British Gas is pulling the plug on their Hive ‘smart home’ devices and has started to switch off their customers’ security cameras already.
The home provider announced last year that it was scrapping its home security range, including digital security cameras and burglar alarms which link to users’ smartphones.
This means customers’ devices will soon become redundant, in some cases only a few years after they were purchased.
Hive shared this news with more than two million of its customers, saying that the discontinued devices would eventually stop working by 2025.
Hive security cameras are being switched offline
Hive Home
However, Hive is shutting down some of its products earlier than anticipated, with some ceasing operation from this week onwards.
The firm, which is owned by Centricia, the parent company of British Gas, disconnected users of its Hive Camera and Nano 1 Hub, which connects smart home devices to Wi-Fi.
Hive said it had Hive said it had “big plans to make homes more energy efficient and cheaper to run”.
The move comes as Hive decides to pivot its business into supplying sustainable devices, such as heat pumps and electric car charges.
Hive added that by getting rid of the smart home products, it would allow them to focus on developing “smart home tech that’ll get us closer to net zero”.
Yet the brand did not respond when asked to further elaborate on how the switch benefited the environment.
Customers have been left confused and irritated.
Brian Smith, a retiree from Wadhurst whose two Hive Cameras became obsolete on Tuesday, said: “I am peeved. What energy are these cameras consuming, or what resources, that makes it necessary to withdraw them to achieve net zero?
“I have had these cameras for four years, but I don’t understand why it should be necessary [to discontinue them]. If I could have been supplied with a more credible explanation as to why they are giving them up I would be more satisfied.”
Smith believed the cameras would last at least another two years but now have been rendered useless.
The cameras acted as a guard against potential burglaries, as Smith could view the outside and inside of his house remotely, which put his mind at ease.
The firm, owned by Centricia, are deciding to switch to supplying renewable energy sources instead
PA
Other products, including the HomeShield burglar alarm and the Boiler IQ WiFi system, which notifies users when their boiler needs to be replaced, will remain online until August 2025.
Smart home devices were supported by British Gas as a way to help customers fight climate change, as they were able to easily control their energy consumption.
A spokesman for Hive said: “At Hive we’ve got big plans to make Britain’s homes greener. So we made the tough decision to discontinue some products including security cameras and develop more smart home tech that’ll get us closer to net zero.
“When this decision was made in 2022 we agreed that the majority of indoor and outdoor cameras would be supported for another three years, ending on August 1 2025. A small number have not been supported...however, these products have not been sold since 2019 and 2016 respectively.”
He added: “Our focus on net zero is around home energy management, using our smart home technology to give our customers energy efficiency insights on their homes and connect new devices such as air source heat pumps, electric vehicle chargers, and home batteries to the Hive platform.”
