PACKAGING

Tuo’s first product comes out swinging, with very nice, understated packaging. The device itself is clearly shown on the front, which is more and more important for consumers these days. the Matter logo is prominently featured too, so there’s no ambiguity there. There’s some blurb on the back to give you an idea of what it can do, although this info is a given for any person moderately familiar with smart buttons. The sides list both compatibility and features, along with the Thread logo, so for anyone wanting an up-to-date and ‘futureproof’ device, all the right markers are present.

There is a little question mark over which of these platforms will work with this button, based on findings in some other reviews. I’ll primarily be trying this button out in Apple Home of course, but I’ll also be adding it to Samsung SmartThings and Google Home, just out of curiosity. Matter is supposed to work with all compatible platforms, which along with the already mentioned ecosystems, should also work with Amazon Alexa although I don’t have any Thread Border Routers compatible with Alexa, so it’s not possible for me to try it out. It’s notable that the Amazon Alexa logo is absent in this case. As this is a Thread device, it does require a Border Router, which is present in my Apple HomePods, is present in my Google Nest Hub Max, and is present in my Samsung SmartThings Station. All of these devices also act as Matter Controllers which is another requirement for any Matter device.

CONTENTS

The stylish presentation continues with the contents, which include the nicely wrapped button, a ‘Getting Started’ guide, and a ‘Welcome Kit’ that includes a double-sided sticker for the magnetic wall plate, and a series of icon stickers to place on the switch in order to help you know what the button is designated for. You certainly can’t fault Tuo’s presentation for its very first smart device.

THE SMART BUTTON

Onto the button itself, which looks just as minimalist as is depicted on the box. In terms of the design, I’m not entirely sure I’m sold on it, as there’s a slight ‘chin’ for the recessed button (bottom) half of the front section, with the top half, flat and unadorned for the provided stickers. The design makes sense of course, so I can live with it.

The rear of the button features the Matter code, in QR and numeric formats along with the company’s website. The front/top section of the button sort of floats above/around the back section, so in essence, the whole button is pressable, providing reassuringly tactile feedback.

It comes in at a tiny 40mm wide/tall, and only 12.5mm deep, which makes it one of the smallest buttons available for HomeKit. Above is the Tuo lined up with the Eve Button, which uses Bluetooth only, the Aqara Smart Mini Switch, which uses Zigbee, and the Onvis 5-Key Smart Switch, which uses Thread, but is not Matter compatible.

All of the devices apart from the Onvis provide a sole button, each offering three button press options. The Onvis sticks out for its five buttons, which is great if you have a lot of things you want to control, but also have a very good memory for remembering what each one does!

The button comes with a metal backplate that can be stuck to a wall with the included double-sided sticker, or more permanently affixed via a hole for a screw, which isn’t provided.

The button, stickers and backplate all feel well made and don’t in any way feel cheap, or loosely put together. With the metal backplate, the Tuo feels really substantial, and even without the plate, the button feels sturdily built. It’s just as well, as it’s not exactly a cheap device, at US$34.99 (not including discount coupons). Matter and Thread both come with price bumps to pay for certification and membership of the respective organisations, so it’s not unusual. The Onvis is currently the same price for four more buttons, but then it only works with Apple Home, so for those with multiple smart home ecosystems running, the Tuo is clearly the logical option.

The button uses a standard CR2032 coin battery, which is easily accessible via the rear panel.

ADDING TO APPLE HOME

If you’re an Apple HomeKit user (and if not, why not?) you may well agree that adding devices is usually trouble-free, and this is more so the case when devices are using Bluetooth & Thread rather than WiFi. As this is a Matter over Thread device, it uses Bluetooth for initial setup before switching to Thread, so whether your phone is on the relevant WiFi band is irrelevant in this case. This is exactly the experience I found here, and so I’m glad to say I was able to add the button to HomeKit with no fuss at all.

In Apple Home, you get one tile, but as this is a button, the tile doesn’t actually do anything other than allow you to access the button’s settings, in order to assign functionality to each of the three button-press types. The settings reveal the battery levels, which is nice, and as this is a Matter-enabled device, you get the additional option to ‘Turn on Pairing Mode’, which basically allows you to generate a new Matter code to use for subsequent smart home ecosystems, as you can’t re-use the same Matter code for additional smart home platforms.

This is a new device, and at present there is no Tuo app, so it should be the case that any future firmware updates will appear directly within the smart home app you use. We’ve already seen this with the Wemo Stage Scene Controller, which got its Thread update around 18 months ago directly from within the Apple Home app.

PERFORMANCE

I set the Tuo smart button up with three scenes – one for each action. I guess it may be of no surprise that everything worked as expected. I can’t say any more than that, as it seems to be rare that a device with such a simple set of functions doesn’t do what it’s told, and the Tuo is no different. I have no issues with my Eve Button either, which still only uses Bluetooth. Does it work fast? Yes, but then so does a Zigbee button, so it’s hard to claim the Tuo is any more than a decently appointed device. The things that make it worthwhile are Thread, for reliability, along with no need for a proprietary hub. Add to this the Matter certification, and you get something that offers more than the other previously mentioned devices for the following reasons;

• Eve Button – Bluetooth is not really up to the job for use in smart homes with few exceptions, although I’ll be honest and say it’s still in use to this day, and serves me well. It also only works with Apple Home
• Aqara Smart Mini Switch – I love Zigbee, so I really have no complaints, but it does require a proprietary Aqara hub, which may not be so great for some. The button is Matter-compatible via an updated and Matter-enabled Aqara hub though.
• Onvis 5-Button Switch – Lots of buttons, but quite bulky and once again as it’s HomeKit over Thread, it doesn’t work with other smart home platforms.

