I've been using an ecobee Smart Video Doorbell for about a month now and I thought I'd share my impressions of it so far. This is one of only a small handful of HomeKit-compatible video doorbells out there. So when I was shopping for one, HomeKit compatibility was high on my priority wishlist. Ideally I wanted HomeKit Secure Video so I could tie it into my existing iCloud storage plan. Barring all this, I was considering a doorbell that supported local storage, like the Ubiquiti G4 doorbell. In my previous home, I had a Eufy, which is what my experience is limited to. In the end, I decided I didn't want the additional hardware clutter that would be required for Eufy/Ubiquity, and I didn't like what I was reading about the Logitech and Wemo video doorbells, which were the most prime candidates for HomeKit-compatible video doorbells. Complaints ranged from connectivity issues to overheating; video quality; and more. I just didn't feel good about either of those doorbells. There are a couple other HKSV-compatible options, but I didn't care for them for one reason or another that I don't recall offhand. In the end, I decided to get over my beef with subs. I figured if I'm not paying for a sub, then I'm paying for hardware, so what's the difference in the end?
So anyway, I wound up going with the ecobee. It doesn't support HKSV, but it DOES support HomeKit otherwise, and this is a big factor in why I went with this. I'm fairly new to using HomeKit and am slowly "smartening" up my new home, but as someone who is pretty much all-in on the Apple ecosystem, one thing I found very nice was that, while watching a show on my Apple TV, when someone rang the doorbell, I got a PIP pop-up on the TV of the video feed with a prompt to tap a button on the Apple Remote to go full screen and interact with the person at the door. This is very handy! I can see this as especially useful for someone wearing headphones or in an upstairs room watching TV who would have trouble hearing a doorbell ring. Other than this, there really isn't much else you can do with it in HomeKit that I can see, but I think this is more a limitation with HomeKit than it is with ecobee themselves. I am using a 3rd party iOS app that lets me add a variety of widgets to a single interface for my Home location, including weather and HomeKit accessories. A live video feed from that doorbell is one of those. (UPDATE: the motion sensor of the doorbell can in fact be used with HomeKit automations. I was able to set it up to activate an indoor light and can do the same for a number of other tasks).
For features of ecobee's software... it allows for package detection; motion detection; and person detection. You can also set the activity zone and the detection range (i.e. how far out it will look for motion using radar). It also has a Smart Focus option, meaning if it detects a person or package, the video will automatically pan and scan to keep the person or package in view. I personally decided to turn off package detection. I think it's a silly option. Packages don't just mysteriously turn up. Someone delivers them. So all I need to know is if someone came to my door. Period. I can figure out from there if they were carrying a package. Pretty simple if you ask me. Some reviewers had said the software over-prioritized focusing on packages over people, so this decision negates that problem. As for motion detection... so far, it seems outstanding! In reviewing my video feeds, they pretty much all start the moment someone rounds the corner of my garage coming to my front door. It's virtually instantaneous. My memory is a little fuzzy on my experience with my Eufy, but I don't recall it being anywhere near this responsive, and there was much longer walk up my carport at that house than there is in the walkway here. As for the Smart Focus option... I have that turned off. That's another feature that I think is downright silly. You aren't gaining any detail by doing that. You are just throwing away potentially useful footage. If you have a need to zoom in, you can always download the video after-the-fact and manually process it that way.
The video quality I feel is pretty good. The resolution is "only" 1080p and while I feel it should and could be better (I think the Eufy was better), I also think it's better overall than the Logitech and Wemo alternatives I was considering as HomeKit doorbell cameras. In particular, it does do very well at night. In fact, this is when the radar really comes in handy for motion detection. If my porch light is off, it does have pretty good night vision. If the porch light is on, color is pretty decent. The video does have a slight fish eye or coke bottle effect to it, but it's not terrible. It's not nearly as severe as the Wemo examples I've seen. When viewing a live feed, I have found that starting it up from the ecobee app is initially sluggish, but then seems fine and smooth once it gets going (takes about 5 seconds while at home). In comparison, a live feed from Apple's Home app is pretty much instantaneous, however that feed is choppy.
