Hive wants to make smart heating way better with this new gadget – Here’s how it works
Hive has launched a new smart Radiator Valve it claims will make it way easier to control your home’s temperature room-by-room.
The Hive Radiator Valve was announced today as the company’s latest addition to its smart home lineup. The valve allows a modular approach to home heating.
According to Hive it’s unique as, unlike most smart home heating systems interact with the main thermostat, the smart Radiator Valves let you modify room temperature radiator by radiator. The valve seems like a simple but powerful idea. The product lets you adjust the heating on any radiator it is placed on and – obviously – it integrates with the rest of your Hive smart home setup.
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The installation is simple too. The Hive Radiator Valve merely requires you to unscrew your current thermostatic radiator valve head. You can then attach Hive’s valve in its place. Once there, you can use your smartphone to control it just like you would your Hive Thermostat or other Hive gadgets.
Radiator valves aren’t a new idea – we reviewed the Bosch Smart Home Heating and Radiator Thermostat valve back in February – but Hive stepping into the market is likely to bring them more attention. The main hurdle seems to be price. The Hive Radiator Valve falls in line with the rest of the smart radiator valve market when it comes to cost. One valve is £54, two valves are £139 and five valves are £199.
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Whether the cost seems worth it to you will likely come down to your investment in having a truly smart home. If you are then you’ll appreciate some of the tricks of this new product. The Hive Radiator Valve can turn on a radiator even when your home’s normal heating is scheduled to be off. You can also operate the valve just using the Hive Hub – meaning you don’t need Hive Active Heating.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
