ecobee just announced its first security camera the SmartCamera, which also doubles as a smart speaker with Amazon Alexa built-in.
Now the latter should come as no surprise, as ecobee has been building Alexa into its products for quite some time. With the ecobee4 being a smart thermostat and smart speaker, it’s light switch also doubling as a smart speaker. However, this is their first security camera.
ecobee SmartCamera records in 1080p with a wide viewing angle
Like most security cameras, the ecobee SmartCamera records in 1080p resolution and also has a pretty wide viewing angle. We’re talking 180-degrees. Which is wide enough to see an entire room without leaving any blind spots.
There’s also night vision available, so that it can see in the dark, even if you can’t.
This is an indoor camera, and it is not wire-free. So it’s not as versatile as something from Arlo, unfortunately. But this one is a pretty small camera, so you can put it virtually anywhere in your home without any issues.
The SmartCamera will keep 14 days of video on-board for you to playback at any time. But that footage is going to be encrypted. It uses two-factor authentication as well.
Now when you’re home, you won’t be getting notifications about it seeing people or movement. As it knows when you are home and will shut off when you are home. Which is honestly a really useful feature. One of the most annoying things about having a security camera is the constant notifications of it seeing you.
And it can all be controlled by hands-free Amazon Alexa. Allowing you to ask Alexa questions, control your other smart home products and so much more. It’s going to be a really convenient feature.
It’ll cost $179
The ecobee SmartCamera will cost you $179. Which is somewhat expensive for a security camera, but in all honesty, it’s not that bad. Especially when you consider the fact that this is a camera and a smart speaker in one.
ecobee is also launching its SmartSensor today, which can be used on doors and windows to let you know when they are opened. It’s essentially the beginning of a security system, but for less.
There will be bundles available with the SmartSensors and the SmartCamera included, which will cost you around $236. These aren’t going to be cheap, but they are well-made. And of course, there is hands-free Alexa also available to make things even easier.