Hive no longer allowing remote control/holiday mode

[MNetcurtains]

I originally posted this under "Legal". Reposting here for traffic. I'm absolutely fuming!!😡

We had Hive installed so we could control lighting and heating remotely (the heating is particularly important when we're away during the winter months) when travelling. Today we tried to set some timers and received a message saying that in order to achieve nett zero carbon emissions (or words to that effect), this function has been removed.

This has serious security implications for us and other households. There is apparently no way of contacting them to dispute or discuss.

Basically we paid out for multiple sensors etc. that are now completely useless!

Has this affected anybody else and is there any recourse?

Edit: We also shelled out for a load of special lightbulbs that were required for this function.

I use it to boost the water when I'm on the freezing sidelines and DD is getting particularly filthy at football in the winter, seems to be working...

Ours doesn't work at all anymore. We have quiet an old unit but it was working perfectly fine. Hive have stopped supporting it apparently and now it's useless. They sent us a 50% off voucher for a new product though 🙄
We'll be installing a new (not Hive) version before winter.

When was the last time you tried it?

Not for months. It’s 30c

When did yours stop working and what other system will you be using in the future?

Right, I’ve now tried every single function I can think of, without a single problem, from Turkey.

My DH has just put our hot water on remotely so that obviously still works.

Sorry if I'm being daft I don't know what holiday mode is, but why not just change the schedule? I can do that remotely?

Okay, silly question at this time of year.

Hmmmm, okay. Would normally think DH was having a senior moment except for the very explicit message he received.

The older versions of HIVE no longer work and you have to buy a new one!

I've been receiving emails for a while about this.

It seems like a big old rip off to me and I'm pretty mad about it.

No heating for me till I buy the upgrade!

Yes I can see how that would be pretty annoying.

Don't see why they couldn't have found a buyer for that part of the business and sold it off.

TBH I have the same concerns about TCP Smart. The cameras work for now but appear to be very difficult to buy. Maybe google nest is the way to go. But I hate the all-encompassingness (made up word) of google and the way they use your data.

You could connect the hive to a google home account and control things remotely that way. Appreciate it’s a bit of a ballache, but it would keep things going.

I'm not sure what 'holiday mode' means either tbh. All I know is that we can no longer control our heating or lights (which we have been doing for over 5 years) via the App. It's not a system issue, it's a deliberate change by BG.

The Nano1 hub no longer works (since August) apparently. It must have been the early hub, but they don't indicate what years it was installed. I looked in the app for the name of my hub, but all I've got are numbers. No Nano anything.

I only ever use the app rather than the controller. I'm having no problem switching the hot water on to boost.

Out of interest, when did you have your system installed?

Even if our system is outdated, there is absolutely no way of contacting them to resolve the issue. They've just cut off the function, end of!

We got our hive thermostat a couple of years ago. It’s just for the heating. Checked holiday mode, and it’s there no problem - go to manage devices, choose the thermostat and the info for holiday mode is all in there. Also no problem to remote control heating.

I'm wondering if this is just a glitch of some kind on your side OP, when I google all I find is this thread or about the security cameras. It wouldn't make sense to cancel that functionality when it is its USP.

It does raise an interesting question about all this smart tech we buy, we've spent hundreds if not £1000+ on Ring cameras, Hive etc and if they change their functionality (like Hive did with cameras) it would be a total waste, we are so reliant on them to keep it active.

I'm not sure how hive works but is there no way you can override it by pretending you're home rather then putting into holiday mode?

It's not a glitch. If OP has one of the earlier hubs, nothing will work. It's not just the cameras, it's also the Nano1 hub. And while the cameras will be supported for a while, the hub is now a brick.

@Aposterhasnoname
Did you get any money back? I'd had my cameras a good long while so will have had 'some' usage out of them. I'm so mad about it though.

If they think aiming for net zero is going to be achieved by making the cameras and other kit literally useless then they are stupid as well as unethical.

Hive were selling the cameras very shortly before announcing they were to be discontinued. That's extremely shitty behaviour. Bastards

@matlaw. Nope, not a bean. Fuming.

Ooo, it’s a couple of years ago now but I know when it was installed it was an updated hub that had superseded the old one.

That is absolutely crazy from a net zero perspective.

I can go on holiday and turn my heating to the absolute minimum to keep my pipes from breaking. Using my smart thermostat, I can log on remotely as I am coming home and make sure I return to a properly heated house. Without this option, most people will just leave the heat on while they are gone.