Jordan O'BrienHive is continuing to roll-out its smart home product line-up, with the latest addition taking direct aim at Philips’ Hue light bulbs.
Dubbed the Hive Active Lights, the British Gas-owned company is offering its customers smart bulbs that can change colour and be controlled via the Hive App. This is a similar set-up to the Philips Hue bulbs, although Hive’s solution is slightly (barely) more affordable, starting at £29 per bulb.
British Gas is offering numerous Hive-branded smart home products, allowing installers to up-sell when installing the hero product – the Hive connected thermostat. The line-up now includes plugs, home sensors and now lights.
Two light bulbs actually make up the Hive Active Lights range – with the Active Light Cool to Warm White and the Active Light Colour Changing Bulb. Both fit the B22 and E27 light sockets found in most homes, which means, unlike Hue, there’s no GU10 option.
The Cool to Warm White bulb is tuneable from ‘warm white’ 2700K to ‘daylight cool’ 6500k colour temperatures, which the Active Light Colour Changing Bulb has roughly the same specification, albeit with access to a full spectrum of colours through a wide 240° beam angle. Both bulbs are being touted as energy efficient and boast a lifetime of up to 25,000 hours.
While the Hue white and colour bulbs cost £29.99 and £49.99 RRP, respectively, the Hive bulbs are a whole 99p cheaper – being offered for £29 and £44 RRP. The bulbs can be offered either standalone or as part of a pack, with a pack of three coloured bulbs and a controller having an RRP of £159, while a pack of five is set at £179.