When Hive was initially rolled out by British Gas, it was little more than a wireless thermostat but they’ve developed the system to add motion sensors and a feature that detects whether windows and doors are open. These features are also present in Genius home, automatically switching off the radiators so you don’t waste heat.
The Hive base system is a similar price to Genius home. Hive have improved the looks of their hub but they’ve also increased the size of the display, which means if you’re looking for something that can discreetly sit on your wall and not be noticed, it’s probably not Hive.
Hive has come along way but it still falls short in several areas if you are looking for a complete smart heating system. Hive doesn’t offer electric underfloor heating, can only cope with a maximum of three wired heating zones and does not offer wireless radiator (TRV) control. For most homes, that means you’ll be limited to switching all your rooms on or off together – very wasteful in larger homes.
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