Hive expands connected home range with Active Plug and Window, Door sensors
You probably know Hive best for the connected home system that enables you to take control of your heating and hot water remotely using your smartphone. It’s been around for around three years now but is steadily improving with much more attractive Nest-like thermostats (pictured above) and more intuitive onscreen menus to provide greater control.
Now the British Gas owned company is branching out further into home automation with several new products including the Hive Active Plug and the Hive Window or Door Sensor. These will be available to purchase online at hivehome.com from Wednesday 27th January.
Each plug, for example, will cost just £39 although customers new to Hive will also need the Hive Hub at a cost of £80 (for existing Hive Active Heating customers the existing Hive Hub will work with all new products).
Built on Hive’s Honeycomb platform (well, what else would you call it!), The Hive Active Plug allows you to turn appliances on and off from wherever you are. Worried you’ve left your hair straighteners or iron on after leaving the house? Simply check and switch them off from your phone.
The Hive Active Plug also allows users to set a schedule, using up to six time slots a day, to switch electrical appliances on and off automatically – meaning you’re not wasting electricity by keeping appliances such as lamps on when you don’t need them. It’s also good for security purposes as you can switch lights on and off whenever you want rather than a set time each day when you are away.
Complementing the Hive Active Plug is are the Window and Door Sensors which helps customers monitor what’s going on at home, even when they’re not there. The wireless sensor is attached to a window, door frame, cupboard door or drawer, and will send an alert to your mobile, tablet or laptop via the Hive app if these are opened or closed. Each Hive Window or Door Sensor will cost just £29.
For customers new to Hive the Hive Hub will also need to be purchased at £80. For existing Hive Active Heating customers the existing Hive Hub will work with all new products.Shipping will commence from week commencing 8thFebruary.
The Hive Motion Sensors is a wireless passive infra-red (PIR) motion sensor that will detect motion in a space – specifically moving people. Users can be notified of moving people remotely via their mobile, tablet and laptop as the Hive Motion Sensor works seamlessly with the Hive home Hub and app. The Hive Motion Sensor will be available to purchase online from 9th February; shipping will commence from week commencing 22nd February.
Each motion sensor will cost just £29. For customers new to Hive the Hive Hub will also need to be purchased at £80. For existing Hive Active Heating customers the existing Hive Hub will work with all new products.
The new products come as Hive unveils new research revealing that the UK is in the grip of ‘power paranoia,’ with the process of checking and re-checking that appliances are switched with the average Brit wasting more than three minutes every morning checking their appliances.
The research also found that electrical appliances aren’t the only thing slowing us down and making us fret when we’re trying to get out of the house on time. Concerns around basic home security measures afflict us too; one in 10 people have left the house without securely shutting the front door, 28% have left windows open and more than a third (38%) have mistakenly left lights on.
Says Kassir Hussain, Director of Centrica Connected Home UK:
“We all fit a phenomenal amount into our daily lives, not least in the mornings which can be one of the most hectic times of the day. Gadgets and appliances are intended to make our lives easier, so the fact they’re slowing us down and afflicting us with niggling doubts is a problem.”
“We’ve created the Hive Active Plug and the Hive Window or Door Sensor to fit seamlessly into people’s lives – to give them new ways to control and monitor their homes, wherever they are. That’s the job of connected home products: to restore people’s peace of mind and provide reassurance when it’s needed most.”
Launched in October 2013 there are now more than 250,000 households across the UK using the multi-award winning product. Only Hive Active Heating comes with installation included by a British Gas engineer. It’s available to buy at hivehome.com, britishgas.co.uk, Amazon, John Lewis, Maplin, Very, Littlewoods, Argos, Apple stores and selected Currys/PC World stores.
Hive Active Heating™ is available to buy online at hivehome.com for £249, including professional installation from a British Gas engineer.
There will be 10% off the price of all new connected homes products for existing Hive customers until the 31st March 2016 when they buy via www.hivehome.com or the Hive Hub.
The study shows that:
- More than a third (36%) of us repeatedly check that electronic devices such as hair straighteners and chargers are switched off before leaving the house
- Almost a quarter (23%) admit that power paranoia can ruin their day
- 15% of people surveyed admitted to resorting to phoning housemates and relatives to check that they had switched everything off in their absence
- The emergence of the trend correlates with the increase in gadget and appliance ownership, which has risen 57% since 2005
