(Image Credit: Hive)
Hive, a British Gas company, has expanded its smart home range with the launch of its 'Active Light' LED bulbs. Adding to Hive's existing thermostat, window/door sensors, motion sensors, and 'Active Plug' products, the addition of lighting capabilities help consumers to build a basic smart home.
In order to use the Hive Active Light bulbs, you will need a Hive Hub which costs £80 by itself or is available cheaper when purchased with the company's smart thermostat (if you already have a Hive installed, you're ready to go.)
The bulbs start at £19 each but if you're looking to buy some in bulk then you can get three for £49 or five bulbs for £79. With an expected lifespan of 25,000 uses your investment should last a while and if you're replacing standard bulbs with LEDs they should have an impact on reducing your bills (along with the ability to switch them off remotely when not in use.)
Luckily for us Brits the Hive Active Light is available in the weird 'bayonet' fitting we often use, as well as the 'screw' fitting used elsewhere. This alone is a step up for UK consumers as I've lost track of how often I've had to use a bayonet-to-screw adapter for smart lighting products.
Slightly disappointing, but ok for most, is that Hive's current lighting is only available in white similar to Philips' Hue Ambiance bulbs we reviewed back in March. Another disappointment is the lack of support for third-party IoT devices and services – although we've been assured for some time now that IFTTT integration remains in the pipeline.
For now, you'll have to use Hive's own app which has been updated to support Active Light. In the Hive app you'll be able to control the bulbs directly – such as switch them on/off and control their brightness – as well as implement schedules for lighting around your daily life or deterring potential intruders when you're on holiday.
For many consumers, being able to control the most common smart home functions in a single app will be attractive. This simplicity makes Hive among the best smart home systems you could recommend to your parents – but if you like granular control with interconnected devices from a variety of manufacturers then you'll want to look elsewhere at this point.
You can find out more about the Hive Active Light here.
What are your thoughts on Hive's smart home products? Let us know in the comments.
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