It’s CES season and tons of companies are showcasing what’s next in the world of consumer technology. One company, Intellithings, just announced a huge update to its product RoomMe, a system that helps you automate your smart home. For $69 it will let you intelligently automate your smart home with a Bluetooth motion sensor.
Here’s how RoomMe works: First place RoomMe sensors in each room you want to have automated actions in. Then through the RoomMe app (for iOS and Android) you create a user and tie it to the unique Bluetooth signal associated with your smartphone. Keep in mind it’s a random code, there’s no personally identifiable information here. As you walk around your smart home, Intellithings’ patented “Presence Sensing Technology” picks up that Bluetooth signal, which tells the system where and which user you are, allowing you to customize what happens when you walk in a room versus when someone else does. And it shouldn’t tank your battery life as it uses Bluetooth LE aka low energy.
With these RoomMe sensors you can connect smart devices like Philips Hue and LIFX smart bulbs, Ecobee thermostats and even Bose and Sonos speakers to set customized actions. Every time you walk into a room with a sensor, RoomMe will know and adjust these devices to your preferences. For example, when you walk into your kitchen it could brighten your lights, change the temperature to 70 degrees and turn on your favorite radio station. It’s basically automating your routines in a very smart way.
For CES 2020, Intellithings made huge improvements to RoomMe, one of which is its added voice assistant capabilities for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. This integration lets you ask your voice assistant about where somebody is in the home (if they’re somewhere with a RoomMe sensor) and how long they’ve been there. So you could ask if your kids are back from school yet, or if they’ve been shut up in their room playing video games for hours. Remember it just uses the Bluetooth signal from the device that is associated with the person. The added pairing with Siri also lets you create Siri Shortcuts to control your RoomMe system. You can tell Siri to execute your personal customizations so you don’t have to physically walk in yourself. For instance, you can have it prep your home for your arrival.
RoomMe works for many smart home devices and systems like Apple HomeKit, Sensibo, Z-Wave and Zigbee. This update adds even more support for broader coverage, folding in the Logitech Harmony and Insteon hubs so you can pair any Insteon devices or Harmony-controlled infrared devices.
Additionally, it now supports all Samsung smartwatches running Tizen OS 4.0 and up, with additional smartwatches planned to be added as the year goes on. This marks the start of a huge improvement for RoomMe, as users don’t have to carry their phones around the house to automatically activate the devices. And yes, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is eligible.
Intellithings’ RoomMe sensors are a great way to add a “true occupancy automation” system to your existing smart home. With these brand new upgrades, RoomMe adds layers of customized comfort and efficiency to your home and at $69 each, the sensors allow you to command your smart devices just by stepping into the room.
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Note: The prices above reflect the retailer’s listed price at the time of publication.
