Hive Releases New Connected Home Products
Last year British Gas subsidiary Hive released a range of connected home products such as its smart thermostat, giving a simple yet powerful way to control various automation aspects of your home. The firm also said it would launch a range of lightbulbs, motion sensors (for doors and windows) and a “smart plug”.
It’s great to see new products from Hive, which now has a fairly comprehensive set of products for getting connected. While many may be daunted at the prospect of installing all this technology at home, Hive has teamed up with parent company British Gas, who will send an engineer round to install everything in about an hour.
Now six months after the initial launch, Hive has just added a couple of extra devices to its lineup, including the Hive Active Plug, and Hive Sensors. All the new products are available to order on the company’s website.
The Hive Active Plug is essentially the same concept as other smart plugs on the market: you can control connected appliances and devices using a smartphone app, via the connected Hive Hub.
The basic idea is that you can turn on/off anything you’ve plugged in, as well as set up to 6 schedules. An unlike those outdated manual timer sockets that you can buy in DIY stores, everything can be controlled via the app.
If you already have a Hive thermostat, the plug costs just £38, however if you don’t already have the hub, you’ll need that too at £80.
The Window and Door sensors are smaller switches that can be installed on windows and doors around the home, and will alert you when they’ve been opened or closed.
The sensors, which go on sale today, cost £29 (again, you will also need the Hub), but should make a nice addition to anyone who wants to keep a close eye on home security.
The sensors are the two smaller devices shown in the left of the picture below:
Hive also released the Hive Motion Sensor (above right): an infrared sensor which detects any kind of movement, costing £29 and goes on sale tomorrow, February 9th.
Lastly, recognising the fact that many people would like to customise their connected home accessories (also read: Got a Nest? You need a mount!), Hive offers the £19.99 Hive Thermostat Frame to house the thermostat. The product comes in 12 colours (including Wood textured) and is an attractive way to show off your funky new thermostat.
If you’re looking to save cash on any of Hive’s products, there are a couple of bundles listed on their online shop – including the Active Heating Kit (£249), the Hive Active Plug and Sensor Pack (£169, save £47), and the Hive Sensor Pack (£99, save £39), providing a cheaper way to get your home up and connected.
Have you purchased any Hive products recently? Perhaps you’re using other smart home products such as Nest? Either way, we’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments section below.