TUO IN GOOGLE HOME

I was able to add the Tuo button to Google Home by generating a new Matter code from within the Apple Home app, and although it took a little while, it did go through the first time. This surprised me, as I’ve had regular problems adding devices to Google Home in the past when that device is already connected to another platform, so this was a minor victory. That’s currently the only good news, unfortunately, as Google still doesn’t offer any way of using the button in automations, which in this day and age is insanely poor. This is not the fault of Tuo and is clearly Google dragging its heels. Buttons can work with Google Home, but not yet via Matter, it seems. Hopefully, that will change sooner rather than later.

TUO IN SMARTTHINGS

If I was happy about Google connecting to the Tuo from Apple Home, the opposite was true when trying to connect the Button to SmartThings using a new Matter code generated in Google Home. As you can see, this failed and this is something I’m very familiar with when it comes to Matter in general and SmartThings in particular, so it was of no real surprise. Once again, I don’t believe this is the fault of Tuo, and symptomatic of Matter as it stands right now.

After resetting the button, I attempted to add the Tuo directly to SmartThings using the original Matter QR code.

I went through the same steps as before, and I was able to once again to add the details for the button to iCloud separate from Apple Home.

The device registered with my Samsung account and was ultimately successful. As you can see, you get the same button press options and battery levels.

Now, if I want to get it back into Apple Home I can do so via SmartThings, where the app generates a new Matter code.

SUMMING UP

The button does exactly as I expected, so there are really no surprises to talk about here, and it works well. There’s not really much more that can be said in that respect, but if you want a well-made, forward-thinking product (Matter and Thread), then this is currently the only option. The price may put some off, but as already stated, it’s the only Thread button right now that works with multiple platforms via Matter.

The post Tuo Smart Button W/ Matter over Thread (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Onvis are rightly more well-known to HomeKit users these days, thanks to their excellent Kameleon Light Strip (video HERE, review HERE), which I think is still the best multicolour-capable strip for the price right now. Some of their other devices, like the C3 Smart camera (video HERE, review HERE), come with great specs but sadly don’t seem to be getting much love, and their Bluetooth range of devices, whilst also very worthy, are, well…Bluetooth. Regarding the latter, the company has begun the move over to Thread, which is a good thing, with two devices – an update to their CT2 contact sensor (the CT3), and a brand new product, the HS2, or the 5-Way Switch, which we’re reviewing today. Read on…

PACKAGING/UNBOXING

Whilst the product is the main concern of course, decent packaging can be of benefit in protecting the goods, and also give you the impression the company cares about how its product is presented, and Onvis does this well with the box on both counts. The device is shown on the front, with the new ‘Works with Apple Home’ badge, next to the Built on Thread badge, which is reassuring.

The side of the box outlines some of the features, like the five individual buttons each capable of triggering other devices via single, double, or long presses, as is standard for most HomeKit switches, as well as mentioning privacy via HomeKit (as it’s exclusive to HomeKit as it stands right now), and logs of button presses via the Onvis app. The rear lists the specs, which are;

• Wireless connection: Thread + Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0
• Operating temperature: 14ºF~113ºF (-10ºC ~45ºC)
• Operating humidity: 5~95% RH
• Dimensions:
  • Switch 2.17 x 2.17 x 0.79 in (55 x 55 x 20mm)
  • Base 2.32 x 2.32 x 0.39 in (59 x 59 x 10mm)
• Usage: Indoor use only
• Battery: CR2450 button cell battery, 650mAh
• Standby time: 1 year

Inside the box is the switch (or button) itself, a magnetic base, a spare sticker for the base, a manual in a few European languages, and two sets of stickers with icons, designed to help you remember what you actually programmed each button to do!

THE SWITCH

The switch is, to be fair, quite ‘chunky’ for want of a better word, but feels well constructed, which I think is of importance for something that’s going to get a lot of use, generally speaking. The front of the ‘switch’ is made up of 5 buttons – one for each corner, and a central round button, which is actually button #1, with the corner buttons being #2 through #5.

One edge features a small LED that flashes in one of three different colours, depending on the type of action;

• single press – white LED
• double press – green LED
• Long press – Blue LED

I’m not sure what benefit the LED provides, other than to confirm what action you chose to use, but then that would require you to be actively looking at the LED whenever you press it, so I’d suggest other than for testing purposes, this is only going to affect battery life, albeit maybe in a very minor way, perhaps.

Another edge features the Onvis logo, which thankfully is a lot more discrete now compared to how large the logo was on their other products, most notably the CT2 contact sensor. On this point, it’s worth pointing out that whilst this review focuses only on the 5-Key Switch, I do review the new Thread contact sensor (CT3) in the accompanying video (see below), and they took the opinion on logo size seriously, with the CT3 now featuring a much smaller logo.

If you look carefully at the buttons, you’ll notice dots that correspond to the number of the particular switch, with a ‘ring’ for the central button. These are in fact luminous, so they’re visible in the dark, whilst not having any impact on battery life. I’m honestly surprised more companies don’t employ such a feature.

The switch comes with the previously mentioned magnetic mounting plate that can either be stuck to a surface with the sticker already present on the back of the plate or screwed to a wall etc using the provided screw and rawl plug.

You get an extra mounting plate sticker if required, but as both the plate and the switch are magnetic, you can also stick either or both to any metal surface, like a fridge door, as pictured above. By itself, the plate isn’t as strong when placed on a magnet-conducive surface, but combined with the switch, it holds up pretty well and doesn’t begin to ‘slide’ down a surface at all. The switch can also be stuck to a metal surface by itself and holds up slightly better than the mounting plate.

