Jordan O'BrienConsumers wanting a plug and play smart home solution can now buy some Internet-connected plugs and home sensors from Hive.
Designed to complement the Hive connected thermostat, the range of products include a window, door and motion sensor, alongside an ‘Active’ plug.
The Active Plug, lets users control appliances via a mobile App. It connects to the Hive Home Hub and can be operated from the Hive heating app. Users who own a Hive thermostat will be able to buy one for just £39, but for those without, they’ll have to buy the hub as well, which is an extra £80.
As for the window and door sensors, anyone with any experience of a smart home will know the drill. The sensors are small switches that will notify the user when their doors or windows have been opened or closed.
Hive will be selling its sensors for £29 and again will require the hub; an extra £80. Unlike the plug which is shipping right now however, the window and door sensors won’t begin reaching customers until February 8th.
The last smart home product to be revealed by Hive is the company’s motion sensor. Using wireless passive infra-red, the sensor can detect movement within the house; although the company has yet to say what it will actually trigger when it does detect motion.
The motion sensor is also the only product from Hive’s latest smart home roster that is yet to go on sale. The company did confirm that it will go on sale on February 9th however, with a shipping date of February 22nd.
Hive is clearly wanting to take some of the smart home market for itself and it’s doing so with an extremely affordable, painfully easy system. Despite its affordability and ease-of-use, Hive has not made clear what makes its products better than some others on the market.
The plug and play marketplace is being flooded with countless products from the likes of Samsung, Belkin, Panasonic, D-Link, Alcatel and more all offering some sort of ‘smart’ plugs or sensors that require no installation and no fuss.
All these companies face a crisis however, with some struggling to differentiate themselves from others on the market. Samsung and Belkin have leant on their openness to stand out, which has worked well.
Hive however has yet to define its unique selling point. Even when it does, it’s hard to tell if these type of plug and play products can rival professional systems that installers are so used to.
More Smart Thermostats
Third Generation Nest Arrives In Europe With Hot Water Control