat. It tries to convince you to use the connected features for Alexa, or Siri, etc, this means it potentially is always listening. If you don't like home assistants, or worry about microphones on IOT devices, this may not be the item for you.Finally, I don't find the Air Quality sensors to be particularly accurate. They're fine for a basic feel, but another product that specializes in it, is a better fit.

Dangerous - Air sensor is fake

I don't like giving bad reviews but this has many issues I have already encountered in a short period of time.1. Temperature monitoring often reverts back the average temperature instead of using just one sensor. Even if you have the comfort setting set to only use the secondary sensor. The way to fix this issue is restart (But #2)2. You can't restart the device without pulling it off the wall or flipping the breaker switch. There no way in this app or online or anything that will reboot this. I verified this on reddit from other uses.3. When setting up the device it said it needed a firmware update there was no way to do a firmware update over the device connected to the computer. They ask you to call them, give your address and homekit access before they will ... MoreI don't like giving bad reviews but this has many issues I have already encountered in a short period of time.1. Temperature monitoring often reverts back the average temperature instead of using just one sensor. Even if you have the comfort setting set to only use the secondary sensor. The way to fix this issue is restart (But #2)2. You can't restart the device without pulling it off the wall or flipping the breaker switch. There no way in this app or online or anything that will reboot this. I verified this on reddit from other uses.3. When setting up the device it said it needed a firmware update there was no way to do a firmware update over the device connected to the computer. They ask you to call them, give your address and homekit access before they will push a firmware update.4. The air sensor is fake. Search about this yourself. If you are buying this for air sensor, please know it does nothing. It only estimates the air based on how long the heater was on for. So if the heater was off all day it says good air quality if you run heater all night it says bad air quality. It DOES NOT measure any air there is not even a sensor on this device for air. This is also possible dangerously misleading and lawsuit waiting to happen all they need is someone to get CO2 poising from some other source in the house other than the heater and think this thing will actually read a real sensor and keep you safe. It will not it just advertising.5. It says airplay and siri is supported. But this is only if you have a homepod. So other homekit hubs like Apple TV 4 will not work with this thermostat. You can only use siri if you have a homepod but why would you need siri if you have a homepod?Lots of miss leading advertising on this device. If you don't have a homepod then I don't see any other reason why you would buy premium. Go with a low end model. Because for me siri won't work, second sensor not working (it using averages), and air sensor is fake total miss leading and possible dangerous.

Great smart Thermostat!

Excellent thermostat! I bought one of these last year for upstairs since the old thermostat is at the other end of the house and we kept forgetting to turn it up when we left. I thought a smart thermostat would be a way to remotely be able to set it and the smart program may even be able to do it automagically for us. I was pleasantly surprised when I got it installed and it does everything it says on the tin as advertised! Installation was easy even thought I had to connect a c wire to both the thermostat location and the furnace. The guide in the app steps you through everything you need to verify this is compatible with your system before you even get started. It guides you through how to check for your wiring configuration and label all your wiring before ... MoreExcellent thermostat! I bought one of these last year for upstairs since the old thermostat is at the other end of the house and we kept forgetting to turn it up when we left. I thought a smart thermostat would be a way to remotely be able to set it and the smart program may even be able to do it automagically for us. I was pleasantly surprised when I got it installed and it does everything it says on the tin as advertised! Installation was easy even thought I had to connect a c wire to both the thermostat location and the furnace. The guide in the app steps you through everything you need to verify this is compatible with your system before you even get started. It guides you through how to check for your wiring configuration and label all your wiring before installing it. Tech support is available if you have any questions or doubts about your connections. You can send them pics of your wiring and they will advise which ones need to be used and in what order. Very helpful! I liked the upstairs one so much after almost a year I bought another one to replace the old downstairs one. The app can control both thermostats separately. I like the included sensor in the premium thermostat and have one in the bedroom on the other end of the house from the upstairs thermostat. The system app will show you what the temp is at the thermostat as well as whatever room the sensor is in. Great quality build on the all metal outer case and glass touch screen on the thermostat. I have not used the voice control yet but love the way it can suggest ways to set your temperature to save you money when you are not around. There are settings for home and away modes that can be configured to your liking or auto mode to adjust when you are not around. This can save you money by not cooling the house when no one’s home.Packaging is great quality and company really seems to be behind their product and the environment. They offer suggestions after it learns your habits to adjust your temperature to save you even more money. The eco mode works well on this model. I like the weather report option on the display on both the app and the main unit. I would highly recommend this to anyone. Anyone can install it as long as you follow the instructions step by step in the app guide. We liked it enough to buy 2 and replace both of our old contractor battery thermostat models installed when the house was built. These work without batteries. The only thing I found is that they go out if the power is out for some reason. They do pick up where they left off as soon as power is restored. Recommend these premium thermostats to anyone. No electrician needed to install these if you follow the app instructions.

