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Netatmo's first smart door lock works with HomeKit
Smart home company Netatmo already has a HomeKit-friendly video doorbell, connected smoke alarms and AI-equipped security cameras. Now, the company is ready to introduce its first smart lock.
Netatmo unveils the first HomeKit-friendly video doorbell
Apple's HomeKit doesn't have a wide range of device support, but that's changing very shortly. Netatmo has unveiled the Smart Video Doorbell, which it says is the first doorbell to support HomeKit. You can view it through the Home app, or ask Siri to show you the doorbell when someone's waiting outside. And yes, it'll integrate nicely with your other devices -- you can turn on the porch lights the moment the device spots someone at the front door.
Netatmo adds a connected smoke alarm to its smart home range
Netatmo is known for connected home products like the Presence AI-assisted security camera that can tell crooks from coyotes, but for CES, it's expanding into a new niche: built-in products. On top of a new smoke alarm and siren, the company has teamed up with French companies Velux and Legrand on AI-equipped in-wall smart switches, power outlets, skylights and blinds.
Security camera uses AI to tell humans from animals or cars
Netatmo's WiFi-connected Presence security camera is now on sale, making it one of the first on the market with built-in AI. That helps it distinguish between people cars, or animals, then send you a smartphone message like "car seen" or "person seen." You can program it to start recording or, say, turn off the sprinkler if it detects an animal, thanks to smart home and IFTTT integration. It also lets you watch activities discreetly using the camera's infrared night vision, or flip on the built-in floodlight manually.
Netatmo's home monitor tracks air quality, humidity and more
While it's far from a new idea, home air quality monitoring has seen something of a resurgence of late. Dyson in particular has been pushing pollution awareness alongside its range of purifiers, and now Netatmo is jumping on the trend. The device pictured above may look just like Netatmo's Welcome connected camera, but instead of a lens, the little tower hosts a quartet of environmental sensors instead. The Healthy Home Coach, as it's called, monitors air quality in real-time, as well humidity, temperature and noise.
Netatmo's radiator valves take cues from its smart thermostat
It seems like it was only yesterday that most smart thermostat makers were content with their simple solutions, leaving the more complicated heating zone control systems to those with prior experience. Actually... that was only yesterday. Just a few short hours after Tado announced the addition of smart radiator valves to its product range, Netatmo has revealed it's doing exactly the same thing. You probably know the score by now: Replacing existing, dumb radiator valves with internet-connected ones allows you to remotely control the temperature of individual rooms.
Netatmo's security cam can pick out cars, humans and animals
Netatmo is no stranger to home monitoring cameras, and at this year's CES, the company is taking its efforts outside. The WiFi-connected Presence outdoor security camera has a unique feature: It can distinguish between cars, people and animals. In addition to real-time monitoring, the gadget can also be set up to record only when it detects a person or a car, for example. You'll get a notification to your phone through Netatmo's app, where you can flip on the flood light to deter any would-be intruders.
CES Unveiled 2015 in less than 60 seconds
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-177611{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-177611, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-177611{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-177611").style.display="none";}catch(e){} While today marks the official start of CES 2015, we've been on the ground for what feels like an eternity. It all started Sunday at CES Unveiled, a small pre-show packed with oddities like smart baby bottles, levitating speakers and family-friendly facial recognition cameras. We may not have found the next big thing at Mandalay Bay this year, but it did make for some decent eye candy. In an attempt to share the love, here's a glimpse of CES Unveiled 2015 in under 60 seconds. For more from Unveiled and beyond, check out our 2015 CES Field Guide.
Netatmo's Welcome connected camera recognizes who's home
Whether you wanna keep an eye on your pet, kid or reception room, there are plenty of connected cameras for the job. Netatmo, best known for its quirky weather station and smart thermostat, thinks there's still room in this swelling product category, today announcing the "Welcome" home-monitoring camera. Through iOS, Android and PC/Mac apps, users can remotely tap into a live 1080p broadcast from the camera, which has a 130-degree field of view and infrared LEDs for night vision. By far the most interesting feature, however, and one that's becoming more common to smart home gear such as cameras, is facial recognition.