IN HOME | HOMEKIT

Adding to the Home app is as standard as it gets, and because it uses Thread, there’s no need to ensure you’re on a compatible WiFi band. As it uses Bluetooth for initial pairing, it can be slow to be added, but it gets there if you’re patient. Like pretty much all smart buttons (not Hue’s offerings, unfortunately), each button is capable of the standard three actions, so with 5 buttons to choose from, this gives you 15 different actions (or even more if you use time-based conditionals in third-party HomeKit apps).

In the Eve app, you get the same options, although you also get to see more details on its Thread ‘credentials’ which can be viewed if you go into Settings > Thread Network, where all of your other Thread devices will be listed. You won’t be able to view Thread Border Routers (HomePod Mini or Apple TV 4K 2nd gen/3rd gen 128GB) unless you have at least one wired Thread-enabled device from Eve, like their smart switch or the Eve Energy smart plug. As you can see in the details for the HS2, it’s an endpoint or child device, as it’s battery-powered, which also means it’s not capable of spreading the Thread mesh network.

IN USE

I’ve been using the HS2 since December, and it hasn’t given me any issues at all, aside from the very rare instances of not seemingly registering a double-press, but other than that, it’s always showing as connected, and so far has not even had one of those instances where the reaction time is seriously delayed, which is something you’ll definitely encounter with Bluetooth devices eventually. One issue that initially plagued both the contact sensor and button was inaccurate battery levels, going as far as reporting battery levels dropping to 5% after very little usage. This isn’t the device eating through batteries, but a bug, which has since been rectified with firmware updates.

I’ll be honest and say there aren’t too many HomeKit devices or categories that get me excited right now, and smart buttons are certainly in this group. Still, as it has Thread, and doesn’t use Bluetooth (except for commissioning), it’s still worthy of some attention. When I posted about this button’s existence in the Summer, opinion was a little divided on the design, with many not really liking the ‘chunky’ nature of it. With the included plinth/wall mount, it is indeed ‘substantial’, although it’s actually the same size in two of its three dimensions as the Eve Button, which no one has claimed to be too large. The HS2 is definitely deeper than Eve’s Button, but not by much. I guess there’s a limit to what’s accepted, even if it’s just a few millimetres! Personally, it doesn’t bother me, and with it offering five buttons, I’m not sure there’s any other way to design such a switch, or indeed to fit in all the tech required. Compared to the Aqara Mini Switch, it is larger in all three dimensions, but then the Aqara doesn’t use Thread and only offers one button, just like the Eve. The only two devices that offer almost as much, or more, are the Aqara Cube T1 Pro (video HERE, review HERE), which has six ‘buttons’ (faces), and the Aqara/Opple 6-button wireless switch (review HERE). The Cube only offers one action per face/button, and the Aqara/Opple is a lot wider, being that it’s based on an ’86’ type switch.

The bottom line for me is that if a device has Thread, then I’m interested at a minimum if it’s going to be replacing a device using either Bluetooth or WiFi like the Airversa Purelle Air Purifier (video HERE, review HERE) has done. Whether it’s going to get a Matter update is of little consequence to me, although I can see why people want to see something that’s a little more future-proof, that’s a decision the individual has to assess.

The post Onvis 5-Key Switch w/ Thread (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

At the time of writing, Matter, the forthcoming smart home platform/standard/protocol, has yet to make its debut, and as such, the Wemo Stage is only HomeKit compatible. As Thread is a central pillar in the development of Matter, it should become compatible with other platforms when Matter arrives.

As the box states, this is only HomeKit compatible, which was due to it only using Bluetooth at the time it was launched. The packaging is pretty stylish, and reeks of good design, which is due just as much to the switch itself, which I think is well thought out. The rear gives you some suggestions as to what you could control with the Wemo Stage, whilst the sides really just make marketing statements and basic stats for the product itself.

The product, which comes in at around US$50, comes held in place with cellophane, so it’s not likely to move around. Included is a CR2032 coin battery.

The Wemo Stage comes in three parts, all of which sit together in normal use. This consists of the switch itself, which is removable, a backplate, and an inner plate to hold the switch in place using a magnet. This magnet is also just about strong enough to also stick the whole ensemble to a metal surface, although the grip isn’t as strong as I’d like.

The aforementioned plate that holds the switch is the part that contains the magnet but also comes with some 3M strips for sticking to non-magnetic surfaces. The dimensions of this plate and screw holes are a perfect fit for other standard Decora type plates, and so if you want to place one of these next to a wired switch, it’s entirely possible.

As this isn’t a wired switch, it’s rather slim, and although the combined backplate and switch protrude more than a regular switch, there’s not a lot in it, and of course, you can take the switch with you, which you can’t do with a regular wired switch – smart or otherwise.

The switch itself features three buttons, each slightly concave, with a single, double or triple raised dot – one for each switch. Whether this is designed for you to know which button to press in the dark, or it’s a nod to people with visual impairments, I’m not sure, but it’s another small but nice touch.

The switch has a battery cover at the back, which once removed, reveals the battery compartment, a restore/reset button, and a HomeKit code, although, in actual fact, the switch also has an NFC chip inside, which allows you to add the device to HomeKit without scanning a code with the camera. You simply place the switch near the top of your iPhone (assuming it has an NFC reader built-in), and HomeKit will immediately recognise the device and begin to add it. As the switch doesn’t use WiFi, your phone doesn’t need to be specifically connected to your 2.4GHz network to add it in the way you might add most WiFi devices, that tend to use the 2.4GHz band. This was true of the device when it only had Bluetooth as an option, and is true now that it uses Thread.

Aside from the switch and the included battery, are a couple of documents, one of which, the setup guide, also contains an instance of the HomeKit code.

