Ecobee unveiled a brand-new video doorbell today, that ticks a few boxes and misses another, although at the price point of US$159.99, it could sway some. First, the good news; it’s HomeKit compatible! The less than good? It’s not making use of HomeKit Secure Video (HSV). It could come at a later date, however, which was the case with the company’s Ecobee Smart Camera (video HERE, review HERE), which started out only working with Ecobee’s Smart Security subscription service, but later relented (due to mediocre sales, perhaps…) adding HSV via an update.
Despite this missing feature, it does offer a larger viewing angle than Aqara’s G4 video doorbell, for example, offering a 180º diagonal view (175º vertical, 115º horizontal) which means package detection works a lot better, giving an almost head-to-toe view of the front of your home. It offers 1080p recording at up to 30fps. has HDR and night vision up to 30ft away, two-way audio with noise cancellation, along with a large button that houses a welcoming green LED, which is also an indicator for those pressing the doorbell itself. It’s also IP65 outdoor-rated. What it doesn’t offer is a battery-powered option, so this can only be used when hard-wired, which to be honest is probably a better solution for most people.
The killer feature that caught many off guard, however, was the ability to live stream the doorbell’s video feed to an Ecobee thermostat, which for those that have the Smart Thermostat Premium, could be what tips this in its favour, despite lacking the other HomeKit centric feature. If you also have their Ecobee Smart Camera, the chime can be played through its built-in speaker, as well as through other Ecobee thermostats.
All in all, this does seem like a pretty good option – if you’re deeper into the company’s ecosystem, and could perhaps draw you in with the live feed feature alone. The Ecobee Smart Video Doorbell is available for U$159.99 from Amazon.com, along with other products from the company.
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