Honeywell Prestige vs Ecobee - Thoughts?

I'm in the market for a new IP thermostat, but I'm having trouble deciding which way to go. I currently have the Filtrete 3M-50, which I would consider a "budget" IP thermostat. I love having remote access, but I'm fed up with the operation of this tstat (I won't go into the details - that's a rant for another thread).

I've narrowed down the replacement options to two - the Honeywell Prestige HD with Redlink Gateway, and the Ecobee. There seem to be pros and cons for each.

Honeywell Pros:

- Easy to install.
- Should be reliable (seems like 90% of all tstats are Honeywell).
- Comes with outdoor temperature sensor.

Cons:

- Separate Redlink gateway needed for internet access.
- Tstat itself doesn't seem to "use" the internet for weather, etc.
- $$$

Ecobee Pros:

- Excellent GUI.
- Wi-fi built into the tstat.
- Weather forecast displayed on the touchscreen.
- Cheaper (compared to the Honeywell).

Cons:

- More complicated to install (with the equipment interface).
- Reliability?

My other concern with both units is the web portal. Currently, both are free, but Ecobee used to charge for this, so I'm guessing that could come back. Also, the remote interface is dependent on the company keeping the servers running. I'm guessing Honeywell can afford to lose money on something like this, but Ecobee is a smaller company. If they go out of business, there goes remote access.

At this point, I'm leaning toward the Ecobee. The unit is really slick, and the remote interface seems to work very well. That said, I haven't seen a demo of the Honeywell remote interface.

Does anyone have experience with either of these units, or both? I'd love to hear feedback from people who have lived with either of these.

I've also considered the just announced Nest learning tstat, but I'm not quite sold yet. Sure is sexy looking, though...

Thanks for any opinions.

Thank you for the replies aka and frumper. I'm actually a little surprised - I haven't seen much love for the Prestige on other boards when compared to the Ecobee. That's part of the reason I was leaning toward Ecobee. But I do really like the Prestige, especially now that it can connect to the internet, which is why it's still in the running.

Since you're both familiar with the Prestige, can I ask a few questions?

- What is the diagonal size of the touchscreen? How responsive is it?

- How is the web interface? Is this a complete interface (meaning, can the tstat be fully programmed from here), or does it only support simple temperature changes?

- How does Redlink coexist with normal Wi-Fi? Any interference?

I will say that I sent similar questions to both the Ecobee and Honeywell customer support reps via their web interface. Ecobee replied to me will all my questions answered within 24 hours. As for Honeywell, it's been a week with no reply. This does concern me - I'll be installing this myself, so should I have a warranty issue, I'll need to contact the company directly. But either might deny my claim, since these are both "pro install" products.

My main concern with the Ecobee at this point is taking a chance on a company that I don't really know. I did that already with the Filtrete tstat I installed six months ago, and I'm ready to rip that thing off the wall. I don't want to repeat that with the Ecobee, and I can't imagine feeling that way about the Prestige.

As for price, I found similar prices to what you posted aka, but that was for just the tstat and Redlink gateway, and no other accessories. Together, that is more expensive than the Ecobee by about $50. I wouldn't mind having the outdoor temp sensor and one of the comfort control remotes, neither of which is offered by Ecobee. I'll look around on pricing a little more, but if either of you can recommend a seller, I'll check it out.

Thanks again.