Ecobee launches new Haven home monitoring platform, SmartCamera and more

Toronto-based Ecobee has announced Haven, the company’s new home monitoring platform.

Ecobee touts the system as “truly intelligent” and says it eliminates the need for things like keypads and other single-use devices. In other words, Ecobee designed its hardware to serve multiple purposes in the home.

Along with launching Haven, Ecobee unveiled two new smart home security devices. First up is the Ecobee SmartCamera with voice control, which offers 1080p video with a 180-degree field of view. The camera includes a ‘Smart Focus’ feature as well that allows it to automatically pan and zoom to capture unexpected movement and minimize blind spots. Plus, for the privacy-conscious, the SmartCamera can automatically shut off when family members are home.

The second device launched by Ecobee is the SmartSensor for doors and windows. These sensors can detect if doors or windows open and notify users. Rumours about Ecobee’s work on this type of sensor began circulating almost a year ago.

Ecobee says the new sensors can pair with existing Ecobee smart thermostats or SmartSensors, which detect temperature and occupancy. For example, the sensors can help regulate comfort control throughout your home or detect motion and send you alerts when you’re away.

Ecobee’s founder and CEO, Stuart Lombard, said in a press release that because thousands of customers were hacking together security systems using solutions like IFTTT and existing SmartSensors, Haven was a natural next step.

Haven keeps it simple

The new Haven platform keeps it simple thanks to plug-and-play devices and a focus on hardware that accomplishes multiple tasks. The idea is to have less technology cluttering up your home while still performing everything you need smart devices to do, all without needing professional installations.

Part of that means designing more intelligent hardware and building smart features into devices.

For example, Ecobee touts a new ‘Autopilot’ feature at the Haven’s core. Autopilot leverages the intelligence of all your Ecobee hardware to understand user patterns and adjust automatically to their needs. That looks like the SmartCamera powering down when you come home, automatically arming and disarming the security system depending on where you are or changing the temperature.

Knowing when users are home and when they’re not is also core to the Haven experience. Through Wi-Fi connectivity and geolocation tools, Haven will turn off automatically when family members come home, no need for keypads or other hardware.

Ecobee also says Haven focusses on privacy. One example of this is the SmartCamera, which uses built-in hardware like its eight-core CPU to process security footage. That eliminates the need to upload video to the cloud for analysis, something many other smart home security products rely on. SmartCamera analyzes video on-device and only uploads clips to the cloud when it detects motion while the system is armed.

Plus, SmartCamera requires mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA) to prevent unwanted third-party access.

Finally, Ecobee says its new hardware will continue the company’s open ecosystem approach. The new SmartCamera, for example, will immediately work with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit with SmartThings. Google Assistant compatibility is on the way as well.

Pricing and bundles

The new hardware, as well as Haven, will all work with existing Ecobee devices, including the Ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control, Ecobee3, Ecobee3 Lite and Ecobee4.

Starting April 15th, 2020, Ecobee users can sign up for a 30-day free trial of Haven through the Ecobee website. Haven has two price tiers, which are as follows:

• Essential: Home monitoring, Autopilot and video storage for up to one device – $7 per month
• Extended: Home monitoring, Autopilot and video storage for unlimited devices – $14 per month

Along with Haven, the new hardware is available either on its own or in bundles with a variety of Ecobee devices. You can view those below:

• SmartCamera with voice control: $249
• SmartSensor for doors and windows 2-pack: $99
• Total Home Comfort and Security bundle: $699
  • SmartThemorstat with voice control
  • SmartCamera with voice control
  • SmartSensor 2-pack
  • SmartSensor for doors and windows 2-pack
• Home Comfort with Voice Control bundle: $449
  • • SmartThermostat with voice control and included SmartSensor
    • SmartSensor 2-pack
• Home Security bundle: $399
  • SmartCamera with voice control
  • SmartSensor 2-pack
  • SmartSensor for doors and windows 2-pack
• Home Comfort bundle: $329
  • Ecobee3 lite smart thermostat
  • SmartSensor 2-pack
• Camera Coverage bundle: $449
  • SmartCamera 2-pack
• Sensor Coverage bundle: $139
  • SmartSensor 2-pack
  • SmartSensor for doors and windows 2-pack

All this comes alongside Ecobee’s recent rebrand. While the launch looks promising, Ecobee is struggling in other areas. The company recently laid off 10 percent of its 479 staff and cancelled an upcoming smart light line. Ecobee planned to launch the lights last year but delayed them due to bugs.

You can learn more about Haven and the new hardware on Ecobee’s website.