Ring isn’t the only company giving you better smart home privacy controls. Ecobee is trotting out a Family Accounts feature that lets up to 15 people in your household control thermostats and other gear without having to hand over your sign-in details. They can steer devices and invite other people to the same group, but they can’t add or remove devices, make account changes or sign up for Eco+ like the master account can.

You’ll have access to Family Accounts so long you’re using the latest version of Ecobee’s Android or iOS apps. It’s a simple update, but it could go a long way toward locking down your smart home tech. It reduces the chances of a lost phone posing a threat to your smart home account, for a start. This also makes it more realistic to trust smart home controls to guests. You can let a good friend turn up the heat without giving them more authority than they really need.

Source: engadget.com