Resetting an ecobee3 lite, now sold as the Smart Thermostat Lite, wipes its settings and its link to your account, so it is useful when you are moving, selling it or starting again, but it is not a fix to try first. The thermostat is a value model that does not include a room sensor or occupancy sensing, and it runs on the wiring in the wall; a thermostat that behaves oddly, drops off the network or has a blank screen is often a power problem.
The checks in more detail
If your wiring has no common wire, ecobee supplies a Power Extender Kit, and without it the thermostat may reboot, lose Wi-Fi or show random behavior. Check the wiring and the kit before you reset. Also try a restart: from the menu, choose the restart option, or switch off the heating and cooling at the breaker for a minute. When you reset, decide what you want to clear. The thermostat's settings menu has options to reset the Wi-Fi, to reset the HomeKit pairing, to reset the schedule and preferences, and to reset everything, which returns it to its factory state.
Use the smallest one that solves the issue. Resetting only Wi-Fi is enough after a router change. Resetting everything is for a sale or a full restart. Before a full reset, remove the thermostat from your account and from any home app, so it does not remain registered to you, and note your schedule and temperature settings for later. After a full reset, the thermostat goes through its setup screens, asks for your language, wiring and equipment, and connects to Wi-Fi, after which you register it again with the app using the code on the display.
Make sure the equipment settings match your system, because wrong settings can cause heating or cooling to run wrongly, so confirm the heating and cooling types and the wires. Check that the heating and cooling both respond in a test. If the thermostat will not reset, will not reconnect or will not start, check the wires at the base and the power and contact ecobee support with the serial number. If you are not confident with the wiring, use a qualified technician, and always switch off the power first.
Differential
Likely causes of “ecobee3 lite will not reset or needs to be reset safely”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Weak power without a common wire
What separates it Reboots, dropouts and odd behavior
How to confirm Fit the Power Extender Kit or a C wire
- 2
A router change
What separates it The thermostat is offline
How to confirm Reset only the Wi-Fi settings
- 3
The thermostat is being sold or moved
What separates it It is still registered to you
How to confirm Remove it from your account, then reset everything
- 4
Wrong equipment settings after setup
What separates it Heating or cooling runs wrongly
How to confirm Re-enter the equipment settings and test
- 5
A schedule gone wrong
What separates it Temperatures are unexpected
How to confirm Reset only the schedule
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Why you want to reset
- Whether a common wire or Power Extender Kit is fitted
- The wiring and equipment
- What you want to keep
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedCheck the power wiring
ReversibleCommon wire or kit.
Try a restart
ReversibleMenu or breaker.
Choose the smallest reset
ReversibleWi-Fi, HomeKit, schedule or all.
Remove it from your account
ReversibleBefore a full reset.
Re-enter the equipment settings
ReversibleAfter a full reset.
Test heating and cooling
ReversibleBoth.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Value model
- No included sensor or occupancy sensing.
- Power
- A weak supply causes odd behavior.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If it will not restart or reconnect, contact ecobee with the serial number
- !Use a technician for wiring
- !Remove it from your account before selling
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Does the ecobee3 lite include a room sensor?+
No.
Do I need a common wire?+
Or the Power Extender Kit.
Which reset should I use?+
The smallest that solves the issue.
Is it now called the Smart Thermostat Lite?+
Yes.