Here's where energy savings get left behind...

Both the app and unit work, look and perform very well. I'd tweak a thing or two, but nothing is a dealbreaker. The shortcoming for us and those who's home weather is different than the ECOBEE service relies upon. Our system is a heat pump with an auxiliary heat furnace. The lack of an outdoor ambient temp sensor or the lack of ability to link it to our weather station means that the auxiliary heat can run when it shouldn't or not run when it should. For us our actual temp can be easily 5+ degrees either way than any commercial weather service. So a winter's wind / weather pattern can bring in warmer or colder air for us. You can adjust the temp at where the auxiliary heat will start in 5 degree implements. But it's not like I can say that we are consistently warmer ... MoreBoth the app and unit work, look and perform very well. I'd tweak a thing or two, but nothing is a dealbreaker. The shortcoming for us and those who's home weather is different than the ECOBEE service relies upon. Our system is a heat pump with an auxiliary heat furnace. The lack of an outdoor ambient temp sensor or the lack of ability to link it to our weather station means that the auxiliary heat can run when it shouldn't or not run when it should. For us our actual temp can be easily 5+ degrees either way than any commercial weather service. So a winter's wind / weather pattern can bring in warmer or colder air for us. You can adjust the temp at where the auxiliary heat will start in 5 degree implements. But it's not like I can say that we are consistently warmer or colder than their weather service. This replaced a Honeywell TH8320R1003 which had the outdoor ambient temp sensor.The air quality monitor seems accurate, the display is easy to see and navigate- but lots of light pollution in a dark room. It would be great if the display would go completely asleep when it doesn't detect you. It seems every gadget needs to have a control panel that won't go dark or needs a LED to show you that it is alive yet.

Next gen features make the best even better

I am very familiar with Ecobee thermostats having owned a 4th generation version prior to getting this upgraded new premium edition. I’ve always been impressed with the quality of the device and the additional room sensors are extremely helpful for my multi-story home. This new Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium takes everything my older unit did and improves upon it. From the larger, higher resolution screen, hiding the sensors so they aren’t visible from the front surface of the device, the new satin metal finish on the sides, and additional features like an air quality sensor, everything is better.Installation is a breeze, especially using the app for step-by-step instructions. It includes an optional mounting plate to cover up issues on the wall from a previous ... MoreI am very familiar with Ecobee thermostats having owned a 4th generation version prior to getting this upgraded new premium edition. I’ve always been impressed with the quality of the device and the additional room sensors are extremely helpful for my multi-story home. This new Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium takes everything my older unit did and improves upon it. From the larger, higher resolution screen, hiding the sensors so they aren’t visible from the front surface of the device, the new satin metal finish on the sides, and additional features like an air quality sensor, everything is better.Installation is a breeze, especially using the app for step-by-step instructions. It includes an optional mounting plate to cover up issues on the wall from a previous thermostat, mounting hardware, one room sensor with a wall mount and table mount, some paper materials, ID stickers for your wiring, and the wiring backplate and thermostat itself. The packaging is well thought out and uses eco-friendly materials. The app instructs you for every little detail such as how to identify your wiring, suggesting taking pictures for reference, mounting options, shutting off the HVAC system power as the first important step, and more. It took me under 30 min to get it installed and running. The new backplate is perhaps surprisingly a different shape than the one my previous generation unit had, but thankfully allows for mounting with screws either in a vertical or horizontal placement, and since the old model used vertical only and my existing wall anchors did not survive the removal, having the option to start over horizontally was welcome. Wiring it up is easy, and it snaps right onto the backplate with minimal force. Powering on the system again and continuing setup and registration via the app was also extremely easy. Even if you already had an Ecobee like I did it treats the new one as if you are starting from the beginning other than having a login already setup. Certain things will carry over to it such as time of day usage settings and other eco settings, but schedule and temperature preferences will need to be set for the new device even for existing owners.I have a full HomeKit smart home setup, and the integration with it has always been solid. This new version seems to have fewer issues syncing temperature settings than before which is great. I was also able to keep and sync my room sensor I already had from the 4th gen as it is identical to the one included with the new one and now run the two sensors which makes for an even better overall temperature in my 3-story home. It supports either Alexa natively, or now Siri integration with a HomePod somewhere else in the home to act as a hub. I really appreciate the fact that I have an additional point in the house to interact with a digital assistant without a separate device. I have used the built in Alexa on the 4th gen for a long time now and never had any issues, and that continues to be the case here. I intend to switch to Siri as an Apple and HomeKit user, but I need to pickup a HomePod to be able to do so.After a few days with this new Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, I am very happy to see that it is seemingly able to keep my summer temperatures under better control than its previous iteration, and the inclusion of air quality reporting is very nice to have. The much bigger and better-looking screen is extremely welcome for making it feel like a truly high-end device, and the built in voice assistant works like a charm. Anyone looking to keep yourself cool efficiently while knowing if your air is clean and being able to ask Siri or Alexa about the weather should pick one up. I highly recommend this device.