Netatmo drafts in EDF Energy to help sell its smart thermostat
Brits who want their heating systems to be a little more high-tech are now officially spoilt for choice, with a bunch of smart thermostat options jostling for their attention. The makers of these devices are well aware of the competition they face, which is why most have courted retail partners to add some extra marketing muscle. The latest to establish such a relationship is Netatmo, and though the outfit is a bit late to the game given it only launched its smart thermostat in the UK in September, today it's announced its new high-profile BFF is EDF Energy. Under the partnership, the energy provider will sell and install the thermostat, as well as become the primary port of call for customer support. Unlike npower's tie-up with Nest, EDF is offering this service to anyone, not just its own customer base.
Netatmo's smart thermostat joins the crowded UK market
Over the short space of a year, Brits have gone from fiddling with mechanical boiler dials to having a glut of smart thermostat options to choose from. Today we can add yet another to that list with the launch of the Netatmo Thermostat in the UK (and a couple other European markets). Better known for its connected weather station, Netatmo's Philippe Starck-designed thermostat boasts many features common to fancy, smart heating systems. You can control temperature using Android, iOS, Windows Phone and web apps, for example, as well as set up heating schedules with military precision.
Netatmo expands iOS-friendly Weather Station with Rain Gauge
Netatmo introduced its Weather Station (US$179) to the world in 2012, providing an easy way for iPhone owners to track indoor and outdoor temperatures and air quality at their homes or offices. Since that time, a vast number of users have enjoyed the ease of use of the free iOS app and the ability to see what's going on weather-wise not only in and around their own homes, but across the world through shared data. While I've used the Netatmo Weather Station for almost two years and have been impressed with how it just chugs along sending out data, I've regretted not having the ability to know how much precipitation has fallen at my home. The company has just released a new accessory for the Weather Station -- a $79 Rain Gauge that works with the base station to add precipitation measurement to the mix. Specifications Dimensions: Funnel diameter: 5.0 in (12.7 cm), base diameter 3.5 in (8.89 cm), height 4.5 in (11.43 cm) Weight: 7.3 oz (206.95 gms) Type of rain gauge: tipping bucket Measuring range: .2 mm/hr to 900 mm/hr (.0078 inches/hr to 35.43 inches/hr) Accuracy: 1 mm/hr (.0394 inches/hr) Max. distance between base station and rain gauge: 100 m (328 feet) Power: Two AAA batteries (included) Design Highlights Netatmo's Weather Station is very stylish, with the interior base station being a sleek aluminum cylinder that does all of its work without being obtrusive. Likewise, the Rain Gauge is very attractive and would not be out of place on a patio or veranda. On the bottom of the Rain Gauge is a common tripod screw mount, which means that it can be placed atop a number of widely available mounting options. For my tests, I just put the device on the ground -- not the best location, but it was for a temporary test. The actual rain gauge is located within the body of the device under the funnel area. It uses a very common type of gauge called a "tipping bucket" -- there is a seesaw-like mechanism with two tiny buckets, one on each side of a counter. When a bucket fills with rain, it tips and empties itself while the other fills up. The back and forth motion of the mechanism is counted, which provides a highly accurate measure of just how much rain has fallen. Functionality Highlights The Rain Gauge was quite easy to add to the Netatmo Weather Station network, even without instructions (this was a pre-release unit). The process simply required pressing the top of the base station until the seldom-seen LED on the front of the unit glowed blue, at which point it restarted and added the gauge. Once the Rain Gauge was added to the system, it was just a matter of waiting for rain. Here in dry Colorado, I was concerned that I might have to wait weeks until I'd be able to send the unit back to Netatmo, but fortunately we received a nice downpour last night that started at about 6 PM and dumped rain on and off for about four hours. I own and operate a "professional" weather station, so I was able to make a comparison of the readings I got from both