Hector: the connected cube test

Have you ever looked at the weather, prepared according to its forecasts, and realized that the weather is completely different from what was predicted? This is very frustrating and yet quite common. The solution? Have your own weather station. This is what Hector offers, the 100% French multi-functional connected cube.

A connected cube that can predict the weather is the main idea behind the Hector. In theory, this small machine should allow you to avoid the usual inconveniences when organizing an outing. A blue sky is announced? You can be sure it will rain. Thus, this product is intended to handle the forecasts itself. While he sometimes manages to surprise, it can be said that he does not keep all his promises, far from it.

• Brand: Hector
• Category: weather station, hydrometer and thermometer
• Connection: Bluetooth
• Compatibility: iOS and Android
• Price: 49€90
• Tested with: iPad

Unboxing of the Hector

This unboxing is intended to be temporary. Indeed, we were able to meet the creators of the small connected cube: Morgan Lavaux and Valentin Roy. They told us that they were rethinking the communication around their product. Indeed, rather than selling it as a weather station, they now plan to call it: a multi-functional connected cube.

The difference? The object is not only used to give weather forecasts, but also to manage places where the temperature is important, such as a cellar, a refrigerator or a baby's room for example.

As a result, the packaging will have to change, we have had exclusive access to the visuals of the next packaging.

For this test, we will unbox the current product packaging. It is a transparent plastic box through which the cardboard box containing the Hector can be distinguished. On the plastic box, information about the product's features is displayed on two sides.

The cardboard packaging, on the other hand, summarizes its contents, as well as the available connections and product compatibility. It contains the Hector, the suction cup to attach it where you plan to use it, a flat battery to operate it, and the user manual.

This is a very classic packaging for a product that is placed in an average price range. It will be necessary to see how the next packaging transforms the identity of the product and what quality it offers.

Design and ergonomics of the Hector

The Hector offers a very efficient design that stands out from the competition. It is a black and white cube pierced through and through on its white faces. The name of the product is written in white on one of the black faces with the typography of the product, which imitates handwritten writing.

It is a beautiful product that will perfectly fit into any interior. It is also very ergonomic. Its small size, coupled with the hole that runs through it, makes it easy to handle. In addition, it allows you to intelligently conceal the trapdoor that contains the battery.

The suction cup allows the product to be placed exactly as you wish (as long as the surface is suitable, of course). It will hold perfectly, even on the side. So if you don't have a place to put the Hector, you can always put it horizontally on a fridge or glass.

Unfortunately, these good points are not worth much when faced with a major problem: long-term use. And when we say "long-term", we are actually talking about a few months, or at least less than a year. Indeed, the device deteriorates quickly and a battery change does not solve the problem. So we quickly find ourselves with a non-functional machine, which is already not very resistant to rain. Thus, despite the promise of "being able to install it where you want", there is no waterproof protection. All it takes is one shower for the cube to be completely unusable.

Conclusion

The Hector has plenty of ideas: a small cube for forecasting the weather is a useful gadget. Its application is easy to access and its minimalist design is quite pleasant to the eye. In practice, however, the product is not convincing. Its construction is very unreliable and the device fails within a year of purchase. Far from resisting water, it deteriorates very quickly. In addition, there are real connection and usage problems that further affect the experience. Finally, the application, which offers little content, has an unfortunate tendency to close regularly for no reason. All these problems make an attractive price at the base too high, adding another black spot to the Hector.

Guide: Smart fridge for smart living

Having appeared early in the early 2000s, smart fridges have made a comeback and are an integral part of the smart home universe. While this market has developed, the supply remains relatively limited, although more varied. Smart fridges can save you time, entertain you in the kitchen, and ensure the optimal preservation of your food. Find out how to choose a smart fridge, and our selection of the best models on the market.

What is a smart fridge?

The concept of a smart fridge refers, for simplicity, to a fridge smart to the Internet via WiFi or another communication protocol such as Bluetooth. This connectivity allows you to interact with the fridge using your smartphone, for example to control the temperature.

