Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Ecobee family really outdid themselves with something that’s elegant and sophisticated enough to make some of the most advanced cyber security specialists scratch their heads. I had a really great time getting to know this product and it slowly giving me a sense of assurance every time I leave my home now. Albeit far from perfect, worth the investment. Pros: 1.) Ease of use: All it took to install was downloading the app and following the prompts when adding a device. It’s extremely user friendly 2.) Security: You can control the whole system with your voice. Now I thought, “no way!” an intruder can come in and just know the system and automatically shut it off. Wrong! When you set it up with Alexa she asks for your code to unarmed the device if triggered. The login also has a two factor authentication and to make it even more difficult for someone with malicious intent to use the system against you. 3.) Complexity: 8 Core processor on the camera. This basically means that if there was somebody who were trying to analyze the system, the processor is complicated enough to virtually eliminate the chances of someone being able to analyze your extremely sensitive and DETAILED information that this system tracks. Cons: 1.) Possible false motion detection: we were recently on vacation (social distancing in nature) about a state away at a national park. And we got a motion detection in the room. We got back and everything was in place. Could have been faulty, could not? 2.) No continuous recording: Not a huge deal considering its motion detected and cloud based. 3.) Not the best motion detection on the cam: I basically jumped in front of the cam while it was set to away and armed and got nothing. No warning of motion detected. So I wasn’t sure what was really going on. All in all, this camera is high quality, safe, and secure.

The Ecobee Smart Camera is a great quality picture and has nice features but needs two options added for 5 stars. I so far have been using the camera to look over my shop while away to make sure everything is going well and work is being done. I appreciate the easy connectivity through the app and being able to move the view around and zoom in without much picture degrading. The voice control is neat for Alexa but in all honesty, to really use it you have to use the paid service so you can tell it to record. I would have given it 5 stars if there was a SD card slot with the option to record locally or even on a home server. With our world filled with subscription services, this camera setup is not the first one I would look at because of that being forced to record. If they change their software to allow local NAS recording, this would be a 5 star camera. Nowadays, most homes with high tech equipment, we want to locally record or allow us to have 1 camera with free online storage, Arlo gives up to 5. The last key option, LAN support would be nice and beneficial to lessen the load on our WiFi systems. My home alone has over 30 devices already on WiFi, so I try to use LAN as much as possible to lessen the load on my router. I would only recommend this camera for someone ready to pay for a service but for someone that wants a local recorded or free recording, I could not recommend this at all.

i was skeptical at first when ordering the new Ecobee smart camera. I was not sure how a thermostat company would create a camera. I do know their software is pretty good, but wanted to see how it would work. Right out of the box, the camera is packed pretty cool and it looks and feels very high quality. The instructions are very simple and refer you to the Ecobee app. So I went to the app and followed the instructions. You hit the "plus" icon in the app and select "camera". Then you scan the QR code and it recognizes the camera. You then name it and go through a few more steps and it is all set. Very fast and very easy. The camera lets you view live and detect motions which is pretty standard. But it has a feature that none of my other cameras have, pan. It lets you pan left/right and up/down and zoom. This is my favorite feature. I placed this in my back room where my dogs sleep and stay. It lets me check on them when we are not home and lets me pan around to see if the little critters are hiding anywhere or in a corner. I love it! It also has a 2 way audio feature where you can hear from the camera and talk through the camera. So now the app lets me check my home's thermostat and camera all on the homepage of the app. So far the app and the camera features have worked without bugs. I can honestly say that I am thoroughly impressed. I enjoy using the Ecobee app more than most of my other smart home apps.

I’ve had several other cameras that I’ve used for security and monitoring in the past and they all work ok. The Ecobee SmartCamera works just as well as any I have used in the past and overall quality of the video feed and feature set in general is better than what I have seen in the past. The first thing you might want to know going in is that to use the auto arm features and to record clips you must pay for ecobees monthly service. It’s not super expensive at 5 bucks a month for a single camera but if you are expecting to be able to record without it you will be disappointed. Beyond that though most of the features work well. The ability to auto arm the camera and any other sensors you may have whenever you leave the house is a great feature. Video quality for the camera is nice and clear and in low light is has IR LED’s to help illuminate even in the dark which is also a nice feature. The only strange thing is when the camera detects motion it zooms on the area where it detected the motion even though I don’t have that feature turned on. I’m not sure if this is a setting I have not found or just how it always works but it would be nice to just see the whole scene at once and not have it zoom in. (This may also be because I have set detection zones for the camera as well.) The only other thing to keep in mind is that this camera always requires a physical power connection to run there is no internal battery or anything. So while some of the images of the product make it look totally wireless, it does still require a power plug. For a simple plug and let go camera though this camera works great.

