Simple ways to make your whole home smart

The MiHome Motion Sensor alerts you if movement is detected in its vicinity, while the MiHome Open Sensor alerts you if a door or window has been opened. Alerts can be sent to your phone, and both products can be used in single or multiple configurations, and act for triggers for the rest of the MiHome range.

For example, you can set MiHome to turn the lights on when the Open Sensor detects someone opening the garage door, or when the Motion Sensor detects someone entering a room. MiHome’s energy-saving ethos can be helped by the new sensors, too – for example, radiators turning down when a window is opening.

Safety and security applications are numerous, too: the sensors can be used for both internal and external monitoring, meaning you can keep a remote eye on anything from certain cupboards to your front door.

Energenie’s open, real-world approach is a refreshing (and refreshingly affordable) alternative to US-centric smart home products that can lock you into complex, costly ecosystems.

The easy-fit MiHome range includes everything from smart plug sockets and light switches to thermostatic radiator valves, monitors, sensors and adapters – even a Whole House Monitor, which allows you to monitor the power and energy usage of your entire home.

They can be controlled, and energy consumption tracked, from the MiHome app (available for Apple and Android devices) or any web browser.

MiHome products can also integrate with other brands’ products – such as Philips Hue smart light bulbs – via IFTTT, and even be programmed via Raspberry Pi and the new BBC micro:bit.

By combining home automation with an energy-saving ethos, Energenie aims to save British households both time and money – and MiHome’s modular approach means you can build a smart home system at your own pace, with a starter kit (Gateway hub plus 3 Mains Socket Adapters) costing just £69.99.

Oliver Tadd, Energenie Commercial Director, explains further: “Few households have the money or inclination to replace all their light switches, plug sockets or heat sources at once, which is what some smart home systems seem to expect you to do! With MiHome, you can take a more typically British approach of tackling one room at a time. You could even feel the energy-saving benefits by swapping out a single radiator valve.”

Several MiHome products involve simple adaptations to existing fittings, which means they’re ideal for rental properties, but can also move house with you, rather than you leaving your smart home investment behind.