The ecobee doorbell works with Amazon Alexa: ecobee's product page says you can pair it with Alexa and use voice commands to view the live stream on Echo Show devices, and you can get announcements on Echo speakers whenever the doorbell is pressed or activity is detected, and notifications through Alexa. ecobee has a setup article for Alexa with the doorbell and a general Alexa troubleshooting article. Link the ecobee skill in the Alexa app with your ecobee account and discover devices, then ask an Echo Show to show the doorbell.
The checks in more detail
If Alexa cannot find it, relink the skill, rediscover devices and use the exact name from the ecobee app, keeping names short. Check the doorbell is online, since live view needs its connection. Announcements are set in the Alexa app per device, and you can turn them off. If live view on an Echo Show is blank or slow, check wifi at the door and at the Echo.
Alexa cannot change detection or zone settings. Update the ecobee and Alexa apps and the doorbell firmware. Apple Home uses Siri, and Google Assistant is not covered here. Ask Alexa to show the doorbell by its exact app name as a first test. After renaming the doorbell wait a minute before asking, since names take a moment to sync. Give the doorbell a name that makes sense when spoken aloud.
If a voice request shows the wrong camera, check for duplicate names across your Alexa devices, since two similar names cause exactly that confusion. If you have several Echo devices, tell Alexa which one should show the doorbell, since a request may otherwise go to a speaker without a screen and appear to do nothing. Echo Show live view uses the same connection as the phone app, so a doorbell that shows fine on the phone and blank on the Echo points at the Echo's wifi, not the doorbell.
Differential
Likely causes of “ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera does not respond to voice control”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The skill not linked
What separates it Alexa cannot find the doorbell because the ecobee skill has not been linked
How to confirm Enable the ecobee skill in the Alexa app, and link your ecobee account to it
- 2
A name mismatch
What separates it Alexa says the device is not found because the name you say does not match its name
How to confirm Use the exact name of the doorbell as it appears in the ecobee app, then discover it again
- 3
An offline doorbell
What separates it Live view fails because the doorbell is offline and cannot send its picture
How to confirm Fix the power and the wifi for the doorbell, so it comes back online before you ask again
- 4
Announcements off
What separates it There is no announcement when someone presses the button because announcements are switched off
How to confirm Enable announcements for the doorbell in the Alexa app, and check that they are allowed
- 5
A weak Echo connection
What separates it The live view on the Echo is blank or slow because the Echo has a weak wifi connection
How to confirm Improve the wifi at the Echo, by moving it closer to the router or adding an extender
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The model of the Echo device that you are using
- The exact name that the doorbell has in the ecobee app
- Whether announcements are switched on in Alexa
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedLink the ecobee skill
ReversibleLink the ecobee skill in the Alexa app, signing in with your ecobee account when it asks you to.
Discover devices
ReversibleAsk Alexa to discover devices, so the doorbell appears in the list of your smart home devices.
Use the exact name
ReversibleUse the exact name for the doorbell that is shown in the ecobee app, when you speak to Alexa.
Turn announcements on or off
ReversibleTurn announcements on or off in the Alexa app, depending on whether you want to hear the doorbell.
Update apps
ReversibleUpdate the apps and the doorbell's firmware, so that the Alexa link works with the newest versions.
Contact ecobee
ReversibleContact ecobee if it fails, and tell them the Echo model and the message that Alexa gives.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Alexa
- Live view on Echo Show and announcements.
- Siri
- Uses Apple Home.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If relinking does not help, contact ecobee support
- !If live view is blank, check the wifi
- !If announcements are wrong, check the settings in the Alexa app for the doorbell
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Alexa problems.
Features, integrations and chime.
Product page, detection and radar.
General ecobee wifi steps.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Can I view it on an Echo Show?+
Yes, you can ask an Echo Show to display the live view from the doorbell by voice.
Can it announce a press?+
Yes, Alexa can announce a button press through your Echo devices, when announcements are enabled.
Why can't Alexa find it?+
The usual reasons are that the skill is not linked, or that the name does not match.
Can Alexa change zones?+
No, Alexa cannot change the Activity Zones, which you set in the ecobee app instead.
Does live view need wifi?+
Yes, live view needs a working wifi connection at both the doorbell and the Echo.
Should I update apps?+
Yes, keep the apps updated, so the link between Alexa and ecobee keeps working properly.