IN THE HOME APP

In HomeKit and the Home app, there’s not a lot to report, being that this isn’t a device you can control. This is more about it being used to control other devices, so automations aren’t the norm with this type of device. With a smart switch, it’s all down to using them to trigger a device with a single, double, or long-press, which brings us to a separate feature that came along with the Thread update; Prior to the Thread firmware, the Wemo Stage was only capable of a single press or a long press, this changed with the new firmware, which now gives you the standard three options as previously mentioned. This was a pleasant surprise that also brings the Wemo in line with most other switches (Hue Dimmers being a notable exception).

PERFORMANCE

With the initial release of the Wemo Stage, reports of really bad performance soon cropped up, and it wasn’t too long before I found this out myself. I’ve experienced poor reaction times from Bluetooth devices in the past, but this was way worse than I’d previously found, with multiple presses simply not registering, and if they did, were incredibly slow at completing the task they were programmed with. I’ve heard this with other Thread devices too, like the Nanoleaf Essentials bulbs when they fall back to Bluetooth if Thread fails for whatever reason. In the case of the Wemo Stage, the defacto state was Bluetooth, so in many ways, it was worse.

Late last year there was another update, and although it wasn’t the Thread one everyone was waiting for, I did find it did improve the switches performance markedly, albeit within the constraints of Bluetooth. However, due to it using Bluetooth, I simply didn’t use it very much.

Now that Thread has arrived, I was able to test it before and after the update, for comparison, and although it is definitely more responsive, comparing Thread to Bluetooth is like comparing a battery hen to a pitbull – there really is no comparison any more than there is between WiFi or Zigbee vs. Bluetooth. Bluetooth is simply not good enough for the smart home where speed is an important factor, which is really a defining factor for switches or bulbs.

I performed a series of tests which you can see in my separate video, and Thread really does seem to be fast. It’s all relative in many ways, as is there a lot of difference between 0.5 seconds and 0.75 seconds? Probably not once you’re used to it, but if nothing else, taking Bluetooth out of the equation also gets rid of the biggest issue with Bluetooth in that after a period of inactivity, the device (or rather the Bluetooth chip inside) will go into a state of sleep, with waking it up to perform, being a slow process. Not ideal in any way at all.

So is Thread in this device great? Yes, it is, and whilst I’ve harboured reservations with Thread due to its recent appearance, I’ve been surprised how well it held its own compared to Zigbee, which for me is still very much my ‘go to’ protocol of choice, at least for a while yet.

So would I recommend this switch, given its new lease on life provided by Thread, but also given the US$50 price? Well yes, if you need smart switches and really want Thread. For me, I’m already deep into the Zigbee side of things (mostly via Aqara), so switching over to Thread at this time isn’t something I need to do. If, on the other hand, I was starting out, I may well consider a few, although at US$50 a pop, it can become expensive very quickly, especially when you take into account the price of Aqara’s offerings.

I doubt it’ll be too long before we start to see other Thread enabled smart buttons, so Wemo may well have to make sure its design remains more unique (3 buttons, decora compatible), or alternatively look at lowering the price, as sooner or later, they won’t be the new kid on the (Thread) block. If you already have a HomePod Mini or the 2021 Apple TV, I’d suggest getting one just to get a taste of a fast wireless button, that doesn’t require a hub for once, and see how you like it!

The post Wemo Stage Smart Scene Controller (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

 

Manage Your Whole Home
Control smart lights, shades, thermostats, door locks and other Apple HomeKit products with the remote control or within the Home app.

• Store up to 6 scenes with short press and long press in the Apple Home app
• Get all your smart devices working together for your morning routine, entertainment, bedtime, and away mode
• Control smart lights, shades, thermostats, door locks and other Apple HomeKit products with the remote control or within the Home app
• Mounts easily on the wall, no hardwired installation required
• Can be stored in faceplate or removed to use as a handheld remote

Specs

Faceplate

• 84 mm (w)
• 6.4 mm (d)
• 128 mm (h)

Switch

• 66.4 mm (h)
• 32.8 mm (w)
• 9 mm (d)

Weight: 0.17 lb

System Requirements

• Designed to work exclusively with Apple HomeKit – this controller is not supported in the Wemo app
• To control this HomeKit-enabled accessory, the latest version of iOS or iPadOS is recommended.
• Controlling this HomeKit-enabled accessory automatically and away from home requires a HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad set up as a home hub. It is recommended that you update to the latest software and operating system.

General Specifications 

• Bluetooth low energy
• Thread ready
• Battery powered (CR2032)

The post Wemo Stage Scene Controller appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

In addition, Aqara and Opple have created a trio of wire-free ZigBee switches that take things a small step further in terms of options, with one of the three switches offering up six programmable buttons on a single device. Today we’re going to look at this particular switch.

PACKAGING

The packaging for these switches is fairly basic, but compared to the old packaging for Aqara products, it’s a step up, if only for the line drawing showing the switch itself, which I guess moves it from ‘basic‘ to ‘minimalist‘ perhaps…Each variant has the appropriate drawing on the front so you know what you’re buying, should you be lucky enough to pick one up in person (only China right now). The rear of the box gives you basic specs, although it’s all in Simplified Chinese. What we do know is;

• Each switch uses a standard CR2032 coin battery
• They use ZigBee 3.0
• The operating temperature is -10ºC ~ +50ºC / 14ºF ~ 122ºF
• All switches have the same basic dimensions – 86 x 86 x 15mm / 3.4 x 3.4 x 0.6in

The sides of the box feature a few icons explaining the basic functions, features and use cases for these switches, of which many are fairly standard or obvious if you’ve used a smart switch before.