stations. Sure enough, both stations showed the rain starting and ending at about the same time. Looking at the hourly precipitation totals in the Netatmo app showed .06 inches in the first hour, .12 inches in the second hour, .09 inches in the third hour, and .13 inches in the fourth hour for a total of .40 inches. My other station showed .09 inches in the first hour, .15 inches in the second hour, .12 inches in the third hour, and .13 inches in the fourth hour for a total of .49 inches. Upon retrieving the Netatmo Rain Gauge this morning I found out why it didn't measure as much precipitation as the other station -- it was located near some trees that are currently budding out and the funnel had a lot of "tree debris" that was blocking it. For the most part, though, I felt that the Netatmo gauge worked well and accurately measured as much of the rain as it could. Conclusion The Rain Gauge is a welcome addition to the Netatmo Weather Station ecosystem and adds another data point to any personal weather records you may wish to keep. Especially in drier climates, knowing exactly how much precipitation you received at your location can help save water used in keeping lawns and gardens thriving, and you'll always have that information on your iPhone with the Netatmo app. While the Rain Gauge is more pricy than a standard manual rain gauge, just think of it this way -- you don't have to empty the Netatmo Rain Gauge once a day. Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible
AtmoBar brings Netatmo weather data to the Mac
A few years back I reviewed Netatmo, a personal weather station that delivers information on both inside and outside temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide level, and other bits of information about your home's comfort. The device syncs to an iOS app, so you're never more than a tap away from current data and history regarding your personal comfort. Recently I heard about an OS X app that places the Netatmo information in your Mac's menu bar. AtmoBar (US$2.99) is in the Mac App Store now, and it's a very slick way of looking at your weather data with a click. As you'd expect, AtmoBar installs easily from the Mac App Store. Once it is launched, there's just one thing you have to do -- log into your Netatmo account. Once that's done, you see the current outdoor and indoor temperatures in your menu bar. With a click, a dropdown appears with detailed information, including the outdoor and indoor temperatures, barometric pressure indoors, outdoor and indoor humidity, and the indoor sound and CO2 levels. The outdoor and indoor temperatures are also graphed from midnight to the current time. Click disclosure triangles on the dropdown, and you're greeted with more graphs for all of the items that are not graphed by default. Unfortunately, the popup graphs need a little work. For example, some of the graphs had no scale on the vertical axis (see humidity outdoor graph image in the slideshow), or had metric values where they should have been imperial values (see pressure indoor graph image in the slideshow). Still, it's a good start for an app and a wonderful companion app for Mac users who happen to have the Netatmo weather station in their homes. With a few fixes, this app will become indispensable for Netatmo users.
Netatmo's Weather Station scores customized climate alerts, helps you avoid frost bite
IFTTT, an internet service that lets you connect various devices and apps together using a set of triggers and actions, has long played nice with home products like the Philips Hue lights, the Belkin WeMo Light Switch and the WiThings WiFi Body Scale. Now it's added one more to the list, and that's the Netatmo Personal Weather Station. As a reminder, Netatmo's weather station is an aluminum cylinder tricked out with WiFi-linked sensors that can tell you all sorts of information about the surrounding air quality, humidity, pressure, temperature, noise levels and even CO2 levels via a mobile app. IFTTT's integration, however, adds the ability to create personalized alerts. For example, you can set it so that your Philips Hue light glows red if the Netatmo station detects extremely high CO2 levels. Or you can have IFTTT send you a text message to put on a sweater if the temperature drops below 40 degrees. There are plenty more trigger-action recipes you could come up with of course, or you could just head to IFTTT's Netatmo channel to see what others have created. Now you no longer have to rely on, like, your five senses to figure out what's going on around you.
