Newbie here - Ecobee thermostat functionality questions

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1

I have a few lights and outlets functioning properly, but relatively new to Hubitat. My questions regarding Ecobee thermostats are:

  1. Does the Ecobee thermostat require an Internet connection for local functions? I do not want any cloud based devices in my house (Alexa, Homekit, Smart Things, etc). I like the 'keep traffic local' aspect of Hubitat. And I don't need to control heating/cooling remotely.
  2. Just IM'd Ecobee and they said their Thermostat does not work on the Hubitat platform!?? From my research here, it look's like it works pretty well with Hubitat and the just released Ecobee Suite. Is the Ecobee support group incorrect?

Thanks for any information; much appreciated. Just need some clarification b4 I purchase these thermostats.

2

Ecobee is a cloud integration. There is no local control over the device. Hubitat has to send the commands to the ecobee API in the cloud and that in turn controls your thermostat over wifi.

There are several integrations that work with the ecobee thermostat. It is not an official integration with Ecobee, that's probably why they don't know about it.

3

Thanks, Ryan for the quick answer. Just read 'storageanarchy's' release notes for his Ecobee Suite app. The phrase 'recovery from Ecobee Server outages (such as those we have experienced over the past few days)' leads me to believe I won't be purchasing this thermostat.

4

I was a huge fan of Ecobee for a while but after 2 months of being down more than up, I sold mine on ebay and got a z-wave one instead. They're a lot cheaper too! If hubitat is down you don't have the backup of the wifi connection to the thermostat but In my situation that was much better than having no connection at all to the thermostat.

5

Which one did you get?

6

Same here; looking for a recommendation from the gurus!!

7

I got a GoControl only because I was able to find a used one on ebay for only $25 and it has a "compressor-saver" function (minimum off time which is enforced when it first powers on too). This is important if you have central air and your compressor doesn't have this function itself. If you power-cycle your compressor too quickly from off to on it can damage your compressor. I've been relatively happy with it. I'd really like to go with the KONOz, the zigbee version of the KONO wifi but I don't think I can justify another $150 when the one I have is working really well at the moment.

8

Thanks; I'll research both. Much appreciated!!

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