• One thing to note before we go any further, however; One of the bullet points on the side mentions a two-year battery life. That sounds pretty good, if not entirely uncommon for a coin battery and a ZigBee switch. The point at issue is that, according to what we’ve been told a representative at Aqara, these batteries are NOT replaceable. Conversely, we’ve been told by someone who speaks Chinese, that their customer service line states that the batteries ARE replaceable. So, there seems to be some confusion as to what the deal is here. Nonetheless, if the batteries can’t be replaced, I would stick my neck out and say these aren’t going to be too popular! We’ll come back to this subject later on.

The switch itself is the first thing you’ll see in the box. Underneath the switch, you’ll find a manual in Chinese, three double-sided adhesive strips, and a couple of long screws, if you intend to place them over an already existing switch box. As is obvious, these are designed for use in the EU, UK and China, although as these can be placed anywhere, it’s not an issue for using it in the US, as long as you don’t mind the different dimensions to standard US switches.

THE SWITCH

We’re looking at the 6-button switch, but apart from the number of buttons, the other switches are the same in every other aspect. The switch actually comes in two parts, much like the Philips Hue Dimmer Switch, in that the main wallplate sticks to the wall, or other surfaces, with the button – which has magnets inside – snapping into place inside the recessed area in the wallplate. The switch also has one small hole in the upper right corner which houses a little LED that blinks every time you press one of the buttons. The rear of the plate has two rubber strips that are designed to prevent the plate from sliding around if you decide to use this on a table or other horizontal surface instead of a wall. The rear also reveals two cutout holes for screws if you want a more permanent fitting, instead of the included double-sided adhesive strips.

The wall plate on its own is only 11mm/0.43in deep and only another 3mm/0.12in more when the switch is added, bringing it to 14mm/0.55in in total. This is on a par with the current Aqara wireless rocker switches.

The switch by itself is 12mm/0.47in deep, and as it contains magnets, it can be stuck to any suitable metal surface without needing the wall plate. As already mentioned, however, once the switch is added to the plate, 75% of that depth is ‘absorbed’ into the wall plate. The rear of the switch has two cutouts that match up with sections on the plate. This ensures that you place the switch the right side up, and even though you could, in theory, have it placed upside down, there’s a small notch at the bottom of the switch that has to match a cutout on the bottom part of the plate recess, so there’s no way that you can accidentally place it upside down. The rear of the switch also has a small button marked ‘C’ which you need to press when pairing or resetting it.

Each switch has a circle on it to indicate the button, so in this instance, there are six circles on three separate rocker switches. The plate has small Aqara|Opple branding on the bottom.

INITIAL SETUP – VIA AQARA HOME

Even though these switches are designed for the Chinese market and are meant to work with the Chinese server, if you’re using the Aqara app, as opposed to the Mi Home app, you can actually add these to any version of the Aqara hub and any server (at least the US and Chinese hubs). If you look at the first screenshot above, in terms of wireless remote switches and controllers with the US server, there’s not much choice, and the Opple switches are nowhere to be seen. If you sign out of your account and select HomeKit Mode, then essentially, anything that’s available that can be added to your Aqara hub within the Aqara app, regardless of which model it is, can be added. So you can see in the third screenshot, the Opple switches now become available as an option.

In my home I have three hubs – two are Chinese and are both bound to the Mi Home app, with the app being set to the Chinese Mainland server. The third hub is the US variant, which is bound to the Aqara app, and set to the US server. If I’m signed out and set to HomeKit mode, all three hubs show as available when adding the Opple switch, and as much as I prefer the Mi Home app in general, this is something you’re only able to do in the Aqara app. In my instance, I only want to use these switches in HomeKit via the Home app, so it’s not a big deal not having them in the Mi Home app as such. Additionally, even though these switches aren’t meant for the US, once you sign back into your account in the Aqara app, these switches will then become available. So if you only use the Aqara app (as opposed to the Mi Home app) for all your Mijia/Aqara devices, then you can create automations with these switches too, as well as have access to them in HomeKit.

If you’re signed out of the Aqara app (HomeKit mode), once the switch is added, it’ll appear along with all your other Aqara or Mijia devices, regardless of whether their in Mi Home or Aqara Home. One thing to note is that with this method, even if you choose a room for the switch, it will add it to the default room initially until you change it. Once you do sign in to the Aqara app, all six buttons will appear across the top of the screen.

IN HOMEKIT AND THE HOME APP

After you’ve added the switch to the Aqara hub, the switch will automatically be exposed to HomeKit, although once again, it will be added to the Default room until you change it. You may have already figured it out, but what’s great about the Opple Switches, in general, is, as you can see in the second screenshot, that they support single, double and long presses. So, if you combine that functionality to the 6-button Opple Switch, that gives you a staggering eighteen different button variations, all in one switch. You can only see three buttons in the screenshot, but just looking at the top of the screen states “there are 6 unconfigured buttons”. Impressive!

If you’re using the Mi Home app, you can now officially add these switches here. When the Opple switches first launched, you were unable to add them to Mi Home, but since December 3rd, Xiaomi has added these to the long list of devices the app supports, which is ultimately why I prefer the Mi Home app over the Aqara app. The reason for me adding them to the Aqara app is that my US hub is bound to the app, which means I don’t need to switch servers in the Mi Home app to simply access the settings for the switch. There are other benefits too, but there’s no need to mention them here.

THE SUBJECT OF BATTERY REPLACEMENT

Credit: Images above courtesy of pabl33 via Imgur

When I first received the switches, although I’d figured out that the battery was held within the switch itself, I couldn’t see any way to access the battery in order to replace them, when the time would come to do so. In fact, there’s no mention of how to replace the battery in the Chinese manual. So, as previously mentioned, I contacted Aqara, who then told me that the batteries weren’t meant to be replaceable. That cames as a bit of a surprise! It’s not uncommon for some devices to have this kind of arrangement, like with smoke alarms for example. But then, batteries in smoke alarms tend to last around 10 years, by which time you should be changing the smoke alarm anyway.

