Hive to pull the plug on smart home gadgets by 2025

Home automation platform Hive plans to terminate key products in its line, including the Hive View cameras, HomeShield, and Leak products.

A Hive spokesperson told The Register: "At Hive, we've got big plans to make... homes greener, so we've made the tough decision to discontinue our smart security and leak detection products. As a smart tech brand in the middle of a climate crisis, we know the focus needs to change and will instead be developing smart home tech that'll help get us closer to achieving Net Zero."

Users, some of whom have invested four-figure sums in Hive products, are less than impressed.

The indoor and outdoor cameras and HomeShield will be supported until August 1, 2025. The Leak sensors will work as normal until September 1, 2023, after which leak notifications and water usage graphs will dry up.

Once that August date is reached, the cameras will no longer function. Video playback subscriptions will last for "a minimum of two years."

Older security products also face the ax, including the Sound Detection service for the Hub 360, which will be killed off at the end of this year. More up to date is the Boiler IQ trial, which is also on the chopping block. The explanation: "Hive has taken a business decision to not move forward with this product – and to focus on other areas of innovation instead."

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British energy provider Centrica-owned Hive's products have proven problematic. Customers reported issues with the cameras earlier this year, although probably weren't expecting the company to announce their demise mere months later.

Register reader Adam got in touch to grumble: "We have two Hive Outdoor Cameras which will stop working in three years' time," before going on to note the dangers of purchasing IoT gadgets that rely on cloud services. Even cloud services provided by giants such as Centrica, which reported a doubling of operating profit in 2021 to a shade under £1bn.

Hive's discontinued products can still be purchased from a variety of retailers in the UK, Nertherlands, and North America.

In the meantime, Hive's decision is a reminder that IoT devices are not forever. The hardware might be strong, but all too often the cloud behind them is less so. ®