The Ecobee thermostat has a touchscreen that uses a graphical user interface to guide an owner through establishing settings. Like other programmable thermostats, the Ecobee lets you set a schedule for what the temperature should be when you wake, leave the house during the day, return, and go to sleep. You can also set date and time ranges for vacation settings.

The Ecobee connects to a thermostat through a standard HVAC interface, and hooks in to the Internet via a home WiFi network. The thermostat regularly synchronizes its data with a secure Web portal. Once networked, the thermostat can receive alerts, too, from whoever installed the device.