However, it would be more accurate to talk about smart fridges to refer to the devices we are talking about here. Most of these household appliances carry a processor, RAM, and a touch screen, just like a computer.

Through this screen, it is possible to access multimedia content, browse the Internet, but also to access functionalities directly related to cooking and food preservation. The smart fridges allow you to monitor the condition of your food, food stocks, or to consult recipes directly and write shopping lists. Many features to be discovered in more detail in the following paragraph.

What is the purpose of a smart fridge?

The smart fridges offer many features. While they retain common characteristics, the offer is more varied than before and each one has its own qualities. As a general rule, smart fridges allow you to establish a shopping list based on the contents of the fridge.

This content can be automatically analyzed in different ways. Some models have a camera on board that scans the different products in the fridge. Others require manual listing of products to enter them into the device's internal memory. Subsequently, the user can sometimes send his list automatically to a partner store in order to place his order directly from his kitchen. It is also possible to consult the shopping list from the fridge on your smartphone once in the store.

Another typical feature is the ability to view recipes from the smart screen of the fridge. These recipes can be filtered automatically according to your desires, of course, but also according to the content of the fridge. Once again, once the recipe has been chosen, it is often possible to order the ingredients directly or add them to the shopping list on the smartphone.

In addition, smart refrigerators are also excellent tools for monitoring the condition of food. The cameras embedded inside these devices allow you to monitor the contents of the fridge at any time from your smartphone or computer. So, if you are no longer sure you have enough specific ingredients in stock, you can check directly on your phone from the store.

These smart devices also offer, for the most part, multimedia features dedicated to entertainment. While in the kitchen, the user can watch television, listen to music, or even surf the Internet.

Another, less obvious strength of smart fridges is the potential to save energy. Since the 1970s, the energy consumption of refrigerators has been limited. Today, an average refrigerator consumes about 498 kilowatt-hours per year, compared to 1278 in the 1980s. However, these household appliances still account for 30% of the energy costs of a typical household. However, the temperature of the smart fridges can be controlled in real time. In this way, energy consumption can be significantly reduced.

How to choose a smart fridge?

There are several criteria to consider when choosing a smart fridge. First of all, it is of course necessary to review the features specific to these smart devices. Multimedia content distribution, food monitoring, recipe consultation, online ordering... it is important to evaluate the possibilities offered by each model, and choose those that meet your expectations.

The second criterion to be taken into account concerns the traditional characteristics of fridges. The energy consumption, dimensions, capacity or design of the chosen appliance must correspond to your needs and integrate harmoniously into your home.

Ubiwizz PIR motion detector

While most Enocean sensors and detectors are mainly "battery-free", here is one that announces a 5-year battery life with its CR123A battery.

The "Ubiwizz PIR motion detector" by ID-RF, detects any movement to directly trigger actuators (Micro SmartPlug, recessed lighting module,...) or scenarios through an Enocean compatible hub or gateway. "Associate this detector with a lighting module, and your lights turn on automatically when you go to the garage.

Characteristics of the motion detector

• Power supply: CR123A 3V battery
• Life expectancy: 5 years
• Indoor use
• Mounting: adhesives (included) fixing hooks (included)
• Wireless range: Up to 30 meters
• Detection range: Up to 5 meters
• Sensitivity: from 0 to 1000Lux
• Radio: EnOcean® Protocol
• EEP: A5-07-03
• Dimensions: 65*65*39mm

Installation and configuration of the motion detector

Thanks to its multiple mounting options, you can place it anywhere in your home and customize its settings according to the lighting environment to fully enjoy its use.

Delivered with all accessories, you can place it directly on a flat surface such as a table or piece of furniture, or on a wall with double sided supplied. It will allow you to detect any movement at an angle of 120° and a zone of 5m.

Even more interesting, the detector comes with two metal tabs for ceiling mounting. Just drill a 45mm hole in the plate, and embed the motion sensor as a spot. And if you have a concrete ceiling, you can still fix it with dowels and screws.

The big advantage of this ceiling mounting is that you will get a detection zone from 3m to 2.30m high. Ideal for automatic lighting in areas such as toilets or garages.

