ecobee announces two-factor authentication to secure your smart home

Popular HomeKit partner ecobee has introduced two-factor authentication to its app, bringing better security to your smartphone.

In a press release ecobee stated:

Two-factor authentication is a feature that keeps your ecobee account safe by securing it with more than just your username and password.

After you enter your username and password, you will receive an SMS text message with a unique verification code. This makes it harder for unauthorized people to access your account because, even if they learn your password, that will not be enough information to gain access to your account.

ecobee says that whilst 2FA is opt-in, rather than mandatory, it "strongly recommends using it for added security."

2FA will protect your ecobee account and all of your smart home devices. As with most systems, it requires a unique verification code to be sent to you via text message when you log in. The full instructions from ecobee are as follows:

You can set up 2FA through your account settings. Specifically:

Open the mobile app and select Account

1. Select Account Security

2. Enable Text Message (SMS) toggle and complete the setup flow

3. You will be asked for your ecobee password to confirm your identity, your phone number, and a code we send via SMS.

Upon confirmation, we will give you a unique recovery code. We strongly recommended saving the code for your reference in case your second method of authentication changes, which will happen if you change your phone number.

ecobee says that you'll also need the latest version of its iOS mobile app.