Smart thermostats aren’t new. In fact Nest’s own smart thermostats have been around for a while now, but if you’re looking for an alternative, Wise Labs’ Bemo could be worth checking out. Bemo is a smart thermostat but what makes it unique is the fact that it uses your smartphone to act as an interface.
For those who have old smartphones lying around that aren’t in use anymore, then you could always repurpose them for use with Bemo. The device costs around $130 on Kickstarter which makes it cheaper compared to the likes of Nest, although if you order one with an Android handset, you’ll have to fork out $250 for it.
So how does Bemo work? Well Bemo basically replaces your old thermostat, after which you will then mount your smartphone onto it where you can then control the thermostat via an accompanying app which is available on iOS and Android. There is support for Windows Phone, although you’ll have to access the controls via a web app instead.
Apart from acting as a smart thermostat, Bemo will be able to stream music and videos, make emergency 911 calls, monitor the energy consumption at home, and with Wise Labs opening Bemo’s software to third-party developers, we expect more applications will be developed in the future. If you’d like to learn more, head on over to its Kickstarter page for the details.
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