Hands On With Norm, Quirky’s ‘Thermostat Killer’

Quirky has been relatively quiet over the last couple of months, and on Tuesday it became clear why, when CEO Ben Kaufman announced seven new connected home devices at an event in New York City.

Created in conjunction with GE, the new products make it clear that Quirky is focused taking the smart home to the mainstream. Perhaps the most intriguing device is Norm, a sensor that Quirky is calling the “death of a thermostat.” I got to check it out, along with Quirky’s other new products, after the event.

Up close, Norm really doesn’t look like anything particularly special. It’s just a small white box—about the size of a stack of Post-it notes—that’s meant to take the place of your current HVAC thermostat. Unlike traditional models, or even other connected ones like the Nest Learning Thermostat , however, Norm doesn’t show you a readout of the temperature or have any visible buttons (save for one on the bottom edge). Instead, it connects to the Wink app(Opens in a new window) on your mobile device, and allows you to monitor or control the temperature from there. Rest assured, you can still adjust the temperature on the box itself—one tap will turn the temperature down, while two taps turns it up.

The Wink app allows you to set schedules and monitor usage so you can keep track of energy costs. Norm can be programmed to start heating or cooling based on your location, like Quirky’s Aros  air conditioner. But the biggest innovation here is that Norm works in conjunction with additional units (or other Quirky products like Aros) to form a network of sensors throughout your home. This allows the system to react to temperature readings in every room equipped with a sensor and respond accordingly. That means no more harsh transitions from a warm, cozy bedroom to an ice-cold bathroom in the morning.

I really like the Wink app based on the products I’ve tested so far, and the Wink interface for Norm looks to be similarly simple and intuitive based on the few minutes I saw of it today. The device is now available to pre-order(Opens in a new window) for $80, though of course you can spend a good deal more than that depending on how many additional sensors you want to place throughout your house. Norm is expected to start shipping Dec. 21, and we’re looking forward to getting our hands on it to see if it truly is a thermostat killer.

Quirky also announced a new microfactory in San Francisco, which will allow it to create user-customized products, which is really cool. The first one of those products will be Spotter UNIQ(Opens in a new window), which is a more personalized take on the Spotter ($54.88 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)  sensor we reviewed earlier this year. Spotter UNIQ allows you to select from four different sensors (including options like temperature and humidity, sound, light, accelerometer, etc.) to create the ultimate automation hub. You can select just about any color combination, so it’ll fit your home design scheme (like the very loud wallpaper above). I’m really looking forward to this one.

In addition to Norm and Spotter UNIQ, I also got to see the rest of Quirky’s forthcoming lineup, which all looks promising. Tripper(Opens in a new window) is a super-tiny smart window and door sensor. Overflow(Opens in a new window) is a sensor that detects water leakage. Outlink(Opens in a new window) is a smart in-wall outlet that lets you control power and monitor energy usage, while Tapt(Opens in a new window) replaces a basic wall switch with two smart switches that give you one-touch control over a number of connected devices. There’s also Ascend(Opens in a new window), which is smart garage door opener.

Although there are some differences here and there, all of these devices are more or less variations on smart home products we’ve already seen from other companies. I’d say that Quirky’s major strengths lie in its pricing and the Wink app itself. All of these devices are priced comparably or better than the competition, while Wink is definitely one of the easier-to-use home automation apps out there. On top of that, for customers, being able to look to Quirky as a one-stop smart home shop could prove to be a major asset as the smart home world currently seems more fragmented than ever. 

For more, see PCMag’s review of the Wink Connected Home Hub.