As it happens, a user (p_abl) on the r/Aqara sub on Reddit, had also gotten their hands on the same 6-button switch and uploaded images of the switch being dismantled, to reveal the elusive battery. You can check out the whole set of images HERE, but as you can see from the images above, it is achievable, despite being told that there’s the possibility of damaging the switches in the process. This, it would seem, is true, and it’s certainly not as easy to replace a battery as you’d expect, but with the right tools, it seems to be possible.

Whether this is all due to the design of the switches, or a way of generating extra sales, I’ll leave that for you to decide, but I’d like to think it’s for the former reason. Either way, do prepare yourself with the right tools if you want to hang onto your switches – it would seem a guitar pick came in handy in this case…

IN USE / SUMMING UP

Putting the battery issue to one side, it has to be said that these are really very good switches. If you’ve already experienced the Aqara rocker switches, then whilst the feel of the buttons being pressed is closer to the Hue Dimmer switch, the reliability of them is not under question. You can thank Zigbee for this, as it’s hard to beat the speed and low power usage of devices that use ZigBee, especially when you compare them to Bluetooth-based switches.

The Hue Dimmer has four buttons, and they are all programmable too, but you may also be aware that each of those buttons only has Single press when it comes to HomeKit, so these switches go way beyond the capabilities of the Hue option in this regard. The fact that they’ve been able to cram six switches in the same space as the two or four button variant is impressive too.

The feel of the whole device is quite pleasing too, with the same kind of silky matt finish they use for the Aqara rocker switches. It’s a small, but nonetheless important detail. The ‘travel’ when pressing the switches is very small when compared to the Aqara Rocker switches, and unlike the Hue dimmer, there’s virtually none of the ‘wobble’ that you get from these types of buttons, which are essentially free-floating around the edges. The click of the switches feels firm without being too hard to press.

Although I prefer to keep switches in one place – with the plate, it’s good that these can be taken away and used as a ‘remote’ if you wish, which is a bonus point it has over the original Aqara rocker switches. In terms of aesthetics, I still love the Aqara rocker switch design which makes the whole front of the device a switch, and in some ways, the Opple variants are a little staid perhaps, with the shallow border running around the edge of the recess, where the switch sits. It’s only a minor thing though when you consider the benefits of these switches over the other two devices mentioned.

If you’ve already dipped your toes into the Aqara/Mijia smart home ‘pool’, then these are one of the better devices out there, in terms of choice – 2, 4 or 6-button variants, but also for the fact that these switches can straddle both the Mi Home/Aqara and HomeKit worlds with ease, making them a very powerful device to have at your disposal.

The post Aqara/Opple Smart Switch (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

• smart switches can control a whole bunch of low priced ‘dumb’ LED bulbs, so the switch may be more expensive, but the bulbs are a fair bit cheaper than smart ones. However, other than buying a smart dimmer switch and dimmable LED bulbs, you’re simply left with the only option of turning them on or off, so no colour options essentially. You could, of course, put smart colour bulbs in, but that’s a little bit overkill – smart switches controlling smart bulb – and you’re still going to be disconnecting the bulbs when you turn the smart switch off.
• With smart bulbs, you can change the brightness and the colour, which is great, but assuming they’re plugged into bulb sockets normally designed for regular bulbs, i.e. there’s a regular light switch connected to the sockets, then you run into the issue of your ‘smart’ bulbs being disconnected from your network due to someone inadvertently pressing the switch which you’ve designated to be “out of bounds” for the purposes of controlling said lights. Sure, you can cover these switches with tape or put a Wireless dimmer next to the regular switch, but it’s also less than ideal.

Philips Hue and Friends of Hue affiliated companies have countered this with products that are essentially wireless switches, some of which can also be placed into the recesses where your standard switch would go, so you get control of your smart lights, but also can rest assured no one will disconnect them.

One such company, aptly named RunLessWire have come up with a switch that does all of the above, but unlike the Hue Dimmer Switch, doesn’t require a battery, relying solely on energy harvesting techonology generated from the toggle switches every time they’re pressed, much like Hue’s own ‘Tap’, although in  a more standard form factor.

UNBOXING…
Nothing to see here folks, move along! RunLessWire kindly provided us with a sample double rocker switch for this review, but the package sent didn’t come in a box, although I’ve read that the box they come in is plain anyway, apparently. No matter, it’s the product that’s important at the end of the day, so we should see what we get in the box (ok, padded envelope…).

The complete contents include the three main items you’ll need, which are the double rocker switch itself, the Decora faceplate (if you don’t already have one), and a backplate. The backplate is for use if you decide to stick the switch to the wall, as opposed to having it replace a standard wall switch box.

Along with the double rocker switch, you get a spare single rocker switch that can replace the two individual rocker switches, which are very easy to switch over. Finally, you get a few screws, a wirenut and two small double-sided Command strips. The long screws are for attaching the rocker switch unit to the switch recess if you’re replacing a standard switch box, whilst the shorter screws are for attaching the rocker switch to the backplate if as mentioned before, you intend to simply stick this switch to a blank wall. According to the included instructions, in order for you to keep the power on to the sockets that will hold your smart bulbs, you use the wirenut to connect all of the wires connected to the current switch (excluding the ground wires, if present), which I presume completes a circuit and keeps the lights permanently ‘on’ (I’m not an electrician, so if this is not correct please let me know).

