Smarthome Giving Away Insteon Hub With Purchase of Amazon Echo Starter Kit

Smarthome hit back-order status at 11:30 p.m. EST Tuesday after announcing it would give away an Insteon Hub ($80 value) with the purchase of an Amazon Echo through Friday, or while supplies last, it said Tuesday. To receive the offer, consumers have to buy the Insteon Hub and Amazon Echo Starter Kit ($179), it said. The Alexa personal digital assistant behind the Echo understands and facilitates voice requests from across a room and can be used to set a connected lamp to a specific dimming level or to turn off all lights, for example. Users can create groups comprising Insteon devices along with other manufacturers’ products, such as Philips' Hue and Belkin WeMo devices, and then control them via Alexa, said Smarthome. Some 200 Insteon products, starting at $29, are compatible with the Insteon/Echo solution, said Smarthome. Orders were still being taken in the order in which they were received late Tuesday. The company is working with its suppliers "to bring in additional units and will fulfill all orders as soon as possible," it said.