ecobee's lights and sounds article has a Factory Reset section alongside Everyday Use, Set up and HomeKit, and explains what the doorbell's lights and voice prompts show during a reset. A factory reset returns the doorbell to its defaults and removes its wifi connection and settings, so you must set it up again in the app. Try lighter steps first: restart the router and modem, check power and wifi, and restart the doorbell by cycling the doorbell circuit at the breaker.
The checks in more detail
Use a reset when the doorbell will not connect, stays offline, will not finish setup, or you are giving it away. Before resetting, note your Activity Zone, chime settings and detection choices, since they need rebuilding. If you are selling or moving, unregister the doorbell from your account and follow ecobee's transfer ownership article so the new owner can register it.
Recordings tied to your Smart Security subscription remain per the subscription terms, so download any you want first. After the reset, set it up again, check the lights and voice prompts, and test live view and alerts. If it will not reset, contact ecobee support. Photograph your zone and chime settings before resetting, since they take longer to rebuild than the device does to set up.
After a reset give the doorbell a few minutes to finish booting before starting setup. Keep the reset exact and do not repeat it. Before resetting a doorbell you are selling, unregister it from your account first, since a device still linked to you will block the new owner. A reset is a poor first step for a doorbell that is merely slow, since a router restart or a power cycle of the circuit fixes most connection faults without losing settings.
Differential
Likely causes of “ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera will not reset or needs to be reset safely”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A stuck offline doorbell
What separates it The doorbell will not connect because it is stuck in an offline state
How to confirm Restart it first by cycling the power, and reset it only if a restart does not bring it back
- 2
A failed setup
What separates it Setup cannot complete because an earlier attempt failed partway through
How to confirm Factory reset the doorbell, then start the setup again from the beginning
- 3
Selling or moving
What separates it The old owner's account is still attached because the doorbell was not unregistered before the sale
How to confirm Unregister it from the old account and reset it, so that the new owner can register it
- 4
Lost settings
What separates it The Activity Zone and chime settings are gone because a reset returns the doorbell to defaults
How to confirm Rebuild the Activity Zone and the chime settings in the app after the doorbell is set up again
- 5
A frozen doorbell
What separates it The doorbell does not respond because it is frozen
How to confirm Cycle the power at the circuit breaker, and reset the doorbell only if that does not help
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The pattern of lights that the doorbell shows
- A record of your zone and chime settings
- Whether the doorbell is registered to an account
- The model name of the doorbell that you have
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedTry lighter fixes first
ReversibleTry lighter fixes first, such as restarting the router and cycling the power to the doorbell.
Note your settings
ReversibleNote your settings first, including the Activity Zone and the chime options, so you can copy them later.
Download recordings
ReversibleDownload any recordings that you want to keep, since a reset can remove the settings and history.
Follow the reset in the lights article
ReversibleFollow the reset steps in the lights and sounds article, under Everyday Use and Factory Reset.
Set it up again
ReversibleSet the doorbell up again in the app, joining wifi and registering it on your account once more.
Rebuild zone and chimes
ReversibleRebuild the Activity Zone and the chimes, and choose the detection types that you want again.
Contact ecobee
ReversibleContact ecobee if the doorbell will not reset, and tell them what the lights show.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Reset
- Described in the lights and sounds article.
- Ownership
- Transfer before selling.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If it will not reset, contact ecobee support
- !If second-hand, ask for removal from the old account
- !If setup fails after the reset, check the wiring and the transformer rating
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Light and voice patterns.
Register and unregister.
Ownership transfer.
Features, integrations and chime.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Where is the reset?+
The reset is described in ecobee's lights and sounds article, in the Factory Reset section.
What does it erase?+
It erases the doorbell's settings and its wifi details, so it must be set up again afterwards.
Will I keep recordings?+
Download any recordings first, since you may lose access to them after the reset.
Should I unregister when selling?+
Yes, unregister it when selling, so the new owner can register it on their own account.
Do I need to set up again?+
Yes, after a reset you set the doorbell up again in the app, as if it were new.
Can a router restart fix things first?+
Often yes, a router restart and a power cycle fix many problems without needing a reset.
Will the lights show reset?+
Yes, the lights and the voice prompts show the reset happening, so watch for them.