ecobee launched its next-generation smart thermostat ecobee4 in Canada in conjunction with Amazon’s rollout of Alexa Voice Service north of the border. ecobee4 adds Amazon Alexa voice service and far-field voice recognition to an already packed list of smart thermostat features including ecobee’s pioneering room sensor technology.
ecobee4 will be available for purchase on November 15, 2017. ecobee will continue to help lead the smart home category towards a whole-home-voice future with a voice-enabled smart light switch rolling out in early 2018. More than just a light switch, ecobee’s first venture beyond smart thermostats will come equipped with Amazon Alexa and borrow from ecobee’s signature room sensors by measuring occupancy and temperature to help deliver effortless comfort and control to the rooms that matter most.
“As a proud Canadian company, it is an exciting milestone for us to offer ecobee4 to Canadians with the launch of Amazon Alexa across the country,” said ecobee President and CEO Stuart Lombard. “We are committed to building technology that makes customers’ lives simpler and better. Technology that allows our customers to focus on the things that matter – their families and moments they share. With ecobee4, and soon the smart light switch, voice recognition will make for an even easier, seamless smart home experience so our customers can get back to enjoying what matters most.”
With a built-in speaker and microphone, ecobee4 can be controlled through its sleek touch-screen, a smart phone or voice. Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service allows customers to ask their ecobee4 to adjust the temperature of their home, in addition to the growing list of Alexa capabilities such as setting a timer, helping plan your commute or playing the news. Thanks to far-field voice recognition, ecobee4 will conveniently respond to voice commands from anywhere in the room. ecobee4 is compatible with the company’s pioneering room sensor technology, which measures occupancy and temperature to deliver comfort when the customer is home and energy savings when they’re away.
“Canadian customers can now bring Alexa into their smart homes with ecobee4,” said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Amazon Alexa. “We’re thrilled that ecobee chose to integrate Alexa into its flagship thermostat device. The experience of simply asking Alexa to adjust your thermostat, and for her thousands of other skills and capabilities, is magical. We can’t wait for customers in Canada to try it out.”