The depth of the rocker switch with the backplate is 15.57mm/0.62in (not including the depth of the rockers themselves) which is slightly more than the standard Hue Dimmer switch, which comes in at 14mm/0.55in, so there’s not much in it. If you forego the backplate and place it in a switch box recess, then it comes in at around 10mm/0.39in (including rockers), essentially the same as a regular rocker switch.

I was sent the standard white variant of the switch, but the company actually offer six colour options, so there really is a switch for most situations.

INITIAL SETUP
As this switch is already able to power itself by merely clicking the rocker switches, you can set this up with the Hue app immediately, and I would suggest that you do this before you decide where to place it, just in case there’s an issue, as otherwise, you’d just have to unscrew the whole unit, if you were placing it into a switch box, or worse still, possibly damage your wall/wallpaper when removing the switch held on with the stickers, if you’re intending to place it on a blank wall.

• Open the Hue app and select the ‘settings’ tab
• Click on ‘Add accessory’
• Select ‘Friends of Hue Switch’

• From the following list, select ‘RunLessWire Click’
• You will then go through a setup procedure, that will involve connecting the switch to the Hue Bridge
• This will involve pressing the certain buttons for a period of time until the connection has been made

• Once you’ve successfully connected the switch to the Hue Bridge you then select which switch controls the lights in an assignable room
• each switch will be able to control all of your Hue or Hue compatible lights in the room
• Once you have selected the rooms, you’re good to go

You can actually assign and control a maximum of three rooms per switch, so you can control all the lights in the downstairs section of your house, like the living room, dining room and kitchen, as long as all the lights are Hue.

THE SWITCH
One of the nice touches with this switch is that you can swap out the two slim rocker switches and replace them with the provided single rocker switch, which is, as can be seen in the video, very easy to install. When it comes to either installing the switch into a light switch box, or changing the rocker switch from double to single, you only need a small flat head screwdriver, which you need to gently prise the decora faceplate off from the rocker switch, or for when you change the rocker switches from double to single. You’ll also need a Philips screwdriver to fit the rocker switch to the backplate – or – the switch box recess. No other tools should be necessary. A couple of things to note; for initial setup or for reset/reinstallation you will need the original dual rocker switches, so don’t discard them. Additionally, if you decide to just use the single rocker switch, you will see options for four switches in the Hue and Home apps, however, only two will function.

The basics of the device are that it’s a rocker switch which is always in the central position, with it returning to the central position after a press of either button at the top or bottom. If you press and hold the top or bottom part of either switch, you can dim the Hue lights in the room(s) allocated to that particular switch, by default, although you can assign other functions to the long-press action if you prefer. You can also assign a maximum of three rooms to each switch, and by that, I mean the up switch and the down switch can each be allocated to up to three separate rooms, although you’d probably just want the up part to turn lights on and the down switch to turn them off. You could just as easily arrange it so that one button turns three rooms worth of lights on, with a long press turns them off, although it could get complicated for the less technically inclined. The RunLessWire switch can work with both Hue and HomeKit, although there are restrictions with either route.

PHILIPS HUE AND APPLE HOMEKIT

• If you only use this switch with the Hue app, you can only control Hue or Hue compatible lights, obviously. So, if like me, you have a room with some Hue lights and maybe some Vocolinc or LiFX bulbs, this switch won’t be able to control those lights alongside the Hue bulbs, at least not without some ingenious automations. What you do get in return is the ability to use the dimming functionality in the switch, which isn’t supported in HomeKit at this time. Even if you didn’t want to use the dimming functionality, the long press of each switch can be allocated to do something.
• If you decide to go the HomeKit route, you can set each button to control a HomeKit scene, which of course can involve both HomeKit and Hue products side by side. You can even replicate the Hue side of things by assigning the switches to two different rooms if you want it to be easy to understand. In my case, we have an en-suite bathroom and the current wired switch, which is located outside the bathroom, but also in the corridor section of the bedroom, isn’t used for anything (it’s not wired up). I could replace this switch with the RunLessWire switch and assign one rocker to turn the bathroom lights on and off, as well as controlling all of the lights in my bedroom, regardless of whether they’re bulbs or even desk lamps or smart plugs. Whilst you do get control of each button, there’s no functionality in HomeKit to take advantage of the long-press action on these switches, even though long-press is supported with other switches, like the Even button for example.

Taking into account the points listed, as long as you’re not bothered about using dimming/long-press functionality, you’ll probably get more mileage out of going down the HomeKit route.

COMPARISONS WITH OTHER SWITCHES

I have a quite mixture of switches in the apartment, with a wired, four-button Xiaoyan Zigbee switch, a wired Aura Bluetooth Switch, that also uses a battery, a couple of wireless Aqara Rocker switches that use Zigbee, and quite a few Hue Dimmer switches, that also use Zigbee. Of all of the wireless switches, the RunLessWires switch is the only one that doesn’t need a battery. This may be appealing to some, and it’s also good for the environment in its own small way. The trade-off with this is that in order to generate the energy to keep the switch working, the buttons do require a bit more effort than the Hue Dimmer switch, which is so soft that you could almost consider it touch-sensitive, were it not for the slight ‘click’ you feel when pressing the buttons. Not so with the RunLessWires switch. I would say due to the fact the buttons are required to bounce back to the central position, there’s a bit of resistance. Not so much that you’d need to concern yourself, and if anything, you’d certainly not be in any doubt that your press was registered, as the button emits a click sound for each press. If you’re looking for touch-sensitive control, then this is not for you, but if you like to know you’ve pressed it, then it is more than suitable!

