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Hive's new home monitoring camera isn't bound to its base
Hive is a relatively well-known smart home brand in the UK. It all started with a connected thermostat released back in 2013, endorsed by nationwide utility provider British Gas. Not long after that seal of approval, British Gas acquired the company behind the thermostat, and now the Hive range includes motion sensors, lightbulbs, smart plugs and a water leak detector. Last year, the Hive brand crossed the pond in hope of breaking into North America, and what better way to start 2018 than launch a new product in all markets simultaneously for the first time? That brings us to the new Hive View home monitoring camera: An attempt to balance style and feature set to stand out from the crowd.
Hive takes on Hue with colour-changing light bulbs
In its bid to kit out Britain's homes with tech-centric appliances, British Gas' Hive has launched a wide range of internet-ready products. There's the all-important smart thermostat, plugs, home sensors and, more recently, Hive Active Lights. These smart bulbs can be controlled via the Hive app and interact directly with the Hive Hub, but customers have only been able to buy the standard dimmable white light. That changes today, after the company added two new bulbs to its Active Light line-up, putting Philips' Hue in its sights.
Hive adds smart lightbulbs to its connected home lineup
British Gas' connected home brand Hive expanded beyond smart thermostats to plugs and motion sensors earlier this year. As was always the plan, the product range has grown a little bigger today with the launch of Hive Active Lights. These smart bulbs are controlled via the existing Hive app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, and since they talk directly to your router through the Hive Hub, can be fiddled with anywhere you have an internet connection. In addition to on/off and dimming commands, you can also create schedules if, say, you want your lights to come on at night while you're away on your summer hols.
British Gas' Boiler IQ will text you before it breaks down
While smart thermostats (supposedly) enable you to intelligently heat your homes and potentially save money, they only replace the dumb controls you had previously. Your boiler, the focal point of all the pipes that run across your home, hasn't really enjoyed the same level of innovation. British Gas, maker of the Hive thermostat and various smart home sensors, believes it can change that with the launch of "Boiler IQ," a new technology that can self-identify issues and alert engineers of a possible fault before things get really bad.
Hive feels the heat after smart thermostat glitch
The Internet of Things can be a wondrous thing -- it allows you to operate your lights using an app, remotely monitor your house and, when it works, intelligently warm it. This last weekend, some owners of the Hive smart thermostat experienced what it's like when the Internet of Things goes bad when an app glitch resulted in their homes being heated to as high as 32℃.
Hive begins selling its smart plug and connected home sensors
When British Gas subsidiary Hive unveiled its latest take on the smart thermostat, the company also committed to launching a new a range of motion sensors, lightbulbs and a smart plug. It's taken six months, but Hive is finally ready to add its Active Plug and Window and Door sensors to its connected home line-up, with all three products now available to buy online.
Surviving a British winter with a not-so-smart thermostat
Just under a year ago, I had British Gas' Hive smart thermostat bolted on to my home's existing aged central heating system. The easiest thing to do would have been to just review it there and then, but if I'm being honest, it makes more sense to talk about a device like this when you've used it through a rough British winter. Having now endured one in my drafty, freezing cold Victorian house, I think it's the perfect time to start discussing it.
British Gas introduces Hive Active Heating, enables remote thermostat control
Home automation isn't just the domain of hackers, Kickstarter projects and startups anymore -- now utilities companies are getting in on the action, too. British Gas has recently announced Hive Active Control Heating, its platform for automated, scheduled and remote utility control. Opting into the program costs £199 and includes a wireless thermostat with a receiver and hub, all of which can be controlled by a companion app (or an online dashboard). The system doesn't have the learning capabilities of the synonymously named Nest, but users can manage temperature on the go, create scheduled heating events by weekday or hour and manage hot water temperate and scheduling independent of thermostat control. Hive is available for pre-order now, though installations won't begin until late October. In the meantime, the company has offered a preview of the system's app on the project's website (source) and has issued a few flowery statements about the Internet of things (after the break).
