Showing posts with label CONNECT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CONNECT. Show all posts
Hive Active Light
WHAT IS THE HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT?
Although Hive may have started life as a smart thermostat, the system has evolved, adding new features and sensors. First came the motion and door sensors, but now British Gas has added Active Light smart light bulbs, so that you can control your lighting from your smartphone.
Related: Hive Active Heating 2
HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT – DESIGN AND BUILD
As with the majority of smart lighting systems, the intelligence in the Hive Active Light is integrated into the light bulb itself. This makes the bulbs a fraction heavier than a traditional 'dumb' LED light bulb, but not to the point where you need any special fittings. Externally, the Active Light looks just like any other LED bulb. Currently, you have a choice of two fittings: bayonet and screw. It's a shame that there's no GU10 option, which the rival Philips Hue range offers.
As the bulbs use a standard fitting, installation is a simple matter of switching out your old bulbs for the new. The only thing you have to watch out for is existing dimmers, as the Active Light isn't compatible with them – the same's true for other smart lights.
There are three colour options for the Active Light. Cheapest is the £19 Active Light Dimmable. This 9W bulb has a light output of 806 lumens, and colour temperature of 2,700K (warm white). This is a similar bulb to the £15 Philips Hue White bulb.
Next is the £29 Cool to Warm White, which has the same brightness and power rating as the Dimmable bulb. The big difference is that you can adjust colour temperature between 2,700K (warm white) and 6,500K (daylight cold white). This is similar to the £24 Philips Hue White Ambiance light.
At the top of the range is the £44 Colour Changing bulb. Light output remains the same, but power usage increases slightly to 9.5W. You get the same colour temperature adjustment as with the Cool to Warm White bulb, plus you can pick any RGB colour you want. This competes with the £50 Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance.
HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT – FEATURES, APP AND CONTROL
To use the bulbs, you first need the Hive Hub. If you've got the heating system or any other Hive components, you'll have a Hub already, otherwise (excluding the deals) this costs £80. The hub is an unobtrusive product that hooks up to your network via its Ethernet port.
Once the hub's set up, it's simple to add the Active Bulbs via the mobile app (Android or iOS), which covers all other Hive products. You just turn the light switch on, and the bulbs enter pairing mode, ready to be discovered. I had my bulbs up and running in a matter of minutes.
Once a bulb has been discovered, you control it via the Hive app. All lights have on/off controls, plus a dial that lets you control the dimming level in 10% increments, with a special Low mode of 5%. If you have a Cool to Warm White bulb you can also adjust colour temperature, while Colour Changing bulb owners can also pick the colour they want.
Annoyingly, every time a change is made, the app pops up a 'Saving...' message at the bottom of the screen, which is a little distracting. Changes happen quickly, and I found that the bulbs had a great dimming range, from very dark ambient light to room-filling brightness.
For automatic control, you can set a simple schedule, selecting when you want a light to turn on and its brightness, plus when to turn it off. For hallways or for fooling burglars when you're away, scheduling is a neat option.
Currently, there are no dedicated light switches available, unlike with the Philips Hue. For most people, that will mean using a smartphone to control the lights, which isn't particularly useful. Walking into a dark room, only to have to grope around for your phone, just isn't very natural. Besides, this kind of system is useless the second you have guests – unless you want to kit them all out with the app (which you won't).
There are other options, though. If you have any of the Hive sensors, you can set up Recipes in the app to trigger the lights. For example, you can use a motion sensor to turn on a light, which may be useful in a toilet.
If you have Samsung SmartThings, you can bypass the Hive app and hub entirely. Hive Active Light bulbs use ZigBee to communicate, so you can pair them directly with the SmartThings Hub. The only problem is that SmartThings can't detect the type of device automatically, so you have to set the option in the SmartThings web API. I changed the type of device to a ZigBee Dimmer, but there are options for ZigBee White Colour Temperature and ZigBee RGBW bulbs, too, to cover all types of Active Lights.
The SmartThings app is a lot better than the Hive one and carries the additional advantage that you can control your lights via any other compatible switches and sensors.
HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT – IFTTT AND ECHO
Hive provides an IFTTT channel for the Active Lights. There are no triggers, and just two simple actions: turn on a light, and turn off a light. Still, it's nice to have IFTTT, as it means that you can control the lights from other devices. For example, you could have your lights turn off when you go out, or turn a light on automatically if motion was detected by a connected alarm system.
