Virgin kicks off smart home offering in Ireland

Liberty Global’s Virgin Media has announced the launch of its Smart Home packages. 

Partnered with Google and TP-Link, the packages look to combine Virgin’s service with “the very best in smart home technology”.

Starting in Ireland at €15 per month for a 12 month contract, the package includes installation from a dedicated Virgin Media smart home technician, with the operator claiming that the packs are up to €129 cheaper than the RRP.

There are three packs on offer: the Entertainment Pack, the Home Automation Pack and the Complete pack.

The cheapest, the Entertainment pack, runs at €15 per month and includes a Google Home Speaker, a Google Home Mini and a Google Chromecast. The Home Automation pack includes a Google Nest Hello Doorbell, a Google Home Mini and 2 TP Link Smart Plugs for a total of €540, which equates to €45 per month. The Complete pack, as the title would suggest, includes everything in both packages for a total of €660, or €55 per month. 

Virgin is hoping the extra value it can provide is the installation, which it claims can range from €65 to €245. Most consumers should be able to set up the fairly straightforward smart speaker and dongle devices with little problem, negating the claimed €65 installation cost, but Virgin will likely pitch the packages more towards a less tech-savvy consumerbase which has not already picked up any smart home products. 

Karen Faughnan, senior propositions manager at Virgin Media Ireland said: “We are excited to be partnering with Google to bring our consumers the best smart technology, powered by Ireland’s fastest in-home WiFi.

“We know that smart home devices can be difficult and time consuming to set up but with a complete set-up by our dedicated technicians, our customers will be enjoying the benefits of smart technology without any hassle. At Virgin Media, we also know no two homes are the same, which is why we are offering a range of Smart Home Packages, with one sure to suit every household.”