Press Release | 18 Jul 2018

Vodafone connects families for less with new, accessible IOT products for kids, grandparents and the home

Vodafone is expanding its V by Vodafone range with two new wearables and a smart home hub. All three products have been designed to make smart living a reality for the average family – with a focus on ease of use, value for money and peace of mind.

  • V by Vodafone range expands with two new ‘peace of mind’ wearables and smart home hub 
  • Simple to use and priced to make smart lives a reality for the average family
  • New V-SOS band features fall detection, SOS button and super-long lasting battery
  • Set ‘safe zones’ with new kids watch and check their location via your phone
  • New V-Home connects with existing tech to make having a secure and smart home simple

Vodafone is expanding its V by Vodafone range with two new wearables and a smart home hub. All three products have been designed to make smart living a reality for the average family – with a focus on ease of use, value for money and peace of mind.

The SOS band enables users to quickly and simply reach family members via an SOS button. It also has a fall detection feature to give peace of mind to relatives of family members who may be vulnerable, immobile or living alone.

The new V-kids watch is designed for younger children and is smart, safe and fun to wear. Parents can exchange voice messages with their child, set them safe zones and check their location. So whether its walking to school by themselves or keeping safe during family trips to busy locations, the watch offers parents extra peace of mind.

Think of the new V-Home hub as the brain behind your smart home – wirelessly connecting your smart devices together and allowing you to access them simply, through one smart app.

Three home starter kits, each containing a bundle of new smart devices that connect to the hub, can help you easily create a smart home. The kits include everything from smart cameras and sensors to sirens.

A Worry-free Wearablethe NEW V-SOS Band from Vodafone

The NEW V-SOS Band from the V by Vodafone range (www.vodafone.co.uk) is a connected device designed to give customers more freedom to do what they want, safe in the knowledge that they don’t need to worry.

For just £78 (plus £4 per month service fee), the V-SOS Band has a fall detection feature, so if it detects that an elderly or vulnerable family member has had a fall or needs help, it will let you and up to four other family members know via the app on their smartphone.

In an emergency, wearers can alert family members by pushing the SOS button, sharing their GPS co-ordinates* so you can go straight to them or send help. A traffic light system will show them you’ve seen the alert – so you can relax knowing that they’ll be in touch if they need you.

The V-SOS Band’s sleek and subtle design fits seamlessly into everyday life, and is available in two colours – grey and blue. It’s also water resistant so it can be worn in the shower too.

With one charge lasting up to a month, you can be sure the V-SOS Band has the battery power it needs to keep you connected – and a double tap of the screen will show you if it needs plugging in. You will also receive an alert on your phone if the battery in your wrist band is running below 15% or detects inactivity.

Connected Kidsthe NEW V-Kids Watch by Vodafone

The new V-Kids Watch in partnership with Alcatel from the V by Vodafone range (www.vodafone.co.uk) is a connected device to give parents reassurance that they’re safe when out and about.

For just £135 (plus £4 per month service fee), V-Kids Watch lets parents check their child’s location via GPS tracking, and exchange voice messages using the TCLMOVE app.

Children can even send an alert directly to their parent’s smartphone with the SOS button if they need help, and parents can follow directions straight to their location through either Google Maps or Apple Maps on their smartphone (as long as the child is in an area with Vodafone network coverage and GPS signal). Parents can also set ‘Safe Zones’** and will also receive notifications when their child enters or leaves them.

Designed with children in mind, V-Kids Watch is smart, safe and fun to wear. The device has entertaining features such as a voice changer and games to keep users amused. It’s also water resistant and is available in two different colours – blue and pink.

V-Home by Vodafone – the simple solution to a safe and secure smart home

V-Home hosts a range of smart home devices and services designed to help you keep your home safe and secure, even when you’re not there – and is available to buy next month, starting from £99 (plus £14 per month service fee). We have partnered with Samsung SmartThings to bring you a houseful of easy to fit and connect smart products including sensors, light bulbs, smart plugs and doorbells. You can build your smart home gradually with individual products or get a head start with the V-Home Hub and one of three suggested starter packs – the V-Home Safety starter pack, V-Home Detection kit and V-Home Automation Kit.

V-Home Hub sits at the centre of the Vodafone smart home and connects all your devices together via one easy to use app. Monitor your home and control your smart devices from anywhere in the world. You can even link to existing smart devices such as an Alexa or Arlo Smart Camera.

V-Home Safety Starter Kit helps you monitor what’s going on in your home when you are not there. It includes a Smart Camera, Multipurpose Sensor and a Siren and comes with the V-Home Services Plan to give you extra peace of mind for much less than traditional home monitoring services.

V-Home Automation Kit makes it look like you are at home when you’re not and uses motion sensors to turn lights on. The kit includes smart plugs, smart lightbulbs and a motion sensor.

V-Home Detection kit sends you an alert when it detects a water leak, smoke or change in temperature, helping you to act quickly and stop something small, turn into something big. It includes a Water Leak Sensor, which you can place anywhere in your home that may be prone to flooding like a sink or radiator. The Smoke Sensor detects both smoke and rising temperatures so you can take fast action.

Nick Jeffery, CEO of Vodafone UK said “Our aim is to help families create a smart home simply and without too much expense. Many families would like a smart home, but worry that it would be too complicated or expensive. It doesn’t have to be that way. Our V by Vodafone products are designed to plug in simply and work via one easy to use app. Together with our new wearables, they will help busy families stay connected and give them peace of mind that their loved ones and home are safe.”

V-SOS Band, V-Kids Watch and V-Home are new additions to the V by Vodafone range of connected devices. This brings together and connects all kinds of smart devices for every part of your life – allowing you to track or monitor your pet, car and even your home while you’re away – all through an app on your smartphone.

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Notes to editors:

Terms apply. For full functionality: a 30-day V-SIM plan, Vodafone network coverage and GPS signal are required. V by Vodafone products (except V-Auto) must be activated via the V by Vodafone app (available on Android and iOS devices only). V-Kids watch: Your 30-day plan provides access to the TCLMOVE app and service. Your 30-day plan provides access to the TCLMOVE app and service. If you cancel or suspend your plan you will no longer be able to use TCLMOVE location and messaging features. All location updates are subject to GPS and Vodafone network coverage, and this can affect the frequency of location reporting. V-SOS band: All falls are different and not every fall may be detected. This is not a medical device. Consent required from the user. Your 30-day plan provides access to the V-SOS app and service. If you cancel or suspend your plan you will no longer be able to access the V-SOS app or service. Full terms and details at https://shop.v.vodafone.com. V-Home: 24m agreement. Requires purchase and activation of V-Home Service subscription. Not a replacement for any home monitoring service. Notifications from Hub to the end user is subject to change and is dependent on network connectivity.

About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.

Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.

For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.

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