Think setting up a smart home is hopelessly difficult? Wink, the company dedicated to creating smart-home devices, wants to make it easier. It announced on June 16 that it had partnered with Pro.com, so consumers who have Wink products will be able to tap into Pro.com’s database of professionals who can help with the installation process. Wink made the official announcement on its blog.
“We’re always looking for ways to make building your smart home as easy as possible,” Wink stated. “This partnership gives you the option to seamlessly utilize Pro.com’s expert professionals; they’ll install your Wink compatible devices to get them up and running in a snap.”
According to Wink, getting help from Pro.com is as simple as purchasing a product on Wink.com and then specifying which products need professional installation. Once you schedule an installation time, you will be contacted by a job manager from Pro.com. He or she will set up the process within an hour of your request. The cost for the services ranges from $11 (for light bulbs) to $51 (for garage door controllers, locks, light switches and dimmers, and smoke detectors). However, the minimum for installation is $150 to $300.
Wink notes that the service will initially begin in New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Seattle. However, the company says that more locations will be added to this list as the partnership extends across the country. Wink is currently redirecting consumers to a specific section of its website for information on when they can expect to see it in their area.
The smart-home company recently made news in April for the outage of its Wink Hub, designed to control a wide range of IoT devices. On April 18, the Wink Hub system malfunctioned, leaving consumers with no way to program devices through the Wink app.
Considering these devices are supposed to make your life easier, it’s nice that Wink is trying to take some of the hassle out of the startup process. Still, adding an extra $150 (at least) onto the bill for a smarter home adds on a different sort of entry barrier.
