ecobee is discontinue support for the first smart thermostat. Starting July 31, 2024, the Ecobee smart thermostat and the Ecobee Energy Management System (EMS) Thermostats will no longer be able to be controlled remotely or use smart integrations. Basically, anything that requires an Internet connection will stop working. They will still control your HVAC the same way a non-smart device does: you control it on the device.
The company is offering affected users a 30 percent discount on a new Ecobee thermostat, good for up to 15 thermostats. Customers should have received an email with the offer, but if not, says Ecobee vice president of product design Bryan Hurren. contact support to get a code.
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat was the world's first connected thermostat and launched in 2008, a year after the first iPhone and three years before the original Nest Learning Thermostat. The EMS thermostat arrived in 2010 and was designed for commercial installations. Both models were discontinued in 2013 before the introduction of the Ecobee 3 in 2014.
Hurren says Ecobee will continue to be compatible with its other legacy thermostats, including EMS SI, Smart SI, and Ecobee 3. Additionally, none of its existing models, such as Ecobee3 Lite, Smart Thermostat Premium, and Smart Thermostat Enhanced, are affected. .
“This decision was not made lightly and was made based on evolving technology standards and the challenge of supporting older hardware,” Hurren said in a statement to The edge. “We recognize the frustration this may cause and are actively exploring ways to help affected users.”
The fact that Ecobee still supported technology from 16 years ago is unusual in today's upgrade-focused world. But the move illustrates a big caveat when purchasing cloud-dependent devices: If the company turns off cloud support, it will lose those smart features it paid for.
That may not be a big deal for devices you plan to update regularly, but for products you install into your home's infrastructure, like a thermostat, there's an expectation that they will last much longer. Non-connected thermostats can last for decades.
This is a weak point of the smart home. Connecting products like thermostats, refrigerators, and washing machines to the cloud can bring benefits like convenience and energy savings, but it may come at the expense of longevity. Especially when a company has the power to activate any smart feature.
Hurren declined to say how long they will support their newer models, but noted that the 10-year-old Ecobee 3 is still being updated. All models from 3 have the option of local control through Apple HomeKit, something that Smart and EMS lacked. So if Ecobee disabled support for them, you would still have access to some smart features if you used an iPhone. However, a better option would be if the company offered a local API for smart home platforms that operate on your local network, such as Home Assistant and hubityIt could be connected directly to the thermostat.