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The Ecobee4 smart thermostat gets cozy with Alexa and Google Assistant

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Winter is fast approaching and with it, your need to control the temperature in your home. It’s almost more important to do so now than it was in the summer, when Ecobee launched its new smart thermostat with built-in Alexa capabilities just in time for the hot months. The Ecobee4 promises to combine “smart thermostat functionality and voice to help customers manage their home’s comfort, energy, and busy lives,” and now, part of that voice comes from Google Assistant.

The new thermostat features a built-in speaker and microphone, which allows you to talk to your Ecobee4, and for it to respond in kind. At launch, the thermostat featured compatibility with Amazon’s Alexa, but now, it’s adding Google’s smart assistant to the mix as well. Now, any Ecobee owner can just say, “OK Google, make my home warmer,” to activate an Ecobee3 lite, Ecobee3, or Ecobee4 smart thermostat.

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“We’re excited to work with Ecobee to offer Google Assistant users even more choice in managing and controlling their home environments,” Google product manager Mark Spates said. “Today’s announcement continues our commitment to offer Google Assistant users some of the most innovative smart home technology on the market. The Google Assistant already works with more than 1,000 smart devices from 150-plus popular brands, and we can’t wait to add another great option.”

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Thanks to far-field voice recognition, Ecobee4 will respond to voice commands no matter where in the room you may be. The thermostat is also compatible with the company’s room sensor technology, which detects when people are (or aren’t) around, and changes the temperature to either keep you comfortable or save you money.

“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. The voice-enabled Ecobee4 smart thermostat and smart light switch bring that promise to life,” Ecobee president and CEO Stuart Lombard said in a statement. “More than just individual products, Ecobee4 and the smart light switch work together to provide better comfort and savings while allowing customers to ask for almost anything from anywhere in their home.”

The smart thermostat will costs $249 and is compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Echo, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and If This Then That.

“Our vision is to bring Alexa to customers wherever they are, on-the-go, and in any room of their smart home. Ecobee’s smart thermostats and switches with Alexa will help realize this vision for customers,” Amazon Alexa Vice President Steve Rabuchin said. “We think the experience of simply asking Alexa to raise or lower the temperature in a room, or interacting with 12,000-plus other skills available on Alexa, will be delightful for customers.”

Update: The Ecobee4 now works with Google Assistant, too. 

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Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
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