SUMMARY
OUR SCORE:
PROS
- High-quality white and coloured bulbs
- IFTTT support
- Amazon Echo support
CONS
- No dedicated switches
- App is a little clunky
KEY FEATURES
- Warm white, temperature changing and RGB bulbs
- Zigbee compatible
- Android and iOS apps
- IFTTT and Amazon Echo support
- Bayonet and screw fittings
- Manufacturer: British Gas
- Review Price: £19.00
WHAT IS THE HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT?
Although Hive may have started life as a smart thermostat, the system has evolved, adding new features and sensors. First came the motion and door sensors, but now British Gas has added Active Light smart light bulbs, so that you can control your lighting from your smartphone.
Related: Hive Active Heating 2 review
HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT – DESIGN AND BUILD
As with the majority of smart lighting systems, the intelligence in the Hive Active Light is integrated into the light bulb itself. This makes the bulbs a fraction heavier than a traditional 'dumb' LED light bulb, but not to the point where you need any special fittings. Externally, the Active Light looks just like any other LED bulb. Currently, you have a choice of two fittings: bayonet and screw. It's a shame that there's no GU10 option, which the rival Philips Hue range offers.
As the bulbs use a standard fitting, installation is a simple matter of switching out your old bulbs for the new. The only thing you have to watch out for is existing dimmers, as the Active Light isn't compatible with them – the same's true for other smart lights.
There are three colour options for the Active Light. Cheapest is the £19 Active Light Dimmable. This 9W bulb has a light output of 806 lumens, and colour temperature of 2,700K (warm white). This is a similar bulb to the £15 Philips Hue White bulb.
Next is the £29 Cool to Warm White, which has the same brightness and power rating as the Dimmable bulb. The big difference is that you can adjust colour temperature between 2,700K (warm white) and 6,500K (daylight cold white). This is similar to the £24 Philips Hue White Ambiance light.
At the top of the range is the £44 Colour Changing bulb. Light output remains the same, but power usage increases slightly to 9.5W. You get the same colour temperature adjustment as with the Cool to Warm White bulb, plus you can pick any RGB colour you want. This competes with the £50 Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance.
HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT – FEATURES, APP AND CONTROL
To use the bulbs, you first need the Hive Hub. If you've got the heating system or any other Hive components, you'll have a Hub already, otherwise (excluding the deals) this costs £80. The hub is an unobtrusive product that hooks up to your network via its Ethernet port.
Once the hub's set up, it's simple to add the Active Bulbs via the mobile app (Android or iOS), which covers all other Hive products. You just turn the light switch on, and the bulbs enter pairing mode, ready to be discovered. I had my bulbs up and running in a matter of minutes.
Once a bulb has been discovered, you control it via the Hive app. All lights have on/off controls, plus a dial that lets you control the dimming level in 10% increments, with a special Low mode of 5%. If you have a Cool to Warm White bulb you can also adjust colour temperature, while Colour Changing bulb owners can also pick the colour they want.
Annoyingly, every time a change is made, the app pops up a 'Saving...' message at the bottom of the screen, which is a little distracting. Changes happen quickly, and I found that the bulbs had a great dimming range, from very dark ambient light to room-filling brightness.
For automatic control, you can set a simple schedule, selecting when you want a light to turn on and its brightness, plus when to turn it off. For hallways or for fooling burglars when you're away, scheduling is a neat option.
Currently, there are no dedicated light switches available, unlike with the Philips Hue. For most people, that will mean using a smartphone to control the lights, which isn't particularly useful. Walking into a dark room, only to have to grope around for your phone, just isn't very natural. Besides, this kind of system is useless the second you have guests – unless you want to kit them all out with the app (which you won't).
There are other options, though. If you have any of the Hive sensors, you can set up Recipes in the app to trigger the lights. For example, you can use a motion sensor to turn on a light, which may be useful in a toilet.
If you have Samsung SmartThings, you can bypass the Hive app and hub entirely. Hive Active Light bulbs use ZigBee to communicate, so you can pair them directly with the SmartThings Hub. The only problem is that SmartThings can't detect the type of device automatically, so you have to set the option in the SmartThings web API. I changed the type of device to a ZigBee Dimmer, but there are options for ZigBee White Colour Temperature and ZigBee RGBW bulbs, too, to cover all types of Active Lights.
