Ecobee 3. I'm new :)

[captainjy]

Hi. I’m new to ST and have been reading about Ecobee 3. I’m not clear as to whether it’s compatible with ST. It looks like it works but requires some
Additional code? I’m sorry I’m just not a developer and need some help. Thanks!!!

[JDRoberts]

Welcome to the forums! Ecobee is in “SmartThings Lab” status. That means SmartThings is working on an official integration, but it’s still in Beta.

SmartThings.

Meanwhile @yvesracine is a community member who has contributed a lot of custom code to improve the integration. So there are people using Ecobee with SmartThings, but it’s not a completely smooth integration yet.

Before jumping over to the Ecobee topic, take a look at this for an overview of how custom code works with SmartThings:

FAQ: An Overview of Using Custom Code in SmartThings

So you're new to SmartThings, you asked a question, and someone suggested "custom code" as an answer. Or you were browsing the forums, and you found something that sounded like it would be perfect for what you wanted, but again, "uses custom code." What does that mean, how hard is it to do, and what's the difference between a "SmartApp" and a "Device Type Handler"? (Note: the official terminology has changed a couple of times. "device type handler," "device handler," "DTH," and "device type" all mean the same thing, and you will find all these terms used in the forums.) SECTION I: SMARTAPPS AND DEVICE HANDLERS: WHAT THEY ARE SmartAPPS: Tiny Programs to decide what a specific device should do when, or to collect the information from a specific device SmartApps, including the var…

And here are Yves’ topics on the Ecobee. The first is for basic functionality.

My Ecobee Init (Service Manager) for easier installation

Hello, In order to simplify the installation of the My custom Ecobee device for all ecobee users out there, I made some changes to be able to use a similar installation process as the ST stock ecobee device. This is done with a simple SmartApp called "My Ecobee Init" that acts as a Service Manager for the ecobee thermostats at your home. See readme file at https://github.com/yracine/device-type.myecobee for instructions. Here are the main benefits of using My Ecobee Device: Better performance and reliability Support of ecobee3, Smart, and EMS thermostats Support of Farenheits and Celsius Up to date with recent ecobee's API changes Expose all ecobee API functions to Smartthings such as setClimate Home or Away for smarter automation More UI tiles to show all ecobee informatio…

This one is specific to using the ecobee zone sensors:

Ecobee 3 Remote Sensors into ST

Hello, I'm considering the Ecobee3 w/ remote sensors. I'm also thinking that it would be nice for those remote sensors to be pulled into ST. For example I saw that something of the system does humidity, I would hope all sensor units do. It would be nice to turn humidifiers in the various rooms on and off based on that. I did see that there's a slow refresh rate in another post, I don't know that that's a major problem for me. I don't intend to use the motion. Thanks for any replies!

[captainjy]

Thanks JD. It’s funny, I was just reading some from his post. Regarding SmartLabs, is there a beta that users can run for Ecobee 3? I know I have a lot to learn so sorry for the newbie type questions.

[JDRoberts]

Thanks JD. It’s funny, I was just reading some from his post. Regarding SmartLabs, is there a beta that users can run for Ecobee 3? I know I have a lot to learn so sorry for the newbie type questions.

i’m sorry, I don’t know its current status, most people seem to be using Yves’ code. I don’t have the Ecobee myself. Hopefully some people who do have the Ecobee will chime in.

[captainjy]

Thanks a ton! I have the Ecobee 3 coming and i’m sure it’ll work pretty good until it’s officially supported. Sounds like Nest is wifi only as well, right?

[JDRoberts]

Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean by “nest is WiFi only.” Nest uses its own communication protocol, Thread, which is not used by SmartThings. However, there is a cloud to cloud option similar to the one with Ecobee, so there are some community members using it. The Honeywell zwave thermostat is also popular. See:

Best Thermostat to Purchase

I've been looking at different thermostats to purchase, I have a very old thermostat that has no timer or scheduling on it so I think I can get a lot of bang for the buck by upgrading. I don't think I want a Nest or the new Honeywell Wifi Smart Thermostat. I don't want something to learn and change, because I don't think my family has enough of a consistent pattern to make it worth while. I would rather control it and program it. I'm having a hard time deciding upon a Z-wave thermostat like the Honeywell YTH8320ZW1007 or like a Honeywell 7 Day Programmable Wi-Fi or TH8320WF1029 Honeywell. I want the better thermostat, I'm not as super concern it integrates with the rest of the house because either I can hack it together with a custom SmartApp, and using local machine to expose func…

[captainjy]

Thank you very much for your help JD!