Of course, the big change is Thread, which equates to faster, more responsive reaction times than with Bluetooth, which the original model used. It also means that, along with all of the company’s other Thread-enabled products, this new light switch is ready for Matter. This will now ensure that once Matter begins to take hold, this and all of Eve’s other products* will be compatible with other ecosystems beyond Apple HomeKit, which includes Google, Amazon, and SmartThings.

* as long as the product category is supported

It’s important to note that the switch requires a neutral wire, so homes that don’t have neutral wires for their switch will, unfortunately, not be able to make use of this product. The upside is that this switch supports single pole 3-way setups, which is a rarity for smart switches.

Finally, like their Eve Motion Smart Blinds, you can create schedules that are stored 0n-device, so you can have the lights turn on or off at specific times, without having to worry whether your smart home automations will successfully be enacted.

The Eve Light Switch is available from Amazon for US$49.95 / CA$79.95, or directly from Eve’s own store.

Specifications

Power

• Input: 120 VAC, 50/60 Hz
• Min. 3 W
• Max. 1800 W / 15 