The SmartThings app is a lot better than the Hive one and carries the additional advantage that you can control your lights via any other compatible switches and sensors.
HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT – IFTTT AND ECHO
Hive provides an IFTTT channel for the Active Lights. There are no triggers, and just two simple actions: turn on a light, and turn off a light. Still, it's nice to have IFTTT, as it means that you can control the lights from other devices. For example, you could have your lights turn off when you go out, or turn a light on automatically if motion was detected by a connected alarm system.
Amazon Echo support is arguably more useful, as it gives you voice control over your lights and goes some way towards overcoming the lack of dedicated light switches. Via the Hive Alexa Skill, you can turn lights on, off or set your desired dimming level. It all works quickly and smoothly.
SHOULD I BUY THE HIVE ACTIVE LIGHT?
Price-wise, the Active Lights stack up well against the Philips Hue. If you've already got a Hive Hub, then the Hive's price is better, as Hue requires its own hub. Likewise, if you've got SmartThings and want some well-priced bulbs, the Active Lights make a good choice – provided you're happy digging around in SmartThings' rather crowded web interface.
If you don't have any other Hive Devices or SmartThings, however, Philips Hue is a better choice. It has a wider choice of bulb fitting, plus LED strips, and has a great range of dedicated switches and motion sensors.
VERDICT
Neat connected light bulbs, but the lack of dedicated switches and a slightly clunky app curb their appeal.
Smart Remote
Remotes that control your home are nothing new, and we're huge fans of Logitech's excellent Harmony Elite, but the Smart Remote by Sevenhugs does things a bit differently.
Rather than having a load of buttons and forcing you to manually select the device you want to control, the Smart Remote automatically switches its settings depending on where you point it.
Point it towards your Sonos and volume controls will appear, point it at a lamp packing a Philips Hue bulb and you'll be able to change the colours or turn it off. Heck, you can even aim it at your front door and an option will pop up to call an Uber.
To accomplish this almost wand-like quality, the remote connects to base stations that can be scattered around your home and packs in a load of sensors from a gyroscope to an accelerometer and a more common IR blaster. There's also Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and Sevenhugs claims you can control more than 25,000 devices with the remote.
Related: The best of CES 2017
It's pretty impressive stuff, especially when you consider it's much smaller than the competition and is barely bigger than the Siri remote that comes with the Apple TV. Like the Siri remote you'll need to keep this charged, with the internal battery lasting a few days before you'll have plug it in to the included USB-C dock.
While we weren't able to test out how accurately the motion sensing capabilities worked, we were impressed by the Smart Remote. It's dinky, yet the large HD touchscreen that covers the entire front is responsive and sharp. There's a handy button on the base station that buzzes the remote if you lose it, and the iOS or Android set-up app again looks easy to use.
Like the Logitech Harmony, you can create bespoke scenes that accomplish multiple tasks with a single button press and as it supports infrared it can learn to control things like your TV, even if they're not 'smart'.
But, the Smart Remote will live or die by how well its motion sensors work. There would be nothing worse than pointing it expectantly at a Sonos and then being given the option to turn your light off. So lets hope everything works as advertised when it goes on sale later this year.
You can pre-order the Smart Remote on Indiegogo right now for $229, but that price will jump to $299 when it officially launches in September.
If this the one remote to rule them all? Let us know in the comments box below
SMEG SJF01
KEY FEATURES
- 150W motor
- Juice jug with lid
- Pulp container
- Hopper lid
- Non-drip spout
- 2 x cleaning brushes
- 2 x juice strainers
- H43 x W15 x D17.5cm
- Manufacturer: Smeg
- Review Price: £449.99
WHAT IS THE SMEG SJF01 SLOW JUICER?
Modern design tends to be the default option for juicers. But for those who crave a more retro aesthetic, Smeg’s stunning slow juicer is sure to satisfy.
Designed to match the company’s other 50s-style products, it’s a curvy, glossy number with all the details you’d expect, from subtle but instantly recognisable branding to its coordinating colour palette of cream, black, red and pastel blue.
Its function is as flawless as its form, with an efficient 43rpm squeezing system to maximise your juice’s nutrition content, prolong its lifespan in the fridge, and minimise waste.
