Why You Can Trust CNET Iris Home Management System review: Fees foil this system's potential
The Iris Home Management System from Lowe's shows potential -- but is it worth the monthly fee?
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Most of today's home automation options come in the form of old-guard systems like Insteon or crowdfunded Internet startups like SmartThings . The Iris Home Management System, a descendant of the UK-based AlertMe, is a little bit different, as it has the full backing of US retail giant Lowe's. You can order Iris online, or pick it up from one of the hundreds of Lowe's across the country that showcase the system, along with the multitude of compatible Z-Wave switches and sensors you can add to it.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
As a system capable of working with such a wide range of devices, and with multiple kits available starting at just $179, Iris shows a lot of promise. It's a flexible system, too -- use it for home security, use it to track and lower your energy costs, or just use it for simple conveniences like motion activated lighting and smart lock controls. Whatever your automation needs, Iris should be able to get the job done.
However, that multifunctionality doesn't come without a price. In the case of Iris, that price is $9.99 a month, which is what you'll need to pay to unlock the full potential of your setup. You can go fee-free, but you'll be giving up the ability to set rules, schedules, and preset modes for your devices, along with countless other key features that would justify using Iris in the first place.
While not totally unreasonable (Iris starts you out with two months of full service for free), the fees are still a little hard to swallow given that worthy competitors like Insteon and SmartThings don't charge a thing. If you need a system that's capable of meeting several different home automation needs all at once, Iris probably deserves your consideration. For more focused automation needs, you can find a system that fits better into your home -- and into your budget.
With most home automation systems, the variety of starter kits available won't be terribly different from one another -- at least not in terms of functionality. You'll likely get extra sensors with certain options, or maybe the addition of a cool peripheral accessory, like a camera, but the way you'll use your system and the things that you'll use it for will remain largely the same.
This isn't the case with Iris. The $179 Safe and Secure Kit offers a motion detector, entry sensors, and an alarm control keypad, while the equally priced Care and Comfort Kit offers a smart plug module and a connected thermostat. As the names suggest, the former is intended for security-minded consumers, while the latter is intended more for budding hobbyists and for those looking for a higher level of convenience at home. The only common denominator between the two is that they both come with the Iris Hub used to control every Iris system. Your third option is to go with the $299 Smart Kit, which combines the other two options and adds in a range extender.
No matter which kit you go with, you'll have the option of adding additional sensors and devices to your system on a piece-by-piece basis, most of which are reasonably priced. These device options range from wireless IP cameras to leak detectors, smoke alarms, and everything in between. Your options also include many third-party smart-home products, things like Schlage deadbolts and Honeywell thermostats .
If you want to automate it, chances are good that Iris can handle it, as both its Web site and app are designed to fully accommodate just about every smart-home scenario imaginable. In fact, Iris boasts compatibility with a greater number of sensor categories than any other system we've tested, making it a more expandable option than something like SmartThings or even another fee-based system like Nexia Home Intelligence .
This is one of the system's true selling points, but it gives the Web site and app you'll use to control Iris a cluttered, confusing appearance. In both cases, the home screen has grayed-out sections for each type of device that Iris is capable of handling. Add a device to your system, and you'll activate that section. Unless you go hog wild with your setup, you probably won't be needing a majority of these sections -- and yet they remain locked into the home screens. In the case of the Web site, each one features a hyperlink that takes you to the online Iris Store so you can buy the associated device. That's a nice feature for shopaholics, but for the average user, it's as if Iris plastered cheap, repetitive ads all over your home screen.
Still, the Web site has a lot of features built into it, certainly more so than the app, which will really only let you arm or disarm your alarm, change between system presets (or Modes), or check device status. You won't be able to create or edit any automation rules (Iris refers to them as "Magic"), and the only system setting you'll be able to tweak is whether or not you need a PIN to open the app.
The Web site, on the other hand, features plenty of system settings, but the problem is that they're scattered about the site. There's no dedicated section for them. If you want to tweak the way your entry sensors work, you'll have to check the "Alarm Configuration" -- unless you want the system to chime whenever the door opens: in that case, you'll need to go to the Devices section of the site (not the Devices subsection of the Alarm section, mind you), then click the Manage button next to your entry sensor. If all of that seems confusing, it's because it is.
Usability quirks aside, the Iris system works well, and it isn't terribly difficult to install. It isn't quite as idiot-proof as some of the other systems that we've looked at, but I was still able to get everything up and running in under an hour. After plugging in the Hub, the Iris Web site will walk you through the setup process device by device. Each system component that I tested paired with the Hub mere seconds after putting the batteries in -- from there, it's simply a matter of choosing where to place them.
Once you've got everything where you want it, you'll find that Iris is a reliable performer. In my tests, it never failed to work in the way that I had programmed it to work. This includes the aforementioned "Magic" rules that you'll create to form if/then relationships between your devices. I appreciated that the Iris Web site provided me with a lengthy, well-organized list of potential rules I could set up, with options like "when a sensor is activated, then control a device." Simply activate the rule, then customize how it works (which sensor, which device, etc.). Reading over the different options sparked my creativity, giving me plenty of ideas about new ways of controlling my system and making it more convenient. Best of all, each one that I tried worked perfectly.
But doing what you're supposed to do isn't the same thing as doing it well. This much is evident with the Iris Alarm Keypad. It does what it promises, but that doesn't mean it's great at it. Unlike the SimpliSafe keypad, there isn't a screen on the thing, so you won't receive any feedback from your alarm that doesn't come in the form of beeps. What's worse, those beeps aren't nearly loud enough when it really counts: when the alarm is actually going off. The thing sounds a bit like a slightly aggressive alarm clock -- maybe it would be enough to scare off a skittish intruder, but I doubt it'd spur the neighbors to call the police.
The keypad isn't as responsive as I'd like, either. If it isn't in the same room as the hub, it'll lag a little bit when you try and put your code in. I'd often find myself entering my code three or four times before the signal would finally go through. This was especially flustering when I was trying to cancel a pending alarm. Arming and disarming the system through the smartphone app worked much better, and there's an optional keychain fob accessory that you can use as well, but still, it's disappointing that the keypad -- a default component of the Safe and Secure Kit -- doesn't work as well as it ought to.
All of this is to say that if you're looking for a system designed to secure your home, I think that you've got better options. For a slightly higher monthly fee, SimpliSafe will give you a system that includes live monitoring, a cellular backup, and countless other features that give it a distinct edge. If live monitoring isn't important to you, then you can turn to a system like iSmartAlarm or Viper Home , both of which do most of the same things as Iris, but do so without charging you a monthly fee.
Conclusion
It's hard not to be impressed with the scope of Iris' coverage. No matter what specific subsection of home automation interests you, Iris will have you covered, and this is especially nice if you're a smart-home multitasker with a variety of uses in mind for your system. I also appreciated some of Iris' unique features, things like "Care," which is a mode within Iris designed specifically for caregivers and family members of the elderly.
The problem is that Iris just doesn't seem focused enough. It's a wide system, but not a particularly deep one. It does a lot of things, but it isn't the best at any of those things. Users who want a little bit of everything from their system will undoubtedly appreciate the wide approach that Iris employs, but I think that most consumers have at least one specific, primary function in mind for their home automation system, and that's where you want depth. That's where you want the best system for the job. As well-rounded a system as it is, there just aren't a lot of situations where Iris can say it's the best system for the job -- not in terms of performance, and not in terms of value, either.