Netatmo reveals designer bracelet that helps to protect your skin from sun damage
Netatmo's adding a dash of fanciness to this year's parade of wearable announcements at CES. The firm, known for its thermostat and weather monitor, unveiled the June bracelet: a wrap around piece of arm candy with a gem stone-like sensor that measures sun exposure. Since it was designed by Louis Vuitton and Harry Winston collaborator Camille Toupet, it looks a lot chicer than most wearables out there. The downside, however, it that it doesn't have its own display. Instead, it syncs with an iOS app, which not only displays how much sun you're getting, but also tells you what SPF number your sunscreen should have and when to wear shades or a hat. When it starts shipping in the second quarter of the year (or so the firm hopes), it'll come with a $99 price tag and will be available in platinum, gold or gunmetal. That sounds expensive for something that fills an extremely specific niche, but if you usually pay more than that for jewelry, we imagine it might be a worthy investment.
Win a Netatmo weather station for Father's Day
Does your dad -- or do you -- have a fascination with the weather? Is he always checking his iPad for local weather conditions, sending precipitation reports to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or obsessively watching storm chaser videos on the Weather Channel app? If that's the case, or if you'd just like to win something really cool for Father's Day, then we have the giveaway for you. TUAW and Netatmo are giving away a Netatmo Weather Station valued at $179. As featured in our review from last year, the Netatmo Weather Station includes both outdoor and indoor air quality sensors and also tracks temperature, humidity, and noise levels, all of which is available with a glance at your iPhone or iPad. Your information is stored for future reference, and the company recently introduced a web app to make looking at long-term trends much easier (see image below). So, here's your chance to win one of these in time for Father's Day on June 16, 2013. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before June 11, 2013 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a Netatmo Weather Station valued at $179.00 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Netatmo Urban Weather Station tells iOS users when it's safe to brave the great outdoors (video)
We haven't seen weather stations garner the same level of clever mobile integration as other pieces of household gear -- like, say, thermostats. Netatmo wants its newly available Urban Weather Station to inject a similar dose of life into a category that some of us still associate with the thermometer by the window. The aluminum tube design certainly gives a fresh look to the WiFi-linked indoor and outdoor sensors, but the real trick is the matching iOS (and eventually Android) app. It's for more than just gauging the wisdom of biking to work: the free app tracks historical trends and shares them with fellow users in a network that Netatmo hopes will provide a better understanding of wider-scale and longer-term trends. The sensors go beyond just obvious air quality, humidity, pressure and temperature conditions as well, flagging noise levels and warning if the CO2 levels are high enough to warrant airing out the house. The $179 price for the Urban Weather Station isn't trivial, but neither is knowing just how well you can cope with your environment.
Netatmo: The first iPhone-compatible personal weather station
Have you ever been frustrated with the readings from your local weather station, knowing that conditions at your home or office are different because of the specific microclimate you're located in? For example, one of the nearest weather stations to my house is just about 10 miles away as the crow flies, but often shows warmer temperatures year-round due to its lower elevation. Now Netatmo is shipping a personal weather station that works with your iPhone to monitor various weather factors both inside and outside of your home or office. Hardware The Netatmo Weather Station ($179.00) is made up of two parts -- a cylindrical USB-powered indoor sensor that can sit anywhere in your home that's within reach of your Wi-Fi network, and a smaller battery-powered cylinder that sits outside in a protected area. The two devices chat via Bluetooth, and then send data to Netatmo for redistribution to your iPhone. Features First, let's set some expectations. If your idea of a weather station includes an anemometer, a rain gauge, and something to measure the UV Index with, then you're looking at the wrong device. Netatmo markets this as an urban environment monitor, meaning that it tracks temperature, humidity, indoor CO2, air pressure and sound levels. From the temperature and humidity, it can calculate a "feels like" temperature that explains why you feel so incredibly miserable even when the temperature isn't that high. %Gallery-163379% The indoor and outdoor readings are mixed with local weather data from a nearby station that provides precipitation information and a forecast. What's fascinating is that Netatmo is using your data to create the Urban Weather