SMEG JF01 SLOW JUICER – DESIGN AND FEATURES
There will be no need to clear your kitchen cupboards for this slow juicer. Everything about the design marks it out as a permanent worktop resident, from its striking good looks to its ease of use, which will ensure it's called upon on a regular basis. It’s a little weighty, at around 7.2kg, so not something you’d want to shift in and out of a cupboard.
The base unit is home to an induction motor, with a ball lever on the side to switch between juicing and reverse if food becomes stuck. A juicing unit slots neatly on top, which is composed of a hopper to feed in fruit, vegetables and nuts and a juicing bowl that can accommodate almost a pint of liquid.
Inside there's a screw-style auger, made from durable Ultem, which squeezes out the juice, a rotating brush, and a choice of two stainless-steel strainers – fine and coarse – so you can create super-smooth or thicker juice.
Other features sidestep common problems, such as a seal on the juice outlet to stop drips on the worktop, and a density regulator lever that helps to squeeze out the last few drops during the final stage of juicing.
As well as a pair of jugs to catch pulp (up to 1.6 litres) and juice (up to one litre), there are some thoughtful extras. These include two cleaning brushes that are ideal for removing every scrap of pulp from the strainers, and a lid for the juicing jug.
Recipe ideas are included, but several are single ingredient suggestions, so you may need a separate book to stretch your juicing horizons.
SMEG SJF01 SLOW JUICER – WHAT IS IT LIKE TO USE?
Juicers can be a chore to assemble, but not the SJF01 – the manual made it clear how the machine is put together, aided by diagrams and labelling. In addition, it's possible to assemble the juicing bowl components as a whole unit that then simply drops onto the base, with no twisting in required.
I started by making apple juice with the fine strainer in place. The hopper chute is quite narrow, presumably to regulate the size of food for preventing clogs, so some prep was still required. As well as removing the core, I cut the apple into chunks to fit.
Each one was easily processed, with three apples producing around 250ml of juice. The amount of ejected pulp was minimal and noticeably dry while inside the bowl, and only small amounts of pulp had gathered within the strainer.
Continuing to use the fine strainer, I tried creating a green juice using kale, cucumber, banana and grapes, with the juicing spout seal in place to mix the juice while it was still in the bowl.
I added each ingredient to the chute, starting with the kale and cucumber combined to extract more juice from the leafy veg. The juice this produced was incredibly smooth and vibrantly green.
Inside the juicing bowl, there were only minute amounts of kale and grape, no visible cucumber, but there was some banana residue around the auger and on the strainer.
Switching to the coarse strainer, I finished by making orange juice using three peeled and quartered oranges. Each fed through easily and produced almost 300ml of thicker than average, but only slightly pulpy, juice. Inside, there was barely any orange remaining and minimal pulp again.
It wasn’t clear if the parts were dishwasher safe, but since each strainer was clogged with small amounts of pulp, it was more effective to clean by hand, especially when there were dedicated brushes for clearing it.
Each required a scrub, so it was a bit more of a labour-intensive clean-up than some.
SHOULD I BUY THE SMEG SJF01 SLOW JUICER?
Definitely one for juicing addicts as well as dedicated Smeg fans. Besides being stylish, it offers impressive yield when judged against comparable machines.
It’s quick despite being a "slow" juicer, it's quiet, and its sturdy build quality will ensure years of use. Take a "buy once, buy right" approach and you won’t be disappointed. It's pricey, but it's worth it.
VERDICT
Embracing a new healthy lifestyle has never looked so stylish.
TomTom Touch
TomTom se lance sur le marché des trackers d’activité avec une originalité sur son Touch : la mesure de la composition corporelle de l’utilisateur. Dans le même temps, il manque des fonctions de base comme le suivi du sommeil. Frustrant.
Connu pour ses systèmes de navigation GPS et plus récemment ses montres de sport, TomTom se lance sur le créneau déjà bien encombré des bracelets connectés avec le TomTom Touch. Un produit commercialisé au mois de septembre dernier au prix de 149 euros. Pour se distinguer, la marque néerlandaise met en avant sa capacité à mesurer la composition corporelle de l’utilisateur. Mais cela suffit-il à le faire rivaliser avec les bracelets du leader du marché Fitbit ?
