FCC Filing Confirms HomeKit Support For Ecobee Camera
A recent filing on the FCC website, discovered by David Zatz and posted to his zatsnotfunny website, seems to confirm previously reported rumours that the forthcoming – and as of yet unreleased – Ecobee smart camera, will come with support for Apple HomeKit.
This assumption is based on the instance of an example of a HomeKit QR code to show where it would be placed and at what size it would be. There is always the possibility that the camera may not come with HomeKit support at launch, or worse still not have HomeKit support at all, although given they’re already invested in HomeKit via their Smart Thermostats, it’s a fairly safe bet that support will come one way or another.
The biggest question on everyone’s minds right is not so much ‘if and when’, but will it come with support for HomeKit Secure Video (HSV). If it does indeed come with HSV, it could be a very attractive piece of equipment for those that are already invested in Ecobee’s Thermostats, with the possibility of the camera being able to determine occupancy in relation to whether a thermostat is on, off or in a specific mode for a certain room, for example.
Either way, it’s an interesting looking camera, that will apparently also comes with Alexa built-in, not that we’re concerned about that aspect at HomeKit News…
Regarding thermostat support, I wouldn’t count on it. They released a nifty smart switch that suggested it would become compatible with the thermostats (detecting useful things like motion & temperature). But it seems like Ecobee gave up on that, and now they have products that should work together but don’t. I don’t think they have anything like an interoperable ecosystem of products yet to give us any hope for integration.
Thanks Magnus, I guess I’m being optimistic in that regard.