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After 16 years, Ecobee is shutting down support for the original smart thermostat
(www.theverge.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
No it doesn’t require it but it can make it easier. Especially for people that don’t have a robust and centralized way of controlling their smart devices, or only have 1-2 of them. I think the appeal is still obvious.