I've just had Hive active heating installed by British Gas. Anyone else got it? Or use other smart home systems/devices?

We are British Gas customers, using their homeserve cover for boiler servicing and covering all parts and labour for both the boiler, all pipes, waste pipes and electrics in the house. We've been using this cover for years now with great service. When we've had a boiler issue they have come out within a couple of hours to fix it. So when we had a deal to get Hive installed we thought it was a good idea, especially as Hive is made by British Gas.

After booking the install we had a date for 10th Jan 2017, but we had the annual boiler service today, and when the engineer arrived he said he saw we had booked the Hive and said if we cancelled the booking for the Jan install he could then rebook it and install it today, which was great. In addition he could offer it £100 cheaper at £149, instead of the £249 we initially paid. Go great deal.

It didn't take him long to install and we now have wi-fi controlled central heating and hot-water.

And in addition Hive acts as a complete Smart home hub, so I can get some smart Hive lightbulbs which can be set to scheduled on and off times and can be dimmed when on.. great for the outside lights and the hallway when coming home in the dark or late at night. You can also get smart plug sockets and smart security devices for door and window sensors and motion sensors, so a great way to add some security to the house too. I'm going to start off with a couple of Hive lightbulbs for the front outside light and the hallway, and then might get some window sensors in the new year.

Definitely a great system, and at the £150 price to install via British Gas at the moment you can't go wrong at that price.

Is anyone else using Hive? Or any of the alternatives from Philips, Samsung etc? Are you happy with it? Any issues?

I'm trying to work out what I could use smart plug sockets for. Maybe turning a standard lamp or bedside lights on and off. Or maybe the lighting for my display cabinet or possibly mood lighting via colours led strips I was thinking about for the study/games room. Some possibilities. Might also get some smart light bulbs for the study and living room too so they can be dimmed when watching TV without needing to get up!