Bosch reaffirmed its commitment to the smart home at IFA 2016 in Berlin, where it announced three new devices and integration with IFTTT, one of the largest Internet of Things (IoT) platforms.
It comes two years after Bosch launched the Home Connect app, an attempt to make the German manufacturer a hub for other smart devices. That has had limited success, and Bosch appears to be moving away from a lead role, instead integrating with popular platforms.
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The IFTTT integration works for almost all of Bosch’s smart home devices launched before 2016, meaning you can finally connect your dishwasher to the Amazon Echo or Philips Hue lights.
The three new products at the IFA conference include a 360 indoor camera, a smoke detector and air quality monitor, and a camera for the front door that also acts as a porch light.
Bosch’s indoor camera has a clear advantage over Nest Cam or Netatmo Connect, it can see the entire room. Users will be able to place the camera anywhere, and still get a clear shot of the entire room. Instead of turning the device off by the wall, users can press a button and the camera retreats into the cylinder, providing privacy when you need it.
The smoke detector, Bosch Twinguard, uses air quality monitoring to recognize false alarms. The built in tracking could be useful in countries where air quality is not great, like China and India, alerting homeowners to volatile organic compounds.
Bosch gunning for Nest?
Bosch Eyes, the front door camera, is another two-in-one. It detects when someone is outside the door, but also works as a porch light for late night callers. Users can connect the camera to any IFTTT supported device, like Philips Hue, to receive an alert when someone is at the front door.
The first two devices from Bosch are clear attempts to take away some Nest marketshare. Both devices improve on Nest’s own devices, the smart thermostat and smoke detector. Considering Nest’s turbulent last year, it could be a smart move to try and grab new customers, who don’t want to pay +$200 for a two year old device.