I got the Ecobee smart camera to replace one that recently died. The advertised "smart" features were a definite draw which I quickly found out came at a price. First, the good. After unboxing, I noticed the heft of the camera. It is solid, feels well made, and has a sleek look. The adjustable stand can double as a wall mount if necessary. The power cord is pretty long, which was great for me because of the location I needed the camera in relation to the nearest outlet (I'm using it in my garage.) It has Alexa functionality, which basically lets it act like a satellite Echo device (it connects to your nearest device and routs commands to that device to perform then reports back).. Setup through the Ecobee app was a breeze and I was up and running in just a few minutes. I didn't use Homekit because the app seemed to offer more functionality. Picture quality is about as good as I've seen. The ability to pan and tilt (digitally) is great and one of the features I wanted for my application as my old camera did the same. There is a tracking feature that zooms in and follows what the camera perceives to be a person. A neat feature, but one you'll have to pay to use. Which leads me to the bad. In order for this camera to do pretty much anything, Ecobee requires you to enroll in a subscription plan they call "Haven" for a minimum of $5 a month. Without doing so, there is no recording (not even a snapshot), no notifications, no tracking, no geofencing (Ecobee calls it Autopilot), no nothing except being able to view a live picture (you can pan, tilt and zoom in the live view). All of the advertised "smart" features are locked out. Unless you want to keep your phone on and the app running all the time, you're out of luck in catching anything going on. There isn't even a way to record locally. So much for a "security" camera! Other competitors at least offer basic notifications and 24 hours of free cloud storage. Unless you are prepared to fork over more cash every month to make an otherwise decent camera remotely functional, I'd take a pass.

This device has a good solid feel to it - like it will last for a while. Lets take a look at the down side first. It is not battery powered or back up so if the power goes off it will not record for you. So far as I know they dont have a weather proof one which limits the usage some. In order to save video or take snaps you need to pay for a subscription. Of the smart home devices I have used, the subscription cost is a great value but depending on the cloud for these things is something to consider before making a purchase. Now on the plus side, installation was fast and easy. The app is straight forward and easy to use. It has a "window" mode which turns off the IR transmitter so it can see outside at night. The only thing here is without the IR illumination it doesnt post a very good image. Otherwise, image quality is great. Also, you can set the active zones very precisely making false notifications just about zero. Very nice touch. The ability to pan and tilt digitally is also nice. As a car or person comes into the zone you have set it will track the object within its field of view. You can set up geofencing and the system can set the system to home or away automatically All in all this is a nice device with an app that is easy to use. There are lots of people that this would work great for.

The Ecobee SmartCamera is a wif based security camera with a pretty nice field of view. Stylish in black, it's on the bigger side of a security camera that you typically place to be unobtrusive or hidden. Instead, given the size and stylishness, it will definitely draw attention almost anywhere it's placed, especially if done in a typical way to hide the camera. The base is shown on the bottom but it can also be mounted on the wall via the back plate. Still, the size means it will be obvious there's a camera present. The camera itself has a smart assistant action and mute button, along with and LED that's on when actively recording, and one when processing smart assistant (Alexa currently) commands. It also has a speaker which allows for two way communication. Once set up with Ecobee Haven, you can get alerts when motion is detected, review past video. You can also view the camera feed in real-time. The speaker can be used as a siren (if an alarm is set off by motion) or you can just use it as a small and lower quality Alexa speaker. Video quality is decent from the camera. It's 1080p and capable of recording at 30 frames per second. The box claims a 180 degree field of view. I'm not quite sure I saw that (and this may be an issue with placement), but it was pretty close. This gives it pretty wide coverage, though to cover a full room, you'd need to place it in a corner or a deep wall facing the room but where people may not typically walk (for example, if you have a fireplace centered and facing into a room). I think it can be useful as a standalone security feature, but if you already have other sensors covering the home, there may not be much to gain by adding this camera, other than having video proof of the intruder. Instead, I found it being useful in other ways. My current setup for little ones is a baby monitor camera in the bedroom and an alexa enabled speaker that plays white noise. It's also nice to be able to play other music and songs from time to time, or get some information if I happen to be in that room and don't feel like reaching for a phone. Having Alexa built into the camera means I can replace the baby monitor and smart speaker with one device. It's 180 degree FOV means it sees more, with no need to pan and tilt like happens with the baby monitor camera as the little ones move around in the room. It's also natural for that purpose as it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. You can two-way chat through the camera as well, which makes it nice for when you need to do a quick remote soothe. As a security camera, this does a decent job, but the features are not stand out. From that perspective, I'd give it 3 stars. However, looking at it from the point of view of being a kid monitor multi-use device, I'm quite impressed. It would be nice to have IFTTT support but the tie in to Alexa is great and I'm happy with how well it worked. While you can view live, since it was not designed as a baby monitor, there isn't a good way to get a continuous feed with sound that's constantly running in the background. So in this regard, it's compromised as well. I lean towards 4 stars, but the inability to convert it to full baby monitor use makes it hard to justify.