Once attached to the desired location, you can pair it in "Standalone" or "Controller" mode. The first mode consists in pairing (associating) your detector with a compatible actuator such as a flush-mounted module, smartplug,...

For the example, here is how to proceed with a Ubiwizz built-in lighting module. Put the module in pairing mode, by clicking 3 times on the "Press" button so that the LED starts to flash.

Depending on the result you want to achieve with your lighting, because the status of the receiver before entering "Learning" mode will define its status when motion is detected. When no movement is detected, the receiver will be in the opposite state.

To validate the association of your detector with the actuator, click on the "Pairing" button. The LED on the light receiver will confirm the pairing by turning off.

When the product is turned on for the first time (or after changing the battery), the detector will enter "Walk Test Mode". For 3 minutes, the LED will blink every time a
movement will be detected. Use this function to check that your lighting turns on when detected and off when you stop moving.

To pair the motion detector with an Enocean controller, USB300/310 key, eedomus, jeedomus, jeedom, or the WizzBox from Ubiwizz, simply listen to it (see instructions for your gateway or compatible App) and press the "Pairing" button so that it is recognized and associated by your gateway.

The PIR Motion Sensor also incorporates a brightness sensor, allowing it to trigger only when a certain brightness threshold is reached. If the ambient light is below the limit set by the potentiometer, an ON or OFF frame will be sent if motion is detected. This function can be disabled by setting the potentiometer to the OFF position. (Default position: OFF).

In use, this motion detector can alert you if movement is detected in a room, or as a trigger for a scenario that will be used for automatic lighting, for example.

In Standalone Mode (directly paired with a receiver), the PIR Motion Detector is able to turn a receiver on or off when motion is detected, it is also able to turn a receiver off or on when no motion is detected.

Typically, if no motion is detected for a certain time, the PIR Motion Detector will automatically send an ON or OFF frame (depending on how it has been paired - see "Learning Procedure"). This time is neither challenging nor "Auto-Off".

Please note that the counter is reset each time a movement is detected.
To set the Auto-Off mode, press the "Pairing" button for 3 sec. The LED will flicker to inform you that you are in "Setup Mode".

Once in the "Setup Mode", press the button once to select the desired Auto-OFF time. Each time the LED is pressed, it will blink a number of times or to confirm the current setting (see table below for details).

An excellent Enocean product that combines all the options useful for your connected home. With an autonomy of about 5 years, and a possibility of recessed ceiling mounting, it will quickly be forgotten while providing you with valuable services on a daily basis.

Top 8 Xiaomi products that help us in the home

Xiaomi has invested in many areas of our lives through the many products it floods into the Chinese market and in turn into our Western markets. The Chinese giant is even succeeding in offering us quality products at more than attractive prices. For once, we're not going to talk about Xiaomi smartphones but about products for the home. We offer you a kind of journey through an imaginary house.

Xiaomi Aqara Smart Door Lock

So let's start with the first element of a dwelling, the front door. Xiaomi offers us an intelligent lock that offers many features to protect your home using the latest technologies in this field. This intelligent lock is linked to all the other products of the Smart Home ecosystem and allows many actions with them.

The main and most attractive feature of the Aqara Smart Door Lock is the variety of door opening and locking options. In fact, there are four options for this and most of them free you from your key ring. First of all, you can use your fingerprints to open the door. This has been tested and proven to be effective. Secondly, you can open the lock using a password that you set yourself. Third, it supports the NFC protocol. So if you use a smartphone, a watch connected with an NFC chip, you can use them to unlock the door. In addition, if you lose your key ring, it is possible to lock the lock via the application. Finally, the door lock can also be opened with a key.

Xiaomi Mijia Smart 720P WiFi IP Camera Pan-tilt Version

Let's get into the apartment. Would you like a camera that can monitor every inch of it with many details? Then the Pan-tilt version of the Xiaomi Mijia camera is for you. This camera is able to rotate horizontally and vertically and zoom in on an object or area. This type of camera is very versatile. The Mijia PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera allows you to control a large area, reduce blind spots and configure different shots to monitor according to your needs. The 10 integrated IR LEDs and the silent motor allow this surveillance camera to silently capture images in night vision up to 9 meters. The µSD card port will allow the storage of images.

