Roku is moving into smart home gear with Wyze's help
The initial lineup includes a video doorbell, cameras and smart bulbs.
Roku is expanding beyond home theater setups and into smart home devices. The initial batch of Roku Smart Home products, on which it collaborated with Wyze, includes a smart doorbell, cameras, smart bulbs, smart light strips and smart plugs.
The company didn't reveal specs for the devices in advance, but previous reports suggested they are rebadged versions of Wyze products, including Cam v3, Cam Pan V2 and Bulb Color. The floodlight camera, video doorbell and indoor plug, for instance, look just like Wyze's own offerings.
Roku's versions, however, will tie into its other products and services. You'll be able to use the Roku Voice Remote to bring up live camera feeds on your TV, for instance. Roku says the devices will support third-party voice assistants as well as its own.
In terms of security, Roku Smart Home devices will support two-factor authentication, user data encryption, secure boot and other features (Wyze came under flak when it emerged the company knew about a camera security flaw for three years). Roku is also offering a camera subscription plan that includes cloud video recording history, package delivery notifications, smart alerts and more.
Wyze products have become popular in part because of their relatively low prices. It doesn't seem like Roku is drifting too far away from that approach. Roku didn't offer a breakdown of pricing, but said its cameras "start below $27."
Roku Smart Home devices are available starting today from the Roku and Walmart websites. They'll also be in Walmart stores starting on October 17th.
