Do you live somewhere it’s cold? Or do you feel like you do? Are you an also a smart home nerd like us? If you’ve answered yes at least twice then perhaps Bunnings has a product for you, the Arlec Smart Convection Panel Heater with Grid Connect.
While Arlec may not win any naming competitions, thanks to their Grid Connect platform they are leading the way in Australia for the range of Google Assistant enabled products they’re bringing to market. This week it’s heaters, and depending on your cold tolerance not a moment too soon!
The Smart Convention Panel Heater is a 2200W device that comes with both wall mount and floor caster options give you the flexibility to use it however best suits your house. It comes in both Black or White options and include a few smart features.
Alongside the Google Assistant integration it can be controlled via the Grid Connect app, remote control or the on-device controls. The heater includes a timer function for auto on and off. Of course it could be controlled in a variety of ways via Google Assistant Routines.
If I had one complaint it is that the Grid Connect system uses Wi-Fi for connectivity and at least for me even with a Google Wi-Fi Mesh router I am quickly getting to the point where my router is saturated with too many concurrent connections. The Smart Home needs to move on to a better standard, either a legacy technology like Z-Wave with a hub or Bluetooth Mesh using hardware like a Google Home or Amazon Echo.
If you’re interested in staying warm in the coolest way possible why not check out the Arlec Smart Convection Panel Heater with Grid Connect at Bunnings, they’re available now for $99.
I just have Google operate my aircon and electric blanket
cant we just use a wifi socket, if all it does is turning it on ?
Nice unit, works well with Google Home….however,
If you plan on using this in the bedroom and you dont like sleeping with the light on I dont recommend.
The LED display is soooo bright and does not time out, or can be turned off.
I mean super bright, light you can lay in bed and read a book with it.
Thanks Andrew, I grabbed one today to test… I guess I won’t be testing it in the bedroom! The inability to set the temperature via assist is a big miss for me.
I wonder if it uses an ESP board so you can flash it to connect it to home assistant. Can you confirm Duncan?