Now you can unlock your door from Ecobee’s app

If you person an Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera, you should now beryllium capable to fto personification successful much easy by tapping "unlock" correct from the unrecorded position successful the Ecobee app alternatively than jumping into your smart fastener app. If you usage Ecobee’s Smart Security system, you tin besides person the doorway fastener erstwhile you limb the system. But it won’t unlock erstwhile you disarm the strategy and putting your PIN codification into the doorway fastener won’t move disconnected the system.

The caller integration will activity pinch immoderate Wi-Fi-enabled smart fastener from Yale aliases August that uses the Yale aliases August app (Fortune Brands owns some companies). This includes my apical prime for a smart lock, the Yale Assure 2 (with Wi-Fi), positive the August Wi-Fi smart lock and the caller Yale Approach lock.

The doorway fastener characteristic requires an Ecobee subscription plan, which starts astatine $5 a period aliases $50 annually and includes 30 days of video retention for your doorbell camera. Once you nexus your Ecobee and Yale aliases August accounts, you tin power the doorway fastener successful the Ecobee app and nexus it to the Ecobee information system. (Sadly, while you tin view a unrecorded provender from your doorbell connected an Ecobee Thermostat, you won't beryllium capable to power the fastener straight connected the thermostat.)

This business is simply a bully upgrade for Ecobee users and makes the level much viable arsenic a complete smart location system. In summation to the video doorbell and the smart thermostat, Ecobee has an indoor camera, and its smart information strategy (which tin usage its thermostat arsenic a hub) useful pinch Ecobee’s motion and interaction sensors. But it’s a shame the caller integration is locked down a subscription.

Several companies already connection the expertise to fastener aliases unlock your doorway from a unrecorded position of your doorbell camera for free. Ring doorbells tin do this with the Schlage Encode smart lock, and immoderate Apple Home-compatible smart fastener tin activity pinch immoderate Apple Home-compatible doorbell to let this successful the Home app. Companies for illustration Eufy and Aqara, which make some smart locks and doorbell cameras, besides person it.

Matter should yet beryllium capable to supply this type of cross-manufacturer integration for free erstwhile (or if) cameras go portion of the spec. However, contempt early promises of Matter compatibility, Ecobee hasn’t upgraded immoderate of its products to support the caller smart location standard.

For hardware companies moving into subscription services to guarantee much recurring revenue, it’s easy to spot why Matter and its potential for commodification whitethorn not look truthful appealing. Ecobee already useful pinch each awesome smart location level — including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Alexa, and Google Home — making Matter’s interoperability characteristic little of a draw.

Ultimately, proprietary partnerships for illustration this one, which trust connected cloud-based connections and circumstantial hardware, whitethorn beryllium little compelling to users than Matter, pinch its committedness of section power and wider interoperability. But until Matter becomes seamless and easy to use, paying $5 a period for everything to conscionable activity holds immoderate appeal.