I have experienced one bug with this. I have a wind chime on my porch that is in the form of a bird, made from wood and coconut shells that bobbles. It's also outside the set detection range. For some bizarre reason, one time when someone arrived at my home, the video zoomed in on that chime rather than being the full field of view. It really shouldn't have done that, especially since I have the option to use Smart Focus turned off. I think ecobee clearly has some bugs to work on, which shouldn't be surprising. They only released these a couple months ago, so there will be some growing pains.
So those are my thoughts on it. I hope someone finds these useful. Any questions, feel free to ask.
So anyway, I wound up going with the ecobee. It doesn't support HKSV, but it DOES support HomeKit otherwise, and this is a big factor in why I went with this. I'm fairly new to using HomeKit and am slowly "smartening" up my new home, but as someone who is pretty much all-in on the Apple ecosystem, one thing I found very nice was that, while watching a show on my Apple TV, when someone rang the doorbell, I got a PIP pop-up on the TV of the video feed with a prompt to tap a button on the Apple Remote to go full screen and interact with the person at the door. This is very handy! I can see this as especially useful for someone wearing headphones or in an upstairs room watching TV who would have trouble hearing a doorbell ring. Other than this, there really isn't much else you can do with it in HomeKit that I can see, but I think this is more a limitation with HomeKit than it is with ecobee themselves. I am using a 3rd party iOS app that lets me add a variety of widgets to a single interface for my Home location, including weather and HomeKit accessories. A live video feed from that doorbell is one of those. (UPDATE: the motion sensor of the doorbell can in fact be used with HomeKit automations. I was able to set it up to activate an indoor light and can do the same for a number of other tasks).
For features of ecobee's software... it allows for package detection; motion detection; and person detection. You can also set the activity zone and the detection range (i.e. how far out it will look for motion using radar). It also has a Smart Focus option, meaning if it detects a person or package, the video will automatically pan and scan to keep the person or package in view. I personally decided to turn off package detection. I think it's a silly option. Packages don't just mysteriously turn up. Someone delivers them. So all I need to know is if someone came to my door. Period. I can figure out from there if they were carrying a package. Pretty simple if you ask me. Some reviewers had said the software over-prioritized focusing on packages over people, so this decision negates that problem. As for motion detection... so far, it seems outstanding! In reviewing my video feeds, they pretty much all start the moment someone rounds the corner of my garage coming to my front door. It's virtually instantaneous. My memory is a little fuzzy on my experience with my Eufy, but I don't recall it being anywhere near this responsive, and there was much longer walk up my carport at that house than there is in the walkway here. As for the Smart Focus option... I have that turned off. That's another feature that I think is downright silly. You aren't gaining any detail by doing that. You are just throwing away potentially useful footage. If you have a need to zoom in, you can always download the video after-the-fact and manually process it that way.
The video quality I feel is pretty good. The resolution is "only" 1080p and while I feel it should and could be better (I think the Eufy was better), I also think it's better overall than the Logitech and Wemo alternatives I was considering as HomeKit doorbell cameras. In particular, it does do very well at night. In fact, this is when the radar really comes in handy for motion detection. If my porch light is off, it does have pretty good night vision. If the porch light is on, color is pretty decent. The video does have a slight fish eye or coke bottle effect to it, but it's not terrible. It's not nearly as severe as the Wemo examples I've seen. When viewing a live feed, I have found that starting it up from the ecobee app is initially sluggish, but then seems fine and smooth once it gets going (takes about 5 seconds while at home). In comparison, a live feed from Apple's Home app is pretty much instantaneous, however that feed is choppy.
I have experienced one bug with this. I have a wind chime on my porch that is in the form of a bird, made from wood and coconut shells that bobbles. It's also outside the set detection range. For some bizarre reason, one time when someone arrived at my home, the video zoomed in on that chime rather than being the full field of view. It really shouldn't have done that, especially since I have the option to use Smart Focus turned off. I think ecobee clearly has some bugs to work on, which shouldn't be surprising. They only released these a couple months ago, so there will be some growing pains.
So those are my thoughts on it. I hope someone finds these useful. Any questions, feel free to ask.
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