This review is written based on the Ecobee Smart Camera being used with the SmartSensors for doors/windows, SmartSensors for motion and the Haven monitoring service. You have to look at the Ecobee products as an entire ecosystem rather just the individual components. First , let me say that I have a pretty solid point of reference on what is good for wifi based security cams. I own 6 different brand cameras – a Dlink, TP-Link Kasa cam, Samsung Smart Cam , 2 different versions of Arlo and a Guardzilla. All have their strengths and weaknesses and some have some glaring weaknesses. Ecobee falls in that latter category a bit. The best way to look at this camera is to break it down into the pros and cons. Pros : Setup – easy and straightforward. Probably the best I dealt with in terms of ease of set up. Download the app, plug it in and it finds it nearly right away. This holds true for all the other sensors – very fast to set up. Video quality – 1080p with a 180 degree field of vision. Colors pop, video is clear and there is virtually no latency between an object moving and the camera picking it up. I know that is dependent on network but I of 6 different cameras I have – only the TP-Link Kasa cam could match the Ecobee. Additionally, it has night vision that produced very clear images in low light. Features - the Ecobee Smartcam follows a person through the “Person Detection” option. This is similar to the Facebook Portal on how it follows a person. It does jump around a bit, but I think this will get refined with time. You can zoom in and electronically pan around. Amazon Alexa smart speaker integration. For me, this is not important. The dedicated smart speakers do a better job but I can see where some people like this feature. Activity zones – if activated, it will only record when there is movement in a specific zone. Overall quality - just top notch, like any of Ecobee’s products. Solid, streamlined and well thought out. The base is unique that provides a solid foundation if you are putting it on a flat surface and it can be converted into a wall mount. Cons: Audio - the camera has the option to speak through your mobile device. I found the sound to be weak and could not see a way to increase the volume. No Google Support or Smartthings support yet. It is supposed to be compatible shortly. Video recording is only available if you sing up for the service. You are reading that correctly, this nice new smart camera only records video if you pay for Ecobee’s service. One piece power supply with a proprietary plug that is full a/c powered. C’mon Ecobee, stick with USB power connectors. The power demand is 12V @ 1A, that is only 12 watts - easily doable with USB. Camera gets hot. Not enough to burn anything but I am surprised by the level of heat that it produces . I would be concerned that the long-term durability could be affected by this heat if it was in an enclosed space. That is all conjecture and I have nothing to support that it will be affected by this hear but it is still a concern. Video recording is only available if you sing up for the service. You are reading that correctly, this nice new smart camera only records video if you pay for Ecobee’s service. Now you do get the first month free but it is at least $5 per month after that. Conclusion : The Ecobee camera is a decent piece of hardware when paired with door and motion sensors. It is obvious that Ecobee is building an ecosystem that integrates their thermostats with more products to come. The problem is , like other companies, is they are trying to monetize that ecosystem to the point that it takes away from the worth of the product. None of the other companies that make smart cams require you to pay to record video, or even worse, do not allow you to arm the system without paying for a service. Sure, companies like Samsung and Arlo sell you upgrades but you can have a fully functioning system out of the box. My advice to Ecobee is to turn on some of the features for free or at least give all features for free for a year. Ecobee needs to make a decision, are they going to be a company that sells services or one that concentrates on moving product? Based on the great thermostats they offer, I would sell this ancillary products to drive them to their thermostats and not worry about making money on monthly services. I am giving 3 stars because the quality is very good and the easy set up but I cannot recommend this product as it stands with the inability to arm the system and record video without paying for it .

