Jordan O'BrienThe British Gas Hive smart thermostat is now even smarter thanks to a partnership with IFTTT. Using IFTTT, users will be able to programme their Hive thermostat to activate certain commands when it reaches a certain temperature, or have their thermostat activated when certain conditions are met.
IFTTT already supports hundreds of different smart home devices – meaning users will be able to connect their Hive thermostats to over 300 other products and services, including Twitter, Android Wear and Hue lightbulbs.
Hive has pre-created a few recipes to get users started – these include a command that activates the thermostat and hot water control as soon as the temperature outside drops below 5°C. The company also has a recipe specifically for BMW drivers, which enables them to switch on their heating when they’re 30 minutes from home.
Not only can Hive be linked to other smart home devices, but it can also be controlled from other devices – such as an Android Wear smartwatch – where it is not typically controlled from. One such device includes the Amazon Echo; even though it’s not available in the UK, those who have imported the device will be able to use IFTTT with Echo and Hive. That means users will be able to control their Hive thermostats using their voice – making it much smarter than it currently is. It’s worth knowing that similar smart thermostats, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat, also support IFTTT however.
Hive users will be able to take advantage of the smart home control through IFTTT from today.