Hive and other camera manufacturers may not be renowned for their sleek design, but the UK-based smart home brand hopes to change that with its latest offering, designed in collaboration with Swiss designer Yves Béhar.
British Gas-owned Hive – renowned for its range of thermostats, motion sensors, water leak detectors, lightbulbs and smart plugs – crossed the pond last year in the hope of scoring market share in an ever-crowded DIY smart camera market. And its first product for universal release around the world is certainly a conversation starter.
Baseless and featuring a bronze pedestal, the Hive View home monitoring camera design is the standout feature among specs commonly found among its leading competitors – not limited to 1080p livestreaming to the Hive app, nightvision, a 130-degree field of view and Bluetooth pairing for setting up.
Designed by consultant Yves Béhar and available in “champagne gold”, black or “brushed bronze”, the cuboid body and curved lines of the Hive View make it more than simply an eyeball on a pedestal, styled to appeal to the discerning homeowner. The camera’s head is rotatable to various different angles, and the base actually comprises of two parts held together by strong magnets, meaning it can be mounted or positioned wherever needed.
Other than its modern design, it’s perhaps the camera’s "grab and go” feature that stands out the most. As well as detaching the base from the magnetic mount, users can also detach the cube from the base for untethered monitoring (for up to 60-90 minutes).
The camera’s motion and sound sensors incorporate adjustable sensitivity and will trigger notifications on a user’s smartphone and puts entries into an event log. There’s additionally a scheduling feature for turning features on and off when a user desires, as well as having a dedicated on/off switch on the device.
The Hive View’s small form factor also packs in a dedicated video analytics chip allowing it to distinguish between people, dog and guinea pig.
In terms of video storage, users have access to 24 hours of video storage for free, or can get 30 days with a monthly subscription plan.
The Hive View is priced at £189 in the UK (or £319 for a twin pack), with the Hive Video Playback subscription priced at £5 per month for accessing archive footage.
Update: Hive has since added two-way audio functionality for new and existing owners of the Hive View (as of July 2018).