Sleek look, but still unsure about temp accuracy

The idea of moving to a smart thermostat really appealed to us. We have many other devices in our home that are smart and felt this might be an improvement in terms of ease of use. The first thing we liked upon opening the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is the packaging. Someone put some thought into using environmentally friendly materials that still had a great look. The thermostat itself is very sleek looking with a zinc body and amply sized touchscreen. If one has to use the plastic backplate to conceal wall holes or the like that is understandable, but cheapens the look a bit in my opinion.Our intent was to use the thermostat in our main house, but we ran into problems once we figured out that our heat pumps would require the use of the power extender kit. ... MoreThe idea of moving to a smart thermostat really appealed to us. We have many other devices in our home that are smart and felt this might be an improvement in terms of ease of use. The first thing we liked upon opening the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is the packaging. Someone put some thought into using environmentally friendly materials that still had a great look. The thermostat itself is very sleek looking with a zinc body and amply sized touchscreen. If one has to use the plastic backplate to conceal wall holes or the like that is understandable, but cheapens the look a bit in my opinion.Our intent was to use the thermostat in our main house, but we ran into problems once we figured out that our heat pumps would require the use of the power extender kit. One then has to go to the heat pump itself (on the roof in our case) to install the power extender kit, yet we ran into our next roadblock since both our units did not have the screw and wire design, but more of wire plug design. Needless to say, outside temps were in the triple digits so we opted to defer the main house till later when an HVAC tech could install the power extender kit for us. Who wants to make their a/c inoperable in the middle of hot weather?Plan B was to replace the standard thermostat on the heat pump in our guest house which did have a C wire for power which negated the need for the power extender kit. Installation instructions via the app are pretty straight forward and the built-in bubble level on the mounting plate ensures all is level and even. We did end up having to call product support as the unit was blowing heat on the cool setting and after sharing pics of the wiring with Ecobee support it was simply a matter of moving one wire and cool air arrived.We are enjoying the convenience of how much information is available via the app, online and the thermostat display. The built-in air quality monitor is interesting, but I’m not sure we’d do anything different should we get a poor reading as it states activities like cooking may affect the air quality. Should we get a poor reading we can assess the effectiveness of app tips to improve it. Reminders of when it is time to change the air filter will be a nice convenience. It’s unlikely we’d ever use the built-in speaker to play music, though this is an option should you want it in addition to the voice assistant.Smart sensors are a pretty nice feature of this particular system as it provides a wireless option to monitor temperature in another room of your home, but we have noticed that the bedroom sensor does tend to run warmer than the main thermostat location. In terms of general comfort, we feel that the same degree temperature reading of the Ecobee has made the guest house feel warmer compared to the same degree setting of our previous, conventional thermostat. Perhaps we need to play with the settings more but it does make us wonder about the accuracy of the Ecobee reading as the main living area definitely feels warmer.In summary, make sure you look at your current wiring and a/c equipment to know exactly how complex your smart thermostat installation may be. It may be a complete DIY or it may require the help of an HVAC expert. The online account accessed via computer is full of features, but the app leaves something to be desired and speed could be better. Also, we had to change the time on the thermostat after the initial installation and there was no such ability in the app. In terms of comfort level, I think we still have to improve the comfort level of the Ecobee compared to our previous, programmable thermostat. For those that don’t work at home the radar motion may really help with energy savings if the system can minimize heating and cooling use when one is away.

