New York — The Home Depot will add to its home-automation assortment with the July 7 launch of Wink’s home-automation hub, which controls a variety of home-automation products from a single Android or iOS app.
Home-automation start-up Wink is a wholly owned subsidiary of GE-backed Quirky, which brings to market product ideas proposed by inventors.
The hub will be available in almost in almost 2,000 of Home Depot’s U.S. stores and on HomeDepot.com. It will also be available through Amazon on July 7.
Wink’s hub, available through Labor Day at $49.99, incorporates multiple wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, ZWave Plus, ZigBee and Lutron’s Clear Connect. The hub will enable monitoring and control of such products as door locks, lights, motorized shades, smart bulbs, thermostats, security cameras and the like. No monthly fees are charged even though home systems can be monitored and controlled via cellular when the user is out of the house.
With the purchase of one Wink- compatible product, the price of the Wink Hub goes to $24.99, and with the purchase of two Wink-compatible products, the Hub goes to $0.99.
Home Depot’s other hubs include models from Revolv and Insteon.
About 60 products from 15 companies can be controlled from the Wink apps, including Dropcam security cameras, Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats, Chamberlain garage-door controllers, Kwikset and Schlage door locks, Leviton Z-Wave lighting systems, Philips Hue light bulbs, Rheem HVAC systems and water heaters, the Aros air conditioner and Kidde 433MHz smoke detectors.
“With Wink, we’ve found a partner that supports the industry leading brands we already carry on our shelves and online,” said Jeff Epstein, home automation merchandising VP at Home Depot.
