smart home
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Roku is launching its own smart home devices

The company will start selling rebranded Wyze Labs devices at Walmart. It's also launching a dedicated subscription plan for security cameras.

Roku smart home camera and doorbell

Roku's new smart home devices are rebranded Wyze smart home devices.

Image: Roku

Roku has teamed up with Wyze Labs to sell its own line of smart home products, including security cameras, smart plugs, and smart lights. The company’s smart home products will be available at Walmart stores starting next week; it'll also be available on Roku’s and Walmart’s websites.

Roku’s smart home devices include a floodlight camera, indoor and outdoor cameras, a video doorbell, smart bulbs, smart light strips, and indoor and outdoor smart plugs. People will be able to access their camera feeds on Roku TVs and streaming devices, the company said.

Much like in the streaming space, Roku aims to compete with other smart home devices on price, with some of the cameras selling for around $27. The company apparently plans to make up for some of those low margins by selling related services, including a cloud storage service for its security cameras.

Roku’s new smart home devices are essentially rebranded versions of hardware made by Wyze Labs, a company that was in the headlines earlier this year for a major security incident. A Roku spokesperson said that Wyze Labs was "managing the Roku Smart Home cloud," but that the company didn't have access to those recordings. "Roku handles all customer personal data in accordance with its privacy policy," the spokesperson added.

The impending launch of Roku’s smart home devices was first reported by Zatznotfunny.com this weekend. Protocol was first to report last year that Roku was looking to expand into the home. At the time, the company was looking both at making its own devices, as well as partnering with third-party manufacturers.

Roku's spokesperson declined to comment on the financial relationship between Wyze Labs and Roku.

Janko Roettgers

Janko Roettgers (Twitter, Mastodon) used to be a senior reporter at Protocol, reporting on the shifting power dynamics between tech, media, and entertainment, including the impact of new technologies. Previously, Janko was Variety's first-ever technology writer in San Francisco, where he covered big tech and emerging technologies. He has reported for Gigaom, Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Zeitung, and ORF, among others. He has written three books on consumer cord-cutting and online music and co-edited an anthology on internet subcultures. He lives with his family in Oakland.

rokuwyze labswalmartsmart home
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