Some pluses some minuses

I'm coming from the previous generation ecobee smart thermostat. Some changes that have been incorporated are positive and some are negative and some are TBD. The positives are, a larger display, overall nicer looking main unit, but about 80 grams heavier, indoor air quality ratings, more connections for HVAC accessories, radar presence detection on main unit. Things that could be better, the display, though bigger, is basically the same quality as the prior generation, which includes a slight backblight bleed when the screen is on, and some poor off angle views. My thermostat is mounted 49" center of display to the floor. I'm 5'8" and view it from a little bit above and the off angle view is just acceptable, I thought that would have been improved from the previous ... MoreI'm coming from the previous generation ecobee smart thermostat. Some changes that have been incorporated are positive and some are negative and some are TBD. The positives are, a larger display, overall nicer looking main unit, but about 80 grams heavier, indoor air quality ratings, more connections for HVAC accessories, radar presence detection on main unit. Things that could be better, the display, though bigger, is basically the same quality as the prior generation, which includes a slight backblight bleed when the screen is on, and some poor off angle views. My thermostat is mounted 49" center of display to the floor. I'm 5'8" and view it from a little bit above and the off angle view is just acceptable, I thought that would have been improved from the previous generation, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Really, a small OLED screen would be best to accommodate different people's viewing heights and angles. Though this unit has a radar presence detection system on the main unit, I haven't been able to tell if this system is better or worse than the previous presence detection on the main unit. One thing that I have noticed that seems to be worse though is the speaker audio quality. Now in regards to audio, I know this is a thermostat, but it's smart and a listed feature and it's clearly worse than my previous generation ecobee smart thermostat. That's really an oversight since the new speakers have far less audio range and sound tinny compared to the previous ecobee smart thermostat. All else was just fine, setup was as easy as the prior unit. It seems to do it's main job equally as well as the previous gen ecobee that I had. The main unit's touch response was good. One last thought, the air quality index is pretty rudimentary and I'm not sure if this is a function of the hardware or the software, but I was expecting more, maybe in data or what's detected in the air. Finally, I would say if you are looking at this coming from the previous generation ecobee, I would say pass. The changes are simply not compelling enough, and if you like to stream music from it you may be disappointed in sound quality like me. If you don't have a smart thermostat you may wish to look at this or even the previous generation ecobee simply because it's very user friendly, and may be able to save money on your heating and cooling using the scheduling. The web interface provides some interesting data and the app works well. Also check with your local energy supplier for rebates, I would have felt sour if I spent the full $250, but got it for about $125 including available rebates from my energy company.

