Ecobee’s smart thermostat is the first to have Siri, but it needs some intermediary from the Cupertino firm to function. Third-party accessories will be able to use Apple’s Siri speech assistant by the end of the year, according to Apple’s WWDC announcement. Ecobee, a Canadian home automation firm, is stepping forward with a free software upgrade that makes its SmartThermostat compatible with voice control.
It’s necessary to have a HomePod
Although the owners of such a thermostat, who are undoubtedly fans of home automation, will welcome the introduction of Apple’s voice assistant, the usefulness is severely limited.
Indeed, this SmartThermosta, dubbed “the world’s first thermostat with Alexa integrated” by the firm, already enabled voice commands from Amazon’s assistant without needing an Echo device. However, to utilize Siri, you must have an Apple HomePod or HomePod mini connected to the same network as a HomeKit hub; an Apple TV or iPad will not work.
Furthermore, it is not feasible to use both helpers at the same time. Users may quickly switch between the two systems, which is a welcome feature.
AirPlay 2 compatible
In practice, connecting the Ecobee SmartThermostat with HomeKit enables voice commands such as temperature control and alarm programming. The craft’s built-in speaker may also be used as an AirPlay 2 speaker for music streaming. The audio quality is likely to be poor because the speaker was not built for it.
The update went live on October 12th. Only the most current version of the Ecobee SmartThermostat, released in 2019 and includes Amazon Alexa voice control, a built-in microphone, and speaker, is eligible. A HomePod version 15 or later is required, as well as an Ecobee thermostat is running firmware 4.7.5.352. The gadget is now available on Amazon for 390 euros(Around KES 50,000 ).