I've been searching for an IP camera for a while to keep track of pets when I'm gone, and to just keep an eye on things when I'm out. Since I already use an EcoBee thermostat, I figured this would be the only logical choice. Setup is really simple, you add the device through the EcoBee app by scanning the QR code on the back of it and you're off and running. They included some nice features for automatic recording. I have the camera setup through Apple HomeKit as well, and am able to leverage my geofence settings to automatically turn on or off the camera. When I'm home the camera will set itself to not take snapshots or record any movement. When I leave then the camera will turn on and notify me of any movement it detects. Frustratingly EcoBee decided not to allow users to take advantage of Apple's HomeKit Secure Video feature added in iOS13, which offers free streaming and storage if you have a 200GB iCloud plan. They'd rather you pay EcoBee for their service. I understand it from a business perspective, but I would imagine that likely slows down adoption of devices to some extent. As for the camera and video quality, I will say that this is so far the best quality device I have used to date. They used a super wide angle lens to capture nearly an entire room wall to wall. If you set the device in the corner of the room, you likely could get coverage of the entire room. The pan/tilt feature doesn't actually move the camera, rather they are just cropping the video feed. But fortunately the lens is of high enough quality that only when zoomed in to the extreme does the video become grainy or poor quality. I don't understand the desire to attach Alexa to every connected device, and fortunately you can keep it turned off. I'm sure it's still listening even turned off, but since I didn't link my Amazon account, at least I'm not getting random product recommendations on my Amazon home screen. It's a quality camera, with some nice features, but some were intentionally omitted, and some are unnecessary. If you're already in the EcoBee ecosystem, I'd say it's a solid addition, but if you aren't I'd lean towards one that supports HomeKit and is without Alexa.

I really want to like my Ecobee camera more than I do. I am a huge user of security cams in both my home and various businesses. I am no stranger to their setup and administration. I am not a fan of token ring cameras as they do not allow for third party monitoring software to be used. You are stuck with their app. This is the case with the Ecobee camera w Voice Control as well. Ecobees app is a very intuitive app and I had no issues using it at all. The camera is a motherstation for other peripherals like door sensors and room temp sensors meaning you cant use the mentioned peripherals without either a camera or a thermostat from Ecobee. I love that the camera can pan, tilt, and zoom even if it is only from a digital 180 degree camera view point. The camera can see me even when Im right beside it and seemingly out of its sight. That was impressive. As mentioned, the idea is to setup a network of smart devices that work together and report to one central app. It does all work very well but the catch here is that a monthly fee is required to use their video recording cloud. Its only $5 for the cheapest plan but there are competitors that provide the cloud storage for free. I will try their trial offer for free and see how it compares to the free ones. Build quality is excellent and everything seems very sturdy and well made. I love the use of rare earth magnets in the mount stand for the camera and temp sensors. Remove the monthly fee and Im in! One of the best cameras on market.

The Ecobee SmartCamera is the perfect beginner home security camera. The camera is controlled by the Ecobee Haven app. There are no direct means of control without the app. The SmartCamera comes with 30 days free Ecobee Haven, after that it is $5.00 a month. The Ecobee Haven is a must have, you get an abundance of features with Haven. I install the app on both an Android device and an iPhone. Caution the camera will only work on the iPhone if you use HomeKit. I did not have to install anything other than Haven to get it running on the android. The hook up with Alexa went without a problem. The camera has a viewing field of 180-degrees. There are no fuzzy or hazy spots. The camera appears to be well thought out and designed like a professional camera. The camera comes with a long cord, so you need to take into consideration where is the closest outlet. The camera is 100 percent electrical power, no power no video. With Haven you are not hooked up to a control center, this system does not call 911. You get the notification and you must decide who to call. While this does eliminate false alarms, it is up to you to make the call, if your phone is muted or out of hearing reach you missed the notification. Haven comes with a feature called Autopilot. This feature allows you to talk to anyone near the camera. Autopilot also can arm and disarm the system by tracking your phone. When Window mode is turned on the camera assists with glare and reflections from the glass. I would recommend this camera to family and friends.

The Ecobee Smart Camera is considered the “brains” of the security ecosystem. The device itself is Fairly unobtrusive, and while it add’s Alexa’s AI assistant, I find that part a little odd for a security camera because “Alexa I’m home” said by almost anyone can easily disable Alexa Guard. So, I have it disabled on mine. Ecobee Smart Camera a solid camera that interfaces with my Home Kit and gives me a live preview of what is going on. It features a 2-way talk/listen feature, an awesome IR light to illuminate the area at night, and a very long power cord, which was appreciated. On the top of the unit are two touch-responsive areas to mute/call up Alexa, and the power port at the base of the camera. It has flexible mounting options, you can mount it to the wall or set it on a bookshelf, mine is aimed at our stairwell so I can see who is coming and going. I think one of the BEST features is the auto-pilot feature in which it shuts the camera off, meaning it won’t record while you are home. I was sort of paranoid about having a camera inside the home, but this eases that worry. However, it has been noted to have some lag time with communicating with my phone. One thing to note: There is no internal battery, once the power is cut, it’s disabled, which is slightly odd, but I guess it’s normal? Personally, I’d have it hooked up to a UPS battery. It’s not a total security system, like the Ring set up, but it’s great for small apartments or dorm rooms, so if you need to keep an eye on your stuff while away, Ecobee is a good place to start.

