Doorbell · ecobee
ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera (wired) privacy & local-first review
Wired, Wi-Fi · List price: $159.99 (list)1
Last verified · 5 unverified items
5Local-First Score
how we score
how we score
At a glance
| Works without internet | Unverified 1 ecobee recommends a constant Wi-Fi connection; we found no statement on offline behaviour. |
|---|---|
| Local storage | None Cloud only: 30-day video history with Smart Security Plus or Advanced; no local storage documented12 |
| Home Assistant | Unverified 3 Apple Home (HomeKit) pairing is documented, but we found no source confirming it works with Home Assistant's HomeKit Device integration. |
| Open protocols | Unverified Unverified (Apple Home without Secure Video; no RTSP/ONVIF/Matter documented)1 |
| Subscription needed? | Required Yes for video history: the free Core tier has no video history; Plus ($5/mo) adds 30 days1 |
| Cloud account required? | Unverified |
| End-to-end encryption | Unverified 1 ecobee says data is "encrypted on-device before it's ever sent to the cloud", which is not a claim of end-to-end encryption. |
Score breakdown
| Works without internet | Unverified | 0 / 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Local video storage | None | 0 / 15 |
| Home Assistant, locally | Unverified | 0 / 15 |
| Open protocol (RTSP / ONVIF / Matter) | Unverified | 0 / 10 |
| No cloud account required | Unverified | 0 / 10 |
| No subscription for core recording | Required | 0 / 8 |
| End-to-end encryption | Unverified | 0 / 7 |
| Privacy policy: does not sell your data (brand) | Ad sharing disclosed ecobee's product page says "ecobee will never sell your data", but its privacy notice says it "may be considered to be 'selling' or 'sharing' personal information" because of third-party advertising/analytics cookies and "disclosure of certain ecobee Product user data to third parties for their own marketing purposes". We score the policy.21 | 0 / 5 |
| Police requests: warrant or no access (brand) | Discretionary ecobee's privacy notice lists disclosure "To respond to law enforcement requests and, as required by applicable law, court order or governmental regulations". No warrant requirement stated.2 | 0 / 5 |
| No incidents in our tracker, last 5 years (brand) | None tracked None in our tracker | 5 / 5 |
| Total | 5 / 100 |
Privacy notes
- Apple Home pairing is supported, but ecobee says HomeKit Secure Video is not.31
- ecobee's privacy notice says video and audio are processed on the camera and stored in the cloud for 30 days.2
- The product page says ecobee "will never sell your data", while the privacy notice says ad cookies and sharing some product-user data for third-party marketing may count as a "sale" or "sharing".12
Firmware & phoning home (not scored)
- ecobee says the doorbell receives automatic software upgrades.1
Police & law-enforcement requests (ecobee)
Discretionary ecobee's privacy notice lists disclosure "To respond to law enforcement requests and, as required by applicable law, court order or governmental regulations". No warrant requirement stated.2 Compare companies
Security incidents & settlements (ecobee)
None found in our tracker. Brands with a tracked incident in the last 5 years lose the 5 incident points.
Similar doorbells compared
| Device | Score | Offline | Local storage | Home Assistant | RTSP/ONVIF | Subscription | Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubiquiti UniFi G4 Doorbell ProDoorbell · Wired (doorbell wiring or PoE kit) | 90 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| Reolink Video Doorbell (PoE / WiFi)Doorbell · Wired (PoE or 12–24 VAC) | 82 | Yes | Yes | Local push | Yes | Not needed | Not required |
| Amcrest AD410 Video DoorbellDoorbell · Wired (doorbell wiring) | 73 | Yes | Yes | Local polling | Yes | Not needed | Unverified |
| ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera (wired)Doorbell · Wired, Wi-Fi | 5 | Unverified | None | Unverified | Unverified | Required | Unverified |
Reolink RTSP/ONVIF setup note (added Oct 22, 2026): on many current Reolink models, RTSP and ONVIF (and on some, HTTP) ship switched off. Reolink says to enable them once in the Reolink App or desktop Client under Network > Advanced > Server Settings, or in the web interface where it is reachable45. For cameras attached to a Reolink NVR or Home Hub, enable the ports on the NVR/hub instead4. The App and Client can manage a camera as a "Local Device" using only its UID, username and password, so no Reolink account is needed for this step6. Home Assistant users report the same out-of-the-box behavior on recent firmware7.
More from this company: Is ecobee safe? Policies and incident record. Have a question about this device? Ask us or suggest a device.
Spotted an error? See our corrections policy. Informational only, not legal advice.
Sources
- ecobee: Smart Doorbell Camera (wired) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- ecobee: Privacy notice (effective Nov 27, 2024) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- ecobee Support: Smart Doorbell Camera (wired) and Apple Home · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink: How to configure Reolink ports settings · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink: Reolink Home Assistant integration (prerequisites) · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Reolink: Local Device vs Account Device · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Home Assistant Community (user report): Reolink cameras ship with open-protocol ports off · checked Oct 22, 2026