Eve, maker of a huge ecosystem of smart accessories for HomeKit-enabled houses, announced today that it’s upgrading its popular Eve Room sensor to have Thread support. Thread is a newish low-power mesh network protocol that lets disparate gadgets and accessories interact with each other more seamlessly, similar to existing services like Zigbee or Z-Wave. The big difference is Thread doesn’t require a smart home hub.
“Thread has been a spectacular success for us, and in a not-too-distant future, a Thread network in your house will be just as common as Wi-Fi”, says Jerome Gackel, CEO of Eve Systems. “If you purchase an Eve product with Thread, like Eve Room, you’re making a sustainable, future-proof choice, as Thread is one of the natively supported standards in Matter, the common protocol backed by Apple, Google, Amazon, SmartThings/Samsung, Eve, and many more.”
Thread connects devices in a true web, where they can each interact with the others in the net without relying on a single connection point like a hub. Mesh protocols can also eat up a device’s battery life, but Thread says its service connects devices using lower power, meaning battery life is preserved.
But back to Eve: Eve Room is one of now 10 Eve products that will work with HomeKit using Thread. Completely wireless, Eve Room is a low-power sensor that monitors your room’s air quality, temperature, and humidity. The original Eve Room was a blocky lump of plastic, but the newest version has a customizable, high-contrast e-ink display that shows the current conditions, meaning there’s no need to grab your smartphone.
Eve Room also measures volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration — compounds that are released from pretty much every manufactured product we find in our homes, from furniture and flooring to toys and cleaning supplies. Particularly in winter while we’re all cocooning with the doors and windows shut, VOCs can build up, so it’s helpful to keep tabs on their levels, and get some fresh air in when you need to.
Eve Room doesn’t need a bridge or a gateway and connects to the Eve for HomeKit app for iPhone or iPad to let you monitor and keep track of all your home metrics.
The third-generation Eve Room is now available for $100.
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