Ecobee Not Connecting To WiFi? – Complete Fix Guide

An issue like  Ecobee not connecting to WiFi is most often due to an incorrectly set up WiFi network.

If your Ecobee can’t connect to a WiFi network, you won’t be able to use its features.

If that’s the case, don’t worry since we have a few easy-to-follow troubleshooting steps to take care of the issue. 

To fix your Ecobee not connecting to WiFi, power cycle your thermostat and restart your WiFi router. Then check your WiFi signal strength and speed. Next, check if your Ecobee has the latest software update and see if your router’s security settings are correctly set.

Now that you know why your thermostat is not connecting to WiFi, let’s see the most common causes for this issue:

Why Is My Ecobee Not Connecting To WiFi?

The issue of the Ecobee thermostat not connecting to WiFi can be either caused due to two factors.

If your Ecobee thermostat device has a software malfunction or your network is faulty, you won’t be able to connect your Ecobee to a WiFi network.

Software Issues

If your router or Ecobee thermostat has encountered a software issue, this can prevent WiFi connection.

Hardware Damage

If your thermostat or router has a physical defect or suffers damage, it could malfunction. 

Weak WiFi Signal

If your WiFi signal can not reach your Ecobee, it won’t be able to connect to it.

Incompatible Security Protocol

When your router is not set up to run the appropriate security protocol, your thermostat won’t be able to use it.

Note: If your Ecobee has a sensor with no battery left, it might fail to connect to a WiFi network.

How To Fix Ecobee Not Connecting To WiFi?

Before troubleshooting, please note that the Ecobee thermostat should be connected to a 2.4 GHz network.

Although some thermostats support dual-band configurations, you should manually switch to 2.4GHz if your Ecobee can not link to a WiFi network.

You must also use the factory-issued power supply for your Ecobee thermostat for proper operation. 

To fix your Ecobee connection, please proceed with these solutions in the exact order without skipping for the best results:

Solution #1 Power Cycle Your Ecobee And WiFi Router

Power cycling or restarting your Ecobee thermostat can fix many of your thermostat’s internal software errors.

We will show you how to restart your router and the thermostat device.

Here are the steps to correctly restart your WiFi router:

1. Unplug the WiFi router power cable from its backside
2. Wait 1 minute and then reinsert it back again
3. Wait for your WiFi router internet light to turn solid 

To restart your Ecobee thermostat, follow these simple steps:

1. Restart your Ecobee device by unplugging it from the power source
2. Wait for 30 seconds, and then plug it back again

Note: If your thermostat is using batteries, take them out, wait a minute and reinsert them.

Solution #2 Check Your Ecobee And WiFi Signal Strength

Having poor signal strength can cause your thermostat connectivity issues. First, we need to check that your WiFi speed is sufficient. 

To check your internet connection speed, please perform the following steps:

1. Open any web browser while being connected to your WiFi network 
2. In the search field, type “Online Internet Speed Test” 
3. Run the internet speed test 

You should have a speed of at least 2MBps for the stable operation of your thermostat.

Please contact your internet service provider if your internet speed is too slow.

After confirming that your WiFi speed is up to par, you need to check your Ecobee signal strength by accessing its interface. 

Here is how to check your Ecobee signal strength:

1. Go to Main Menu and then click on Account 
2. Find and click the WiFi option 
3. The signal strength will be listed there

If your signal strength is below 75%, this can cause WiFi connection issues for your Ecobee.

If your Ecobee has a signal strength that is not satisfactory, don’t worry, we have you covered. Solution 3 focuses on improving your router’s signal strength.

Note: Getting WiFi signal repeaters is a great way to extend your router's transmission range.

Solution #3 Troubleshoot Your Wi-Fi Router

An unstable Wi-Fi connection is the most common reason for Ecobee not connecting to WiFi.

If your Wi-Fi router is improperly set up, this can impact the speed and consistency of data being delivered to your Ecobee thermostat.

Here are some general troubleshooting tips for your Wi-Fi router:

• Ensure that the Ecobee is no further than one room away from your router.
• Disconnect any unused devices from your WiFi network
• Reduce physical obstructions between your Wi-Fi router and the thermostat.
• Verify that all cables are connected to your router 

It can be problematic if you have too many concrete walls or electronic devices that emit strong frequencies.

These can impede your WiFi router signal strength. Additionally, check if your router is placed in a central location and above ground level. 

Note: Reduce background data use for connected devices to your WiFi network to give more bandwidth to your Ecobee thermostat device.

Solution #4 Check That Ecobee Firmware Is Updated

Your Ecobee device is updated automatically whenever a new software version becomes available.

Since you can’t manually install software for your Ecobee thermostat, your best option is to ensure that it’s connected to a working WiFi network. 

A clever workaround to get your Ecobee to update automatically is connecting it to a different network that’s verified as fully working.

A mobile hotspot network is the quickest way to try an alternative connection.

Here are the steps to connecting your Ecobee thermostat to a hotspot network. 

1. Ensure that your smartphone has a working and enabled hotspot connection
2. Power on your Ecobee device and tap on the Main Menu icon
3. Navigate and tap on WiFi and ensure that the WiFi Radio option is toggled on
4. Tap on Network from the same menu
5. Tap on Select WiFi network, or tap on Use iPhone, iPad or iPod if you have an iOS device instead
6. Find your hotspot network from the list and tap on it to connect
7. Enter the hotspot’s password and tap on Connect 

After successfully connecting your thermostat to a different network, wait a few minutes and check if it’s running the latest software version.

To check your Ecobee thermostat network, open its Main Menu and select About. The currently installed version should be listed there.

If your hotspot network is not showing up on your Ecobee thermostat, restart your phone and enable the hotspot again. 

Note: You can check the latest available software update versions online by clicking here.

Solution #5 Reinstall Your Ecobee App

Ecobee offers smartphone or tablet users the chance to install their applications through the App Store or the Google Play store.

After you delete and reinstall your Ecobee app, restart your thermostat device and check if it can connect to your WiFi network.

Note: Please ensure that while downloading the app, you're using Wi-Fi and not your phone's 4G connection which might incur a high data usage cost.

Solution #6 Check Your Router Encryption

When you get the error of Ecobee unable to connect to WiFi, there is a high chance that your WiFi is improperly configured.

If your WiFi network’s encryption is improperly set up, your Ecobee thermostat won’t be able to connect to it. 

Here are the exact steps to ensure your router is correctly set up for your thermostat to connect:

1. Access your router’s user interface from a suitable device
2. Log in to your WiFi router as the administrator 
3. Find the WPA/WPA2 encryption options
4. Set your WPA/WPA2 encryption to AES 
5. Apply the changes and restart your router 

After these steps, check to see if your Ecobee thermostat can properly identify and connect to your WiFi network.

Note: Ecobee thermostats don't support TKIP encryption and can't connect to such WiFi networks.

Quick Summary:

To fix your Ecobee from not connecting to WiFi, first restart both your WiFi and Ecobee. Then verify that you are using the latest software version. Next, reinstall the Ecobee app and check your router’s security encryption. 

Bottom Line:

Now that you know how to fix Ecobee not connecting to WiFi, we hope you can successfully apply our fixes.

If the issue persists, you should contact Ecobee support for further troubleshooting solutions.