Wyze Beyond Your Cameras
Wyze has recently announced two new smart home products: the Wyze Video Doorbell and the Wyze Thermostat. The $30 doorbell (including one Wyze Chime and available for pre-order now) is a hardwired solution, with no hub required. It has 1080p HD resolution, night vision, motion detection, 2-way talk, and two weeks of free cloud storage. The $50 thermostat features scheduling, Home, Away and Sleep modes, and a geofencing option to switch automatically between Home and Away modes. It is also available for pre-order now.
The NPD Take:
- With its low-cost price tag, Wyze has managed to climb up to the number two bestselling brand in security cameras on a unit basis. There is no reason to think that the brand’s expansion into low cost doorbells and thermostats will not be equally as successful for them.
Arlo Announces New Pro 4 and Ultra 2
Following shortly on the heels of Arlo’s new Essential cameras are the new Arlo Pro 4 Wire-Free Spotlight Camera and the Ultra 2 Wire-Free Spotlight Camera. Both are available for pre-order now, with the $200 (for one) Pro 4 shipping October 28 and the $300 Ultra 2 on October 18. The Pro 4 has 2K HDR video, color night vision, and 160-degree field of view. New over the existing Pro 3, the Pro 4 connects directly to WiFi for easier setup (excluding the need for a separate base station). The Ultra 2, meanwhile, has 4K video with HDR and a 180-degree field of view.
The NPD Take:
- Arlo’s Pro 3 line is now its biggest dollar sales driver, so a refresh on this one certainly makes sense to either draw new consumers in, or encourage upgrades among consumers who had purchased an older Arlo camera. The Ultra line may be priced just a bit too high for mass appeal, but its high resolution and 180-degree field of view does attract a niche following.
A “Hand”-y New Nest Thermostat
Google is preparing to launch a $129 Nest Thermostat with hand gesture controls. This will be the most affordable of the Nest thermostats, the Thermostat E retailing for $169 and the Nest flagship thermostat for $249. Some of the touch-based controls will be replaced with hand gesture control by using a sensor similar to those included in Pixel phones, which should enable users to swipe their hand up or down near the thermostat to control temperature or navigate menus.
The NPD Take:
- AT $129, this new Nest thermostat is more affordable than ecobee’s most affordable option for $169 and also more in line with pricing from brands likes Honeywell. Price may not be a much of a concern for consumers who have already bought into the Nest ecosystem, but for those who have not, the lower price point could help with the attraction.