program, a project in which a hopefully huge number of Netatmo sensors will generate a worldwide database of weather and air quality information. You can opt out of the Urban Weather program if you don't want that information shared. Setup of the devices is a piece of cake. Upon opening the box, you attach the indoor sensor to your Mac or PC using an included USB cable, then go to a Netatmo website to get setup software. About the only thing you really need to do is make sure that the indoor sensor has your Wi-Fi password, and then you can unplug it and place it elsewhere in your house. The outdoor sensor runs off of four AAA batteries (included), and does not require setup. All of the information gathered by the sensors is visible to you in an iPhone app. The Netatmo website shows what appears to be a universal version of the app running on an iPad, but as of the time this review was being written, the app only ran in 2X mode on the iPad and didn't look that great on an iPad Retina display. As for the iPhone app, it looks amazing. You have your choice of three views, chosen by swiping up and down the screen. The first view is an overview of existing inside and outside conditions. An icon shows the current weather outside, with readings for temperature and humidity, and a calculated "feels like" temperature. There's also an indication of outside air quality. If you wish to see what's causing your air quality to be less than perfect, a tap on the "car" icon brings up a listing from a local pollution monitor. In the case you see here, ozone pollution was apparently an issue, although that monitor is most likely in downtown Denver 16 miles away. At our elevation about 500 feet above downtown, there usually isn't as much of an ozone problem. One of the other views shows only the inside readings, complete with a reading of the existing CO2 levels in the house or office and an indication of just how noisy it is in your place. That green "fuzzball" indicates that things are rather nice in my office -- the temperature is reasonable, the CO2 level isn't toxic, and it's fairly quiet. If I was in an air conditioned office in a smoggy town with a lot of traffic noise, that ball might be yellow or red. The final view shows outdoor weather conditions, those taken from both the outdoor sensor and a local weather station. As for location of the sensors, I put the indoor sensor on a table near my "iPad charging station" and the outdoor sensor was installed in a protected location on a wall where it's out of direct sun and rain. I'd love to test the Netatmo outdoor sensor over a long period of time to see how it survives the cold temperatures of winter. Accuracy How's the accuracy? That's something I'm really not sure about, since the readings were not what I expected for humidity. Colorado is a very dry environment, and it's not unusual for us to see humidity in the range of 20% or less most of the year. Today there was a chance of rain, and a local weather station showed 40% humidity. The indoor monitor showed 54% humidity, quite a bit higher. That might be accurate due to the proximity to things like a bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room. After a few days of following the readings, I noticed that the humidity never seemed to drop below about 40%, while the National Weather Service readings showed about 31%. That pointed out something to me -- the impact that my lawn and trees have on raising the humidity at my house. You'll also want to make sure you wait an hour or two for the readings to settle down. Initially, the barometric reading was showing 24.04 inHg, which is ridiculously low. It stayed there for a while, then suddenly popped up to a more reasonable -- and completely accurate -- 30.05 inHg. Looking at historical data using the app is quite simple; you just tip the iPhone over into landscape mode and a chart appears. You can select from temperature, humidity, pressure, CO2 level, and sound meter readings from the inside sensor, and temperature and humidity from the outside sensor. Scrolling the data back and forth over a read line tells you what the specific reading was for a particular time, and you can pinch or reverse-pinch to see less or more detail. Conclusion While it's not a traditional weather station, I think a lot of iPhone owners will find the Netatmo personal weather station to be right for them. It's easy to set up, and provides information to you on your personal comfort that you may not otherwise think about. Pros Easy to set up Attractive and not out of place in any modern household Captures both indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity; provides readings of CO2 and sound levels for indoor Relatively inexpensive compared to more sophisticated weather stations available from Oregon Scientific and similar companies iPhone app provides comfort level readings at a glance Cons Doesn't provide outdoor wind velocity or precipitation readings, which may be important to some potential buyers App is not universal; runs in 2X mode on iPad Who is it for? Anyone who wants to keep track of weather at their location but doesn't want to install and manage a complicated weather station.
