Jordan O'BrienHive, the British Gas-owned smart home manufacturer, is officially joining the home security market, with the launch of its very first IP camera, the aptly named Hive Camera.
While Hive began life as a smart thermostat manufacturer, the company has since diversified its portfolio offering lighting solutions and smart plugs. The Hive Camera is just the latest in its plans to become the one-stop shop for consumer-grade smart home devices.
The Hive Camera will mimic many of its competitors in terms of features, with it shipping with an app allowing users to monitor their homes 24/7, similar to what is currently possible on the Nest Cam and Logitech Circle. The Hive Camera can also be configured to trigger motion or audio alerts, meaning users are notified if an intruder is detected by the camera.
IP cameras have become increasingly popular with security conscious consumers not wanting to spend considerable amounts of money on professional security systems. Despite this, many of the recently launched offerings all demand a subscription service to access all of their features – this is not the case with the Hive Camera.
No Subscription Service Necessary
Recording content from the camera and storing it for a defined number of days has been the common strategy when it comes to up charging users. Due to the absence of a subscription service, the Hive Camera simply offers this functionality for free – although footage is stored locally, rather than in the cloud. This could potentially cause security concerns, as an intruder would simply need to steal the security camera
The Hive Camera lacks many of the smarts of the Nest Cam, there doesn’t appear to be any AI recognising doorways, or virtual trip wires, meaning for the most part this is a pretty dumb camera. Users can still communicate through the speaker using two-way communication, while it also offers zooming – although don’t expect the quality to be anywhere near what’s on offer with the 4K Nest Cam IQ.
One clever feature Hive has packed into its IP camera is audio triggers, which sets off an alarm on the device when motion is detected or noise is heard. The alarms that can be triggered include a dog barking, police siren, or simply a standard alarm noise.
Nina Bhatia, managing director of Centrica Connected Home, notes: “Hive Camera allows people to feel as if they’re at home even when they’re not – by seeing and hearing what’s happening through their smartphone, and participating in what’s going on in the home through audio, too. These are benefits customers have told us they want.”
Don’t expect the Hive Camera to be the last addition to the company’s product range, with Nina adding: “Customers can expect further innovative Hive products and services over the coming months, as Centrica continues to extend its smart home offering.”
While the Hive Camera lacks some of the smarts on offer from the Logitech Circle and Nest Cam, it’s considerably more affordable. The Nest Cam IQ costs £299, while the Hive Camera is just £129. While the Logitech Circle 2 is only a tad more at £169.99, some of its features are locked away behind a subscription service, which costs £7.99 a month or £79.99 a year.