You don’t need eyes in the back of your head as long as you have Hive’s new smart indoor camera. Known as the Hive View, this camera from Centrica Connected Home promises to fit naturally into any home environment.
Born out of customer research, which suggested that folks wanted an indoor camera to complement’s Hive’s existing family of smart home products, the Hive View was developed in conjunction with designer Yves Béhar. The indoor camera’s most defining characteristic is the “Grab and Go” feature, which allows the lightweight camera to be disconnected from its thin stand and placed in various areas throughout the home for a truly mobile experience. Of course, the Hive View comes with now-standard features like HD live-streaming, person detection, and camera history, all of which can be accessed at any time from anywhere through the companion Hive app.
“Customer feedback is central to our design process and is invaluable in ensuring every feature of a new product has a tangible benefit,” Tom Guy, Centrica Connected Home’s global product director, said in a statement. “Working with Yves and his team, we’ve built on this thinking with Hive View, a smart indoor camera that is strikingly designed and, most importantly, keeps people connected to their home, from wherever they are.”
Promising a straightforward setup process, the Hive View is said to work “within minutes of unboxing.” You can set up the indoor camera on a wall, shelf, or magnetic mount — regardless of which you choose, all can rotate, flex, and claim a 130-degree field of view.
Users can determine when to trigger the Hive View to capture content. Recording will only begin if sound or motion is detected, so you won’t have a surveillance-style camera frightening folks in your home. You can also choose to set the Hive View to only detect people, so pets won’t set off your recordings. Via the Hive app, you can watch a secure lives-tream in 1080 HD, even in the dark. All recorded content can be viewed for 24 hours, though if you upgrade to receive Hive Video Playback, you will have a 30-day rolling video history.
Currently available either in Black and Brushed Copper or White and Champagne Gold, the Hive View comes as part of the Hive Close to Home pack, which includes lights, sensors, plugs, and Hive Video Playback. This package will set you back $350. Alternatively, existing Hive customers can add Hive View to their current pack for $200.
