We’ve been HIVE users since the fall now, and I am pretty sure Gabe is their #1 fan. Being someone who takes pride in protecting his family, keeping the home safe, and finding ways to save money, Hive smart products make it easy to do all of that. I had him write out some additional features to the smart home products that he especially loves…
We started off with theHive Welcome Home pack, and have added the Hive View security camera, Hive Thermostats, Hive Lights, and Hive Motions Sensors since then. They are easy to shop on amazon now, and since we have an upstairs + basement, it is so helpful to have everything controllable from our phone.
Customizable “Actions”– Hive Actions are commands and responses based upon what the Hive products register occurring in our home. For example, our kids are constantly getting up at night to use the bathroom, get water, or to keep Anna and I informed of every possible dream that they experience throughout the night. As such, we can set lights in a hallway, living room and kitchen to automatically turn on for ten minutes at 15% brightness when a particular motion sensor picks up movement between the hours of 12 and 6 AM. (This gives them a softly lit path to tread while still mostly asleep.)
We also have a newly finished basement, but basements can be prone to high humidity. High humidity in a naturally cooler environment is a perfect setting for mildew or even mold to flourish, even if there is no standing water. As a safeguard, we set the basement HVAC unit to turn on or circulate the air automatically when the Hive Thermostat located in the basement registers humidity levels above 50%. It will also send a notification to my phone when this occurs. These are only two of the seemingly endless amount of possible actions you can set across the integrated Hive smart home system. The expanded customization has blown my mind! Being a home security and energy efficiency obsessed husband/father, I think I shed tears of joy when I discovered these options, similar to, but not quite like, the birth of one of my children.
Mimic Mode – Mimic mode is another favorite feature that Hive has added in recent months. This links our Hive Lights to turn on and off in a staggered daily pattern, giving the appearance that we are home. The following will explain how well this works. We were recently planning on traveling for multiple days, so we asked a neighbor to look after the house, collect the mail, and gather any packages. When we got home, packages were on the front porch, and the mail was overflowing. It turns out that Hive’s mimic setting mirrored our usual nightly pattern of lighting in the house so closely that he thought we returned early. This was the first time that I used the mimic feature, so needless to say I am sold.
Of course there is the perk that these features save us a good amount of money from being able to time our thermostats to a low setting while we are gone as well as the lights! If you are a homeowner, you know how fast those electricity and AC bills can stack up!
Here is a helpful list of Hive Home products for reference that you can easily shop on Amazon:
- Hive Hub: Connect your Hive products so you can control them from your smartphone, tablet or laptop
- Hive Window or Door Sensor: Get notifications if a door or window is opened when you’re away
- Hive Motion Sensor: Get alerts to your smartphone when movement is detected in your home.
- Hive Active Plug: Turn your appliances on and off from your Hive app
- Hive Active Light: Come home to a bright house every time
- Hive Active Thermostat: Set your perfect temperature anywhere
- Hive View: Peace of mind when you’re away
Have any of you converted over to the smart home way of life yet? We were dragging our heels, and now so happy we made the step! Drop us any questions below in the comments, and we would be happy to answer. Keep an eye out for these products on sale during Amazon Prime Day!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hive. The opinions and text are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make IHOD possible!
