How Ecobee Sensors Work

How does Ecobee sensors work? If you are planning to get Ecobee sensors, this article is recommended for you as we’ll dissect how the Ecodee sensors work.

For Ecobee thermostats to function in fits full potential, they largely usually need sensors, and that is why they are usually paired with sensors in order to properly regulate the  temperature throughout the whole house and adjust the settings accordingly. This is why it is important, that you know how your Ecobee sensors work.

To break it down some more, on how Ecobee sensors work, let’s just say that sensors are to devices, what the nervous system is to the human body.

They are saddled with the responsibility of enhancing  and replacing  various human senses in  an automated assembly equipment. Devices are able to respond to light, electromagnetic fields, sound or pressure as a reason of the sensors installed in them.

In a nutshell,  Ecobee Sensors work by setting the temperature for comfort in the rooms that matter most and also balances your home’s temperature by managing hot or cold spots and circulating the temperature evenly.

Ecobee sensors offers you the luxury of controlling your sensor from anywhere, so you can check the temperature in important rooms using the voice assistant  feature. 

These  Sensors are compatible with the Ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control, Ecobee4, Ecobee3 lite and Ecobee3. 

In the course of this guide, we will explain in much more detail how the Ecobee sensors work, how to set up Ecobee sensors, Comfort settings and Ecobee participation, the follow me feature and lastly how to reset Ecobee sensor.

Don’t forget to check out How to Fix Ecobee Not Turning on Heat.

How to Set Up Ecobee Smart Sensors

First things first, before worrying about how your Ecobee sensors work, you need to first of all set them up properly. So, this steps will guide you on how to achieve that;

•  You need to first activate your Sensor, by  ensuring that your Ecobee device is awake. Do this, by touching its screen.
• Once your thermostat is on the Home Screen, gently pull the plastic tab on the back of the sensor.
• You will see a message on your Ecobee’s screen, conveying a 4-digit ID, which should be same with the 4-digit code on the back of your sensor. Tap Pair now to confirm pairing.
• You will be asked to choose a sensor name from the list or enter a custom name by selecting Enter Your Own. Tap Next when you are done.
•  Then, choose your Comfort Settings (i.e. Home, Away, and Sleep) you want the Room Sensor to operate by. This is done by checking or unchecking the boxes. (Comfort Settings tells your Ecobee what temperature you want your home to be during your Activities).
• Tap Next, then Finish when you’re done.

How Ecobee Sensors Work

Sensor use is varied, and this depends on the application but for this article, Ecobee Sensors work by gathering the temperature and occupancy data for a room. Then, the data is sent to the Ecobee Thermostat, where it is  used to heat or cool the room based on your comfort settings.

To further explain how Ecobee sensors work, all you need do is place a sensor in each room, the smart sensors will do the job of measuring the temperature of that specific area and due to their smart feature, are able to clearly dictate, if your living room is warm, down to the exact degree of warmth and if your kitchen is freezing cold. 

After measuring the temperatures of each area, the smart sensors will then regulate each room’s (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning ) commonly known as  HVAC system. Then, all your rooms will be warm and  comfortable enough.

Comfort Settings and Ecobee Participation

Comfort Settings are one integral way by which Ecobee sensors work. Basically, the comfort settings are a predefined heat/cool setting that can be applied to a specific period of a day, so they work to ensure that your home is kept at the best temperatures as you go about your activities for the day. The three default activities are;

• Home (indicated with a blue icon)
• Away (indicated with a purple icon)
• Sleep (indicated with a grey icon)

With these activities, your Ecobee sensors work on a guided tandem, so when you are “Home”, so the  “Home” mode automatically gets to work, when one of the sensors detect a room is occupied.

The “Away” mode, comes on when your sensors detects that there has been no activity in the room for the past 2 hours(this is where your sensors prove themselves as indeed smart) and they will stay so until occupancy is detected, the mode is manually cancelled or the next scheduled Comfort Setting begins.

Same also happens for the “Sleep” mode, Ecobee is able to detect when you are sleeping and sets the temperature to keep you at desired comfort.

How Follow Me Feature Work

Your Ecobee sensor should work optimally, after you have properly paired it and set it up, but if it isn’t then you may need to reset it, as resetting will likely make it function as should, by restoring it to factory defaults and usually fixing the problems you may have. 

To reset it, you just have to remove and put back its batteries. This is how you go about that;

1. Remove the stand or wall mount to expose the battery.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Then, gently lift the two metal prongs in the center of where the battery was.
4. Flip the battery over (so the + side is down) and put the battery back in for 30 seconds
5. Flip the battery back over so the positive side (+) is up, and reinstall
6. Put the backing or stand back on to cover the battery and pair with the Ecobee 

NOTE: Factory resets means you will lose all the personalized setting you have created for that sensor, as everything will go back to how it came from the factory.

There you go, we hope that having gone through this guide, you now fully understand how your Ecobee sensors work.