HEXUS readers don't appear to be too enamoured by smart home gadgets, and who can blame them, when a simple bug can result in your home being sent soaring to 32ºC?
That's what some owners of Hive smart thermostats have been experiencing. The web-connected gizmo, created by British Gas, is one of many smart heating systems that provides the ability to "control your home, from your phone."
Sounds useful, and it indeed can be, but a number of customers have this week vented their frustration in seeing thermostats being dialled-up to 32ºC - the maximum permitted - without the user's consent.
Hey @hivehome @HiveHelper when are you going to stop letting skynet try to boil me alive? (2nd time now) pic.twitter.com/iQDVvJxLaX
— Laura Adams (@AdamsLaura) 27 February 2016
The problem is said to have first materialised late last year, but a Hive spokesperson has stated that "it has taken us a while to get to the bottom of the glitch because it occurs so rarely."
Reports suggest that customers were initially led to believe that the overheating phenomenon could have been caused by a hack, but Hive has since admitted that a software bug is to blame.
"We are aware of a temporary glitch affecting a very small number of customers, where a certain sequence of commands in the Hive iOS app can cause the thermostat temperature to rise to 32 degrees," said the company in a statement.
"Any customers seeing this can very easily and immediately fix it by simply turning the thermostat down using the app, web dashboard or the thermostat itself. Meanwhile, we are working on a software update which should be available soon."
