If you have kids in the house and are strict about the thermostat, you can lock down your Ecobee with a PIN code so that no one can adjust the temperature except those authorized to do so.
With a non-smart thermostat, you’d usually have to get a locked enclosure to put around it as you see in most businesses. But with smart thermostats like the Ecobee, you can simply put a passcode lock on it just like you would with your smartphone.
Unfortunately, you can only set this up from the thermostat itself and not from the Ecobee app on your phone (like the Nest allows you to do), but it’s easy to do and doesn’t take a lot of time at all.
How to Use Ecobee Access Control
Start by tapping on the menu button in the bottom-left corner of the screen on the Ecobee thermostat.
Scroll down and tap on “Settings”.
Select “Access Control”.
Tap on “Enable Security Code”.
Enter a four-digit passcode that you want to use with the thermostat in order to unlock it.
Next, select all of the features that will require a passcode in order to change them. You can simply tap on “All” in order to lock down the thermostat entirely.
At this point, the passcode will be enabled, but you’ll have to wait for the thermostat to go into standby mode before it will begin activating. You’ll know when it’s in standby mode when all that shows on the screen is the indoor temperature and a smaller icon below that denoting the outdoor temperature.
Now, whenever someone tries to change settings or adjust the indoor temperature, they will be met with a screen where they will need to enter the passcode before they can change anything.
