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Author: MisterMR
Rating: 5
Review: Firstly, let me just say that the five star rating isn't entirely for the product... but more for Energenie's customer service. They are exactly what excellent after-sales customer service and support should be. Helpful, knowledgeable, courteous and ultimately, positively resolving. 'Well Done' that company. However, as far as the product is concerned... well... it's good... but not great. I've used the regular remote control ENER002's for years and have been really pleased with the ease of setup and functionality of them. They're splendid. What I'd hoped - with purchasing the 'MIHO027 starter bundle' - is that I would be able to effectively control them beyond the range of the regular radio remote controls and have them become a part of my ever expanding 'smart home' network, all controllable by mobile, tablet or PC from anywhere away from home. Unfortunately, that dream wasn't quite as straight-forward as it had initially appeared. Firstly, being 'internet cloud account'-based, the actual switching response time simply isn't 'remote-control' instant or anything remotely like it... which is fine if you're switching a light on in your home in South London from say, your office in West London (as it'll be on by the time you get home). However, if you're already at home trying to switch that light on, you're often left standing there... waiting... for... that... light... to... >CLICK< "Ahh... there it is!". It's something you get used to... or would if it was a consistent delay... but it would often vary and by quite a margin. Improvement feels like it's a firmware update away though, as when it's at its best, switching can be down to a little less than a second. Secondly, the hub basically refused to pair with my existing ENER002's because - I later found out - they were too old. Manufactured before 2014, they fell outside of the compatible device list. So beyond the included three units, I was severely limited (Energenie's customer service to the rescue). And lastly, the hub positioning in your household is critical to operating range. Almost anything in your average regular home can affect it... from Interference emitting from various electrical sources to furniture and/or wall densities mean it'll either work reasonably well around the house... or it simply won't work at all. Couple that with how good your internet connection is and how busy Energenie MiHome's server is sending the hub your 'switching messages' for it to forward on to your devices... and you have a system in which you'd have to say you couldn't entirely rely on for some swift smart home action. Having said all that, it is a very good effort. And it's undeniably very decent value. Yes, this is a classic case of you get what you pay for as there are likely much better systems out there if you pay more money. But I reckon with a combination of further development (which does seem to be forthcoming as even as I write this, it has improved considerably with the recent firmware update), your patience to tweak and optimise placement of hub and plugs... and Energenie's faultless customer support, I'm sure some of you will be happy enough with this purchase and the resulting functionality. EDIT: 30-11-2016 - I've just discovered this now works with Amazon Echo. I've added the 'skill', discovered the devices and low and behold... Alexa voice control!
