Ecobee 3 Lite Smart Thermostat Complete Review: Price, Wiring, Compatibility And Manual; Release Set In October?

Ecobee has now finally unveiled a less expensive version of their latest smart thermostat, the ecobee3 lite. While the new model looks similar to the original ecobee3 as it has the same design and User interface, it costs $80 less and makes it more attractive for those who need a smart home control with a lower price tag.

There’s a smarter way to control your heat and cooling. ecobee3 lite is available now. Just $169 USD. #ecobee3lite https://t.co/B2hfcw11Yw pic.twitter.com/Wg29zmoiJS

— ecobee (@ecobee) October 17, 2016

Complete Review:

The Ecobee 3 is expected to be released in the market on October 31 at a $169 retail price. Although it costs $80 less than the original Ecobee3 as well as the Nest, some features had to go to reach that price while keeping the flagship model relevant.

Hardware:

The Ecobee 3 Lite Smart Thermostat comes wrapped in a white plastic cover and a semi-reflective black front face. The 3.5-inch touchscreen display is quite easily readable from most angles. The thermostat, when idle, shows the temperature and weather, but as you walk up to it, the screen starts to also display temperature controls as well as icons for accessing the thermostat's system settings. The Ecobee 3 lite has a number of pins on its bottom that aids in attaching it to the housing mounted on the wall. The Buyer can also choose to install an additional plastic base extending about 2 inches around the edge of the housing.

Wiring And Manual:

The installation is very simple: You can either download the Ecobee app for stepwise instructions or use the guides and videos available on the company's website. In short, the first step is to shut down your HVAC system, attach the provided base to the wall, wire in your thermostat, and turn the system back on. Ecobee Lite Thermostat will itself automatically walk you through most of the important steps. Once installed, the smart thermostat will verify all the wires connections and whether you are using the PEK. Following that it'll ask you for the heating and cooling setup, to name the thermostat and at last set up the WiFi password. When all the steps are completed, the thermostat will generate a registration code, and that's it.

#Preorder now!!! #Ecobee 3 Lite only $169 #smarthome #smartthermostat #Alexa compatible https://t.co/p7iz1Tbezo pic.twitter.com/CUlp81yWf9 — OMG Savings (@OMG_Savings) October 19, 2016

Compatibility And Working:

The Ecobee 3 Lite is as simple as we expected it to be. Moving a finger up and down on the right side of the display adjusts the temperature. The smart thermostat learns the User's patterns and adapts to it. All the settings can easily be accessed using the icons on the thermostat display, or from the app.

The thermostat can also be paired with Amazon Echo for voice control, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, and several others. The Device also features IFTTT support for even higher levels of customization. The app and the web console show the same display as the device itself, the same controls are used everywhere.

What's Missing?

Unfortunately, to reach the $169 price, the Thermostat manufacturer had to remove the remote sensors. The loss of these sensors won't be a deal-breaker as not all users needed this feature. However, just in case you're not walking past your Ecobee 3 smart thermostat regularly, it may as well decide to put your home into the away mode.

The ecobee 3 lite will be available for purchase from October 31 from Amazon, Home Depot stores, BestBuy.com, and also ecobee's online store for $169 USD. Price in Canada is $219 CAD . Stay Tuned To SWR for more updates on the Ecobee 3 lite smart thermostat.