DAY-TO-DAY USE
Having been using the switch from the first day it arrived, it was great to be able to get it up and running so quickly, largely thanks to the efficiency of the Friend of Hue program and it’s requirements I assume. As it isn’t HomeKit compatible unless it goes through the Hue bridge (it is, in fact, incapable of doing anything without the Hue Bridge), then setup wasn’t actually needed for HomeKit installation, only the necessary decisions about what each button would control. From this statement, you can guess that I decided to gain control of this device via the Home app rather than the Hue app, but in actual fact, you can do both if you wish, but it could get complicated, especially if you wanted to track down a particular issue. As for issues, so far there have been none, so that’s really something to be happy about. I’ve got the switch controlling the bathroom lights with one rocker and the bedroom lights with the other switch, but at some point, I’ll probably do a piece on how to get even more out of these switches with conditional automations. The only ‘negatives’ so far are that my wife isn’t so keen on the slightly extra effort needed to push these buttons, but then she does appreciate the fact that it requires no batteries at all, so anything that is either recyclable or in any way helps to conserve resources, she’s happy to go along with. Where I live, in Taiwan, whilst the houses here use the same size of switches here as they do in the USA, for some reason switches are fitted horizontally as opposed to vertically, so under a typical scenario, this switch would look less than the way it was intended. Luckily, the builders, out of necessity due to lack of space, had to fit a couple of switches vertically, so that has worked in the switches’ favour on this occasion! In actual fact though, due to the option to simply stick this to a wall, I can easily place these vertically if I so wish, if they weren’t going into the recess of an already existing wired switch.

SUMMING UP
I remember seeing these switches a while ago and while I wasn’t so keen on the look of the skinny switches as such, it does actually give you a lot of possibilities whilst taking up no more space than any other switch. Indeed, if you were to stick to controlling Hue lights alone, if you use an app called iConnectHue, you can actually assign even more controls to the buttons, with subsequent presses triggering different scenes or lights, so there’s a lot of scope for a switch of this kind. The one thing to bear in mind, as with anything these days, is the cost. These are currently selling on amazon.com at around $60 each, so they are a fair bit more expensive than the Philips Hue dimmer. The quality of feedback from pressing the buttons on this product is much more solid than the Hue dimmer though, as the switches on the Hue dimmer tend to wobble a bit when pressed, like the keys on a cheaper computer keyboard, so for some, the additional cost, as well as the extra choice of colours and no need for a battery, both of which the Hue Dimmer doesn’t offer, may be worth it. You pay your money, you take your choice.

Full disclosure: Ad Hoc Electronics provided HomeKit News with the RunLessWire Switch for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made or requested.

The post RunLessWire Friends of Hue ‘Click’ Switch (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

• One-click control of all Philips Hue smart home devices
• Functions: on / off, dimming, triggering scenes and controlling different groups
• The installation is easily done using the Philips Hue App. The switches can be connected directly to the Philips Hue Bridge in less than 2 minutes. No additional hub required.
• No cables, no batteries, no charging – thanks to EnOcean’s established energy harvesting technology.
• Compatible with Apple HomeKit via the Philips Hue Bridge V2.
• The design of the switch is based on the European standard System 55 and fits into most switch frames.
• Switches are available in the Gira E2 design in matt black and matt white. Other colours and models are also available upon request.
• Developed together with Gira Giersiepen GmbH – one of the leading full-range suppliers of intelligent system solutions for electrotechnical and networked digital building control.
• Designed and manufactured in Germany
• Price: Regular price 69 Euro/unit. For the first 48 hours of IFA at the introductory price of 49 Euro/unit plus a free Single Rocker faceplate (see figure 2) available on www.senic.com

The post Senic Double Rocker Smart Switch appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

• One-click control of all Philips Hue smart home devices
• Functions: on / off, dimming, triggering scenes and controlling different groups
• The installation is easily done using the Philips Hue App. The switches can be connected directly to the Philips Hue Bridge in less than 2 minutes. No additional hub required.
• No cables, no batteries, no charging – thanks to EnOcean’s established energy harvesting technology.
• Compatible with Apple HomeKit via the Philips Hue Bridge V2.
• The design of the switch is based on the European standard System 55 and fits into most switch frames.
• Switches are available in the Gira E2 design in matt black and matt white. Other colours and models are also available upon request.
• Developed together with Gira Giersiepen GmbH – one of the leading full-range suppliers of intelligent system solutions for electrotechnical and networked digital building control.
• Designed and manufactured in Germany
• Price: Regular price 69 Euro/unit. For the first 48 hours of IFA at the introductory price of 49 Euro/unit plus a free Single Rocker faceplate (see figure 2) available on www.senic.com

The post Senic Single Rocker Smart Switch appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The post Vimar Commando Smart Switch appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Busch-Jaeger and Signify (formerly Philips Lighting) have a common vision – the fully networked smart home, in which lighting can be controlled by remote access. For this reason, Busch-Jaeger, the technology leader of the smart home sector, is one of the first German manufacturers to enter into a partnership with Signify.

The objective of the “Friends of Hue” partner programme is to encourage companies to develop devices, applications and systems that interact with the leading smart lighting system Philips Hue. This includes many market-leading technology leaders such as Amazon, Apple and Google.

• Smart light switch for switching and dimming Philips Hue lamps
• Requires the Philips Hue Bridge v2 (rectangular shape) and the Philips Hue app (v3.2 or higher)
• Call of individual light scenes
• Control of a maximum of 50 lamps/25 “Friends of Hue” switches
• Maximum functional security due to the Zigbee-Mesh technology
• Batteryless technology
• Zigbee green power, radio frequency 2.4 GHz; usable worldwide
• Placement of an additional light switch at any point in the house without the need of wiring
• Available in the carat®, Busch-dynasty®, pure stainless steel, solo®, Busch-axcent® and future® linear switch ranges.

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