The Best in (Nearly) Every Way

With energy prices and summer temperatures inching higher by the day, there's never been a better time to explore smart HVAC thermostats. I've been using a Google Nest Thermostat E for the past two years, and while I've been satisfied with it overall, I've had my eye on ecobee thermostats as a possible upgrade, mainly for the superior room sensors and Apple HomeKit compatibility. When ecobee released their latest top-line model -- the Smart Thermostat Premium -- I was anxious to give it a try.Unboxing the Smart Thermostat Premium was truly a joy. Not only was there next to no plastic packaging, ecobee has gone the extra step to make their packaging from renewable and recyclable materials without making things feel cheap. No, this packing felt premium in every way, ... MoreWith energy prices and summer temperatures inching higher by the day, there's never been a better time to explore smart HVAC thermostats. I've been using a Google Nest Thermostat E for the past two years, and while I've been satisfied with it overall, I've had my eye on ecobee thermostats as a possible upgrade, mainly for the superior room sensors and Apple HomeKit compatibility. When ecobee released their latest top-line model -- the Smart Thermostat Premium -- I was anxious to give it a try.Unboxing the Smart Thermostat Premium was truly a joy. Not only was there next to no plastic packaging, ecobee has gone the extra step to make their packaging from renewable and recyclable materials without making things feel cheap. No, this packing felt premium in every way, and most importantly, the thermostat and its components are tightly-packed and safe in transit.The Smart Thermostat Premium itself is absolutely premium in construction. It's a large metal-and-glass device with a surprising amount of heft to it, very different than the weightless Nest Thermostat E I was replacing. All the components in the package looked and felt similarly premium, and I appreciate that this model includes a room sensor and thermostat backplate as well as a power extender kit for those that may need it.The thermostat really is a beast, covering nearly the same surface area as the Nest and its backplate together. Definitely check the dimensions if you're at all concerned with spacing. I opted to use the included backplate to cover multiple holes from previous thermostats and while the backplate itself is simple white plastic it adds a nice dimension to the thermostat and coordinates well with nearby light switches, helping to balance out the stark black-and-gray appearance of the ecobee.Because I replaced an existing smart thermostat and was fortunate enough to have a live "c" wire in the wall already, installation was a breeze. Even if I'd had to use the included power extender kit I'm confident I would have still been in good shape, as ecobee's app walks you through the process with clear, step-by-step instructions. Please be sure to consult the ecobee website and compatibility checker before you purchase, but as long as you have moderate DIY skills and access to your HVAC system's wiring, you should have little trouble.ecobee's setup process includes registering for an account and adding your thermostat to HomeKit (if you're using an iOS device), both of which are pretty straightforward. Again, the app walks you through everything to get you up and running. Once setup is complete you're presented with the standard ecobee app interface and not much else, and as a first-time ecobee user I would have appreciated the inclusion of further tutorials on changing settings and whatnot, although the app and thermostat interface is relatively straightforward.To get things going I referred to ecobee's online support pages, which include a wealth of knowledge and FAQs explaining every aspect of their products and services. Definitely plan on paying their website a visit to get the most out of your ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium experience.Since I'm coming from ecobee's largest competitor (Google Nest), I'll use my review to compare and contrast my experiences with both, as this might help you decide which device fits your needs or whether to switch to ecobee.ecobee's thermostat screen and app interfaces are nearly identical, offering complete control no matter which one you use. This stands in contrast to Nest, where, due to its design, has pretty different interfaces in the Nest/Google Home app and on the thermostat itself. It's hard to beat the turn of a Nest's dial to change the temperature, but doing literally anything else requires pressing and turning motions to access menus. It's fine once you get the hang of it, but it takes longer to find what you want, and guests/first-time users may have no idea where to start.The ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium uses an all-touchscreen interface with no physical buttons. The resting thermostat faces shows you the outdoor temp, indoor temp, time and system status (a blue ring for AC, red for heat etc.), which changes to the user menu as you approach the device. The animations and graphics are pretty gorgeous on this high-resolution screen, and a quick tap of each icon will give you a good idea of what it does -- perfect for guests who may not know where to start. This default user screen displays your HVAC mode, setpoint, current program (Home, Away, Sleep, Vacation), indoor temp and humidity and, in a thermostat first, indoor air quality. My Nest Thermostat E showed only a blank screen from a distance and revealed just setpoint, temp and system mode upon approach.A note on that indoor air quality sensor: while it's a pretty neat inclusion and one of ecobee's marquee features for this model, it's based only on estimated VOC and CO2 levels. These are important components of air quality but perhaps the most important factor -- particle counts like pm2.5 -- are not measured. After a few days of calibration the air quality reading started responding accurately to changes like cooking fumes, but with an air purifier running in the same room I haven't found a strong use case for this feature myself.The other marquee feature of this model, however, I have really enjoyed, and that's voice assistant integration. The ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium includes a built-in speaker capable of hosting Amazon's Alexa or Apple's Siri, and while I'm a Google Assistant user primarily I took the time to set up Alexa, and I've found myself quite pleased. I won't go into a deep comparison of Google vs. Amazon, but suffice it to say each have their strengths and weaknesses, and having both around does give you the chance to use each to their advantage. ecobee's native integration of Alexa is excellent and steadfastly reliable in my testing. It would be neat to see Alexa take advantage of the thermostat screen to show as well as tell, but I did find she was able to display a timer countdown on-screen when asked, which is useful as my thermostat is near the kitchen.As for Alexa/Google/Apple smart home integration, ecobee works with all three, but with limitations. I was able to view the thermostat and included smart sensor in each platform and even see motion/room occupation status in Apple's Home app, which is both interesting and possibly useful for routines. My big complaint is that I cannot seem to change the thermostat's routine from any of these platforms, only the temperature and system mode. I already have a widespread home/away routine in HomeKit and was planning to integrate ecobee into that routine (set thermostat to "away" when I leave and "home" when I return) but as currently integrated this isn't possible. Being a native Google product my Nest Thermostat E at least allowed me to set up a home/away routine based on my location in the Google Home app, which I used every day.After a visit to ecobee's website, however, I found two solutions, the easiest of which involved linking ecobee and IFTT with ecobee-branded applets, which now reliably sets the ecobee to "away" when I leave my apartment and "home" when I return. While I haven't tried the more complex HomeKit routine through the ecobee app itself, know that is possible as well.A note on ecobee's routines and scheduling: ecobee feels to me a more "schedule-first" smart thermostat, whereas the Nest feels more "routine-first." I never bothered to set a schedule on my Nest, as I simply allowed it to remain a constant temperature when home and set itself to away to save energy when I left my apartment. In contrast, ecobee's own "smart home-away" feature takes 30 minutes to 2 hours to change your thermostat to another routine based on your location -- far too long for my tastes, especially when the IFTT applet option is nearly instant. Instead I found it much more useful to set a schedule on the ecobee for Home/Away/Sleep and rely on the smart home-away and the IFTT integration features to override my set schedule when my movements don't match it. tl/dr; you can achieve location-based triggers with each platform, but how you go about it varies quite a bit.Finally, ecobee and Google Nest treat remote sensors very differently, which may well impact your selection. Nest Thermostat E and the Nest Learning Thermostat support remote room sensors, but they only communicate the room's temperature. Furthermore, you can only base your Nest setpoint on one sensor at a time, and you have to manually select that sensor or schedule it from one of four preset time blocks -- there's zero flexibility, and I found my room sensor entirely useless.ecobee, in contrast, makes fabulous use of their Smart Room Sensors, which not only sense temperature but also room occupancy. These readings become part of a formula that allows an ecobee thermostat to balance temperatures throughout your home based on where you are spending your time, and their seamless background integration of these sensors is fantastic. You simply activate the included sensor (you can purchase more as needed) and set it up in another room (for me, my bedroom), select the "follow me" option in your ecobee's settings, and let the thermostat handle the rest. While my apartment use case isn't the same as a large home, I've found myself comfortable throughout the day and night without any intervention with ecobee on my part. In other words, it just works, like smart devices should.Overall, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is a fantastic device, and an absolute upgrade from the Nest Thermostat E I've been using. The install process is straightforward, operation is highly customizable very reliable, and ecobee's integrations are widespread and dependable. This is the top-of-the-line smart thermostat to beat!

