We enjoy testing out new products and this one was definitely a different swing from the conventional products in the smart home category. BeON Home, self described as an easy solution for baby-boomers wanting a little extra security in their home, is an interesting solution for consumers wanting a touch of added security without diving full on into a smart home environment.
BeONHome offers a smart security lighting solution that doesn’t require any wiring. In fact you merely place their light bulbs in different lamps around your home (say Living Room, Entry Hall, and Bedroom). The product has four main functionalities; sound activated lighting, light pattern replay when away, backup lighting during power outages, and emergency lighting in the event of a fire or carbon monoxide detection.
This isn’t a solution we’d recommend for an avid smart home enthusiast by any stretch, but for their target market – baby boomers in their 50’s and 60’s – it’s a seemingly simple solution for your home (although you may want to get one of the millennials in your life to stop by and set it up initially.
For those not completely comfortable operating their devices from their phone this system can provide some peace of mind. Once set up, the system essentially operates itself and it even comes with two key fobs that allow you to indicate if you are away or home. This is important as if the system thinks you are away it will go into it’s light simulation mode so you may find your lighting going on and off randomly if you forget to hit that home button.
With the holidays fast approaching this may be a gift you want to get for your aging parents. The safety and security that a system like the BeON Home system provides is one that many older generations can appreciate. Knowing that if the doorbell rings in the evening that the lights will automatically come on, that intruders will be deterred when they see lights turning on and off, mimicking your own lighting patterns in the evening is also a comfort.
Beyond that the fact that in the event of a power outage, fire, or carbon monoxide leak – should the alarm go off in the middle of the night you won’t have to hunt around for that light switch as these bulbs will turn on automatically.
Some of the drawbacks of the system that we noted in our testing was the bluetooth connectivity. This is always a concern as it is often not as strong as when products are connected to your home’s wifi network. With that said the range for connectedness is 50 feet and most elderly people are living in smaller homes and apartments so it’s likely not to be an issue.
The team at BeON Home plans to keep the product up-to-date with the latest programs to deter intruders and will deliver these via updates to the firmware of the device so this is a company that plans to support the product in the long run without having to buy a new set every two years.
In all it’s a great first step product, or solution for those that are not as tech savvy, but want a little added security in the home.