Xiaomi Smartmi Pure Evaporative Air Humidifier

Now, let's suppose we just entered the apartment. What about the air quality of our Home Sweet Home? The Xiaomi Smartmi humidifier is a device that purifies the air in your home. The Xiaomi Smartmi electric radiator helps to maintain the air temperature in the house.

The Xiaomi Smartmi Pure evaporative humidifier has many health benefits. It not only refreshes, it also helps us to fight against skin dryness, but also sore throats etc. This product will take care to convert dry air into pleasant and healthy humid air.

Xiaomi Roborock 2-in-1 vacuum cleaner (2nd generation)

After taking care of the air quality of the dwelling, we must take an interest in the cleanliness of the house. This brings us to Xiaomi's robot vacuum cleaner, the Xiaomi Roborock Sweep One is similar in many ways to its predecessor, but it has even more features. The vacuum cleaner is always round and equipped with a laser rangefinder. It also has a number of sensors that help the driver avoid obstacles, choose the most efficient route and quickly find a charging station.

An innovative new feature is its ability to perform wet cleaning. There is room for a water tank that "sprays" the ground with water. This makes it easier to remove dirt. The capacity of the water tank allows for use for 45 to 60 minutes. The 5200 mAh battery can provide an autonomy of 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes, which is equivalent to cleaning a 250 m2 room.

Xiaomi lighting system

Now that we are in the house, let's look at lighting. And of course to intelligent lighting. Let's take as an example the Xiaomi Yeelight JIAOYUE 480 LED ceiling light with WiFi / Bluetooth / APP control. It is a circular shaped ceiling light. It is equipped with an RGB light band that produces 16 million colours with a high colour rendering index (CRI) of up to Ra95, creating a museum lighting effect. The dimming system allows flexible adjustment of the brightness according to different situations such as reading, watching television or playing games. The temperature can be adjusted between 2700K and 6500K.

In addition, the Xiaomi Yeelight Jiaoyue 480 LED ceiling light has a moonlight mode that gives the appearance of the moon when it is on, providing warm and comfortable lighting to take care of your eyes. The ceiling light can be controlled by a smartphone via WiFi or Bluetooth via the Mi Home application. It also comes with a Bluetooth remote control that allows you to remotely switch your light on and off without necessarily being in the same room. In addition, an innovative quick-release module allows you to easily lock the lamp in its holder.

Xiaomi TV and Home Theater

Now that the air in our house is healthy and it is clean and well lit, let's watch a movie or listen to music. Now the Xiaomi TVs and the sound system come into play. Xiaomi offers different TVs in different sizes: 33 inches, 43 inches and so on. And they are good products. For example, the Xiaomi Mi TV 4A comes with a Cortex-A53 Amlogic T962 four-core processor running at 750 MHz and operating at a frequency of 1.5 GHz. It also features a Mali-450 MP5 GPU that provides a high quality image. It comes with 2GB of dual-channel DDR4 RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which should be enough. It is possible to combine TV with a "Home Cinema" for better sound quality.

Xiaomi Power Strip Socket

All these devices need to be electrically connected. A power strip will help us to optimize the connections. Xiaomi offers different power outlets ranging from 3 to 6 outlets with or without USB charging port.

Xiaomi Aqara Smart Bedroom Kit

Okay, let's move on to the bedroom now, since we had a great time in the living room. The Xiaomi Aqara Smart Bedroom Kit is a kit that allows users to control smart gadgets in the home such as an air conditioner for example. This kit is composed of 6 different gadgets, including 1 for the air conditioner, 1 temperature and humidity sensor, 1 motion sensor, 1 wall socket, 1 wall switch, 2 wireless switches. With these devices, you will succeed in creating a perfect smart home.

There are many other Xiaomi products dedicated to the home, this is just a glimpse, it's up to you to discover them.