Very easy to install & use. Very happy I have it!

Very easy to install. At first, the reviews made it sound like it was very challenging to install. I found out after researching that if your house was older than 90’s it could be somewhat challenging but not impossible. The step that might be difficult for some is having a blue wire for constant power. A adapter is also given with purchase, just in case you don’t have that blue wire that runs from the furnace to your wall mount. If you do have to use the adapter, it’s very simple and the 4 wires needed are marked on adapter just so you are aware.So, this is a definite upgrade from what I had in my house. I had a somewhat older version where you could select times and dates. It was good but I wanted to be able to control the thermostat from my phone because of my ... MoreVery easy to install. At first, the reviews made it sound like it was very challenging to install. I found out after researching that if your house was older than 90’s it could be somewhat challenging but not impossible. The step that might be difficult for some is having a blue wire for constant power. A adapter is also given with purchase, just in case you don’t have that blue wire that runs from the furnace to your wall mount. If you do have to use the adapter, it’s very simple and the 4 wires needed are marked on adapter just so you are aware.So, this is a definite upgrade from what I had in my house. I had a somewhat older version where you could select times and dates. It was good but I wanted to be able to control the thermostat from my phone because of my schedule with work, family, etc.I’ve had it for almost a month now and I haven’t had a problem with it yet. The learning period of it was very simple and user friendly.What I also like about it is the fact I don’t have to replace batteries any longer.One thing to check into after purchasing this Ecobee, is the rebate through your electrical company. I have ComEd and I’m receiving a rebate in 4 weeks.All in all I’m happy with purchasing this one vs the Nest.I rented a house out that had the Nest and it was very similar but I really like the Ecobee more because it’s slightly bigger and it’s easier to read and work with. Plus the base mount that the Ecobee sets on covered my existing open box where the wires came out of.I’ll take a few pics to show.There is a few more things on the display but only able to add 6 pics.