I already had an ecobee thermometer so it made sense to try the smart camera to see how it would pair within the system. The Ecobee Smart camera is a high quality 1080p indoor camera that has good quality microphone support and face recognition and motion detection. You are able to pan and zoom around with the camera which is something i was not able to do with my previous Arlo system. Ecobee system is Alexa friendly and I like that my thermometer and camera system are all working within one app. The facial detection on the camera works well and allows you to add family members that come and go so it can alert you when your family member walks in the door. I find that particularly handy and hope they could add a pet feature in the future. The camera also works well the ecobee haven system and allows the camera to act as a security monitoring system just like a ring. With the door sensors and camera you have a complete state of the art security system at your fingertips. The camera can also detect when you come and go and will auto define settings to your liking. Despite some initial setup hiccups (make sure the spelling on your WiFi is case sensitive for both fields) I really ended up truly enjoyed this product and would recommend it to my friends and family!

The Ecobee smart camera is a plug and play option for someone interested in home security on a budget and who is interested in a more self monitoring option vice having a service monitor your home. To be completely honest and upfront, I like having a home monitoring system, and having someone watch over my house while I am traveling, more so while my family is home alone without me. So, something like this I feel is more of an additional option to the home monitoring for me. But, I will see how it grows on me, and maybe it can be more of a total system option in the future for me. The biggest features on this device are actually very impressive ones. Mind you, I am still fiddling with it so I am learning as I go. Pan/Tilt/Zoom: This is by far my favorite feature. This is not a full feature PTZ device, but because it uses the really wide lens (sort of a fish eye, without the bubble look) to move around within the view of the lens. Then you can zoom in surprisingly well too, and the detail is really good. Two-way Communication: The camera has the ability to have two-way communication. Specifically, you can talk to who you are seeing on the camera and they can talk back to you. Nice option if you want to scare someone away. Or in my case, tell the cat to get off the counter when I am not home! Alexa compatible: This camera can link to your Amazon Alexa system. I have not experimented with this yet, as I don’t like having a completely connected home. But its nice to have the option if I want it later. Smart App: The smart app is very user friendly. Similar lay out to most apps, with your main selections listed across the bottom. The live camera feed, set up motion sensors, vacation mode, settings or even select your account. What I don’t like? Plug in: This is not a deal breaker, but if I am being picky then to me this is something I don’t prefer. It has to be plugged into an outlet. This limits you from placing it high on a wall or anywhere past the length of the cord. All in all, I think this is a solid product for someone that wants to monitor things and have a plug and play option to do just that. It was super simple to set up and it linked flawlessly with my home internet. I recommend this system to someone that is looking for that option and wants a great product that is a good value for your money.

This camera features a superb viewing range making it great for many viewing angles. I am able to watch my front entryway and den remotely now. This has options to take pictures and follow motion when it’s detected. The lighting is good, even in nighttime conditions. It allows to narrow the area of motion detection as well. The panning is handy when I want to search up, down, left or right. This is dependent upon internet speeds for rendering, so it isn’t fast when wanting to view live activity. It also has a sleep mode for when you are home so the camera isn’t on while you’re on your home network. This is a well designed device.

I’ll start with cons, because that is what will matter. Switching from Ring cams, liked that there was HomeKit option too. But every time you go into ecobee app, you have click on the grayed out ‘feed’ to go live. This, on the Ring, happened immediately. On ecobee you can click, and click, and click and maybe it will or maybe it won’t ever go live. Now, over on HomeKit, live works fine. Frustrating. So what do you do when you need help? Call ecobee. After being on hold for 1.5 hours I finally hung up. How horrible can you make customer service? Then off to chat. Like most (or all) companies do that have a chat on their website, not quite here. You have to use Messenger’, which means you have to have Facebook (no thanks) or some other chat app. That other one.., there is nothing that pops up, I finally typed ‘hello?’. Then got a bot response. Then 15 minutes later I pulled the plug . The ‘up time’ of the cam has been fair to poor, the customer service is south of poor. I wis I had chosen something else.