Roku has teamed up with Wyze labs and just announced a new lineup of smart home devices, which will all be sold exclusively through Walmart in the U.S. on October 17th.
In partnership with Wyze, Roku is extending beyond the traditional home theatre settings and into a new market with smart home appliances. The following gadgets, divided into three primary categories: cameras, lighting, and wall plugs, are part of Roku’s new smart home collection.
The lineup of devices includes the following:
- Video Doorbell and Chime SE
- Wire-Free Video Doorbell and Chime SE
- Outdoor Camera SE
- Outdoor Wired Camera SE
- Floodlight Camera SE
- Indoor Camera SE
- Indoor Camera 360 SE
- Smart Bulb SE (Color)
- Smart Bulb SE (White)
- Indoor Smart Plug SE
- Outdoor Smart Plug SE
- Smart Light Strip SE
“As the #1 selling smart TV OS in the U.S, The Roku platform is used by tens of millions of households, and now we’re extending our ecosystem to include devices and services to power the modern smart home,” said Mustafa Ozgen, president of Roku.
“Branching further into the smart home category is a natural extension of our business, and we are proud to partner with Walmart to make the experience simple and affordable,” Ozgen added.
Previous reports suggested that the company’s items appear to be simply rebadged versions of Wyze’s existing products; for example, the indoor plug, video doorbell, and floodlight camera all resemble Wyze’s own products. The Rokus version, however, will integrate with its other goods and services even if the underlying hardware is similar.
Roku also provides a companion app for Android and iOS where the user would be able to control all connected Roku devices, as well as a camera subscription plan that includes cloud video recording history, smart alerts and package delivery notifications.
The new Roku devices all support Google Assistant and Roku Voice, with Amazon Alexa support coming next month. Roku will be connected to a range of other products and services for consumers who want to use their phones to operate their connected lights, doorbells, plugs, and cameras. The press release also stated that you’ll be able to use the Roku Voice Remote to bring up live camera feeds on your TV.
The safety and security of users is a major concern in general home systems, but after Wyze’s multiple security controversies, including a major data breach in 2019, potentially accessing users’ content, and not fixing a flaw in their security camera for three years, the company is under scrutiny for it’s potential not to guarantee safety. and Roku is aware of this.
In an interview with Roku CEO Anthony Wood for Fast Company, it was said that Roku would be in charge of adding “two-factor authentication and [data] encryption” to ensure security. Although Wyze Labs was “managing the Roku Smart Home cloud,” a Roku spokesperson added. The representative continued, “Roku handles all user personal data in compliance with its privacy policy.”
Regarding pricing, it doesn’t look like Roku is too different from Wyze’s relatively affordable prices. Roku did not initially provide a price range. However, it is stated that the cameras “start below $20.” there are outliers of this, however, with a $99.99 price tag on Roku’s Floodlight Camera SE. Full pricing information is accessible in the smart home section on the Roku website.
Roku Smart Home products will be exclusively available in Walmart stores in the United States beginning October 17, with select products accessible online at Walmart.com and Roku.com beginning today.
If your house is already full of Roku devices, this may or may not be a good addition to round out the set, and while the general quality can only be speculated, here’s hoping Roku can pull it off without a hitch.
