Honeywell has launched the UK’s first voice-controlled thermostat just in time for the cold winter months.
Taking on other home automation systems, such as Google Nest, the £229 device uses far-field technology to allow users to operate it with simple voice commands from long distances.
All you have to do to turn on the Honeywell thermostat is state: “hello thermostat” and then “make it warmer” or “make it cooler” to change the temperature. Additionally, Honeywell states that the device can cut out ambient noise in busy environments to understand your commands even if you are stating them from across the room.
If your not inclined to talking to a machine, you can also operate the thermostat using a mobile app, entitled Total Connect Comfort, that works with iOS and Android devices.
The Honeywell thermostat was released in the US ten months ago and since then it has used its crowd sourcing tech to recognise further commands over time – based on its users’ behaviour and unique interactions.
For example, US owners can now command the thermostat to turn on the heating for a specific amount of time – feature that is not available in the UK at launch.
Currently, the UK version can detect up to 12 different regional dialects using a cloud-based voice recognition system. According to Honeywell, it will adapt to learn your phraseology over time, so in the future if you are accustomed to saying a variation on “turn the heating on” it will follow your instructions regardless.
Future updates will also bring more automation controls to the device. Honeywell claims that it will soon be able to interact with other smart products in the home – such as smart lighting – to switch off when they do.
Although Google is reportedly bringing similar voice controls to its Nest system, it is thought that Honeywell – which also claims to have invented the world’s first thermostat – has considerable brand power in the UK.
The Honeywell voice controlled thermostat is out now.