Le TomTom Touch se compose d’un bracelet, d’un module intelligent et d’un câble USB. Il intègre un capteur de mouvement (accéléromètre et gyroscope), ainsi qu’un cardiofréquencemètre optique. A ce niveau de prix, on ne trouve pas de GPS. Il s’utilise enfin avec l’application MySports qui sert déjà à connecter les montres de la marque et fonctionne avec iOS et Android.
Le design est on ne peut plus classique, très proche du Xiaomi Mi Band 2 ou du Sony SmartBand 2 avec son bracelet en silicone noir et son petit module amovible à charger séparément. Le bracelet, disponible en deux tailles, s’ajuste parfaitement et se fixe bien solidement avec un système de crantage mais il laisse des traces sur la peau et peut provoquer des irritations comme cela nous est arrivé. Le module résiste aux éclaboussures (IPX7) sans pouvoir toutefois être immergé.
L’écran, inscriptions blanches sur fond noir, permet de faire défiler de nombreuses informations d’un glissement de doigt. En allant vers le bas, il affiche l’heure par défaut mais aussi le nombre de pas, les calories dépensées, les kilomètres parcourus et la durée du sommeil. En allant vers le haut, on accède à deux modes : la mesure de la fréquence cardiaque et celle de la composition corporelle. On peut paramétrer l’application de manière à ce que le capteur cardiaque fonctionne en permanence ou choisir de le lancer manuellement pour une activité en appuyant fortement sur le bouton du bracelet.
Une mesure corporelle un peu gadget
La mesure de la composition corporelle (calcul de la masse musculaire et graisseuse) que TomTom Touch est le seul à proposer après le Jawbone UP3, fait figure de produit d’appel. Cette fonction fonctionne grâce à un capteur de bio-impédance qui mesure la tension créée par le passage d’un très faible courant dans votre corps. On obtient un résultat avec un pourcentage de muscles et un autre de graisse.
Elle se lance en appuyant fortement sur le bouton du bracelet mais nécessite de maintenir la pression en continu avec son doigt et de ne pas bouger et de ne pas garder ses bras collés au corps. Si l’écran affiche une petite encoche, c’est que votre mesure a été parfaitement réalisée, si c’est une croix, il faut recommencer.
Seulement, voilà, à chaque mesure, on a trouvé un résultat légèrement différent, ce qui nous a fait douter de la fiabilité des données. Par ailleurs, même pour quelqu’un qui voudrait maigrir, le recours à cette fonctionnalité est loin d’être essentiel. Un peu gadget en conclusion.
Pas de suivi du sommeil
Le plus problématique reste cependant l’application MySports qui s'avère beaucoup trop rudimentaire par rapport à la concurrence, à niveau de prix équivalent. Premier constat, le suivi du sommeil manque à l’appel. Sur l’écran du bracelet, on accède au nombre d’heures que l’on a passé à dormir dans la journée mais les données sont effacées dès la nuit suivante et ne sont pas transmises à l’application. Résultat, pas de graphique permettant de comparer l’évolution du sommeil au fil des jours, ni de moyen de distinguer les différentes phases pour en connaître la qualité.
Autre point noir, les activités sportives. Le bracelet est configuré par défaut pour classer votre activité comme de la gym et ne fait absolument pas la différence entre la marche ou la course. Il faut donc aller corriger après-coup l’application pour requalifier votre entraînement. Et encore, les possibilités sont maigres puisque vous ne pourrez choisir qu’entre « course » ou « gym ». Or la catégorie de sport pratiquée a une incidence directe sur le nombre de calories brûlées. Impossible également de régler l’amplitude des foulées.
Concernant l’autonomie, TomTom Touch annonce jusqu’à cinq jours de suivi d’activité. C’est exactement ce que nous avons obtenu en utilisant en permanence le capteur cardiaque. Ce qui est beaucoup mieux que les performances obtenus par le Sony Smart Band 2 (seulement deux jours d’autonomie) et aussi bien que le Fitbit Charge 2. On conseille toutefois de ne pas activer par défaut la mesure cardiaque et de la lancer uniquement lors d'une séance de sport pour préserver la batterie.
FICHE TECHNIQUETomtom Touch
| Podomètre | Oui |
| Réglage de l'amplitude des foulées | Non |
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