How Do I Set Up Occupancy on My Ecobee SmartSensor?
- Sensor not added/paired
- PIR blocked or poorly placed
- Follow Me/occupancy not enabled
Problem Description
You want to set up occupancy detection on your Ecobee SmartSensor. The SmartSensor has a built-in occupancy detector that tells the thermostat which rooms are being used. Pair the sensor with your thermostat first, then include it in a comfort setting. This guide covers pairing, enabling occupancy, and configuring Follow Me.
Why This Happens in Real Homes
A SmartSensor's occupancy detection powers Follow Me and Smart Home/Away, but only if it's placed to see people and enabled in the features. Add it (insert the CR-2032 and pair via Settings > Sensors > Add Sensor), then think about placement.
Mount it around 4-5 feet up with a clear PIR view across where people move — not behind furniture or in a dead corner — and enable Follow Me if you want the thermostat to prioritize occupied rooms. Include it in the comfort settings you want it to affect; a blocked or low-traffic placement is the usual reason occupancy seems not to work.
Symptoms
- Setting up occupancy on a SmartSensor
- Occupancy not detected
- Follow Me not using it
- Sensor not sensing motion
- Placement question
- Occupancy timeout
- Sensor not added
- No effect on comfort
Recognize these? Here's what usually causes it.
Common Causes
- Sensor not added/paired
- PIR blocked or poorly placed
- Follow Me/occupancy not enabled
- Sensor in a low-traffic spot
- Occupancy timeout too long
- Battery low
- Not included in comfort settings
- Aimed away from traffic
Most fixes happen in the first 3 steps.
Always turn off your HVAC system at the breaker before removing the thermostat or touching wires. Incorrect wiring can damage both the thermostat and your HVAC equipment resulting in expensive repairs. If unsure about wiring consult an HVAC technician.
Tools & Requirements
Step-by-Step Solution
Pair the SmartSensor with your thermostat
On the thermostat, go to Settings > Sensors > Add Sensor. Insert a CR-2032 battery into the SmartSensor and hold it within 5 feet of the thermostat. It should appear within 30 seconds. Name it based on the room where you will place it. After pairing, the sensor reports both temperature and occupancy to the thermostat. It detects occupancy using a built-in PIR (passive infrared) motion sensor with about a 15-foot range.
Mount the sensor for best occupancy detection
Place the sensor at about 5 feet height on an interior wall. The PIR sensor has a 120-degree detection cone and works best when it can see movement across its field of view — side-to-side movement is detected more reliably than movement directly toward or away from the sensor. Avoid mounting it near heat sources (radiators, sunny windows, kitchen stoves) that create heat signatures the PIR sensor may misread as a person.
Include the sensor in comfort profiles
Go to Settings > Comfort Settings on the thermostat. For each profile (Home, Away, Sleep), check the box next to this sensor to include it. Including a sensor in a profile means the thermostat considers its temperature and occupancy data when that profile is active. Exclude bedroom sensors from the Away profile and living room sensors from the Sleep profile to target the right rooms at the right times.
Enable Follow Me and Smart Home/Away
Follow Me uses occupancy data to prioritise temperature readings from occupied rooms. Enable it under Settings > Comfort Settings > Follow Me. Smart Home/Away uses occupancy data to switch between Home and Away profiles automatically — enable it under Settings > Smart Home & Away. Both features rely on the SmartSensor occupancy data, so the sensor must be included in the relevant comfort profiles for them to work.
Verify occupancy detection is working
On the thermostat, go to Sensors and check the occupancy icon next to your new sensor. Walk into the room and the icon should turn green within about 30 seconds. Walk out and it should turn grey after a few minutes (there is a cool-down delay to prevent rapid toggling). If it never shows occupancy, reposition the sensor so it has clear line of sight to where people move or sit. If it always shows occupied in an empty room, check for heat sources or pets in the detection zone.
Quick Solutions
Still having issues? This is usually the deeper cause below.
If this comes back after following these steps, check whether a recent app or firmware update reset a default setting — the fix works, but the setting gets reverted silently.
Use the thermostat energy reports to find patterns in your heating and cooling usage. Setting back the temperature just 3 degrees when you leave for work can save 5 to 10 percent on your annual energy bill without any comfort sacrifice.
This issue almost always looks more complex than it is — the majority of cases trace back to a single setting, a stale credential, or a default that shipped wrong.
- Sensor not added/paired
- PIR blocked or poorly placed
- Follow Me/occupancy not enabled
- Sensor in a low-traffic spot
- Occupancy timeout too long
Before you go — try one of these (they fix most cases).
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Official Manufacturer Manual
Ecobee provides official product documentation through their online manual rather than downloadable PDF. Access setup guides, troubleshooting steps, and product specifications for your Ecobee SmartSensor.
Source: ecobee.com
Need More Help? Ecobee Support
Note: The contact information below connects you directly to Ecobee's official customer support team, not Trunetto. They can help with warranty claims, device replacements, and advanced technical issues.
How Does Ecobee Compare?
Before replacing your Ecobee device, see how it stacks up against alternatives in our full comparison guides.
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