Lights that turn on automatically when someone enters a room would be ideal in a smart home. However, without creating a routine or installing motion sensors throughout your home, this can be difficult to set up. Signify, a spin-off of Philips' lighting division,introduced its new SpaceSense technologylast year, which allows motion-sensing light bulbs to turn on without this time-consuming configuration. The company is now incorporating that feature into its existing smart lights to scare off intruders, and it’s paired with a new indoor camera.
The new feature relies on WiZ’s Wi-Fi sensing technology to detect motion using Wi-Fi signals. It works by measuring how Wi-Fi signals are affected by the presence of moving objects, which block or reflect these signals. Wi-Fi sensing devices, such as the WiZ smart bulbs, will then detect these interferences.
Signify said in apress releasethe SpaceSense technology turns any compatible WiZ smart light into a motion sensor that detects movements in the coverage area. you’re able to also configure the system to monitor only specific areas of your home at a certain time using the WiZ app.
The new home monitoring feature requires the new WiZ Indoor Camera, which will be available in the UK and Ireland in the second half of May for £79.99 or €89.99. We’ve yet to hear specifics about US pricing. For the functionality to work, at least two compatible lights must be in the same room.
To shoot in the dark and capture more detail, the camera has IR-based night vision. On the other hand, there’s an option to trigger the smart bulbs to flash at intruders once motion is detected. The camera has a 120-degree field of view and can record 1080p videos. It also has two-way audio and an onboard microphone to listen for unusual noises and alert you via notification when it detects, for example, glass breaking or dogs barking.
WiZ’s new home monitoring proposition is interesting, showcasing Signify’s ambition to be more than just a smart lighting company by adding motion sensing into the mix. After all, its more expensive sibling, Philips Hue, alsomakes motion-detecting lights, though it uses a different connection mechanism known as Zigbee rather than SpaceSense.
