Change SmartThings Mode by Ecobee Programming

#1

Many people have invested in a smart thermostat that has the ability to do recovery, home/away modes based on presence and leverage these features. I thought since the thermostat already knows so much why now try to link it with SmartThings modes.

The code below is based on the Ecobee having Awake, Home ,Sleep and Away schedule. And that you use the auto settings for the motion detectors that puts the schedule into Auto Home. It’s the same technique I have been used with the Vera systems for others and wanted to being it to SmartThings. I also set flags since they are the easiest way to trigger other activities. It requires Ecobee Suite Version 1.4.x

Update 4/2/2018: Made some improvements over the weekend. Added for vacation and manual program changes. Also reduced the number of calls to the device thus memory footprint:

https://community.smartthings.com/t/release-updated-ecobee-suite-v1-4-0-free/118597

One thing I don’t have yet is a override if the Ecobee goes offline still working on that part of the code.

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#2

Interesting… I have not been impressed with my ecobee 4 (one ecobee sensor in upstairs hall, ecobee in downstairs hall). For me it the ecobee sensors seem to delay 30(?) minutes… or maybe requires motion in each area within 30 minutes or it doesn’t think you are there(???) From the behavior I was seeing, it really needs an ecobee sensor in every room in order to work properly. How many ecobee sensors do you use?

I haven’t given up on it totally but it didn’t really help with the hot upstairs cold down issues. When it was running on its automatic modes I was even hotter upstairs and colder down. I have a single zone HVAC so maybe I am blaming the limitations of that onto the ecobee. ???

Also I don’t think it looks as nice in real life as it does in their pictures. The sides are white plastic, not black like the front. The display is clearly visible as a gray rectangle within the glossy black front.

Ecobee photos like this…

VS reality like this (the big white plate isn’t required)…

#3

Hmm…my Ecobee 3 is fully black on the front not seeing the back-light bleed though. Also the sensors are designed to be occupancy not motion so the time they trigger unoccupied is delayed, for me and my 7 sensors they usually show unoccupied in 15 to 20 minutes.

The use of specific sensors in a comfort settings is really a plus for me since I don’t count the upstairs in the daytime. Any sensors in a comfort setting would be averaged together so if you have a “large” gap between rooms it could lead to hot/cold issues. I solved most of that by adjusting the airflow to each room.

#4

If the ecobee 4 is anything like the ecobee 3 (I have three of these), you should be able to adjust the brightness level to eliminate/reduce the gray rectangle.

#5

Here is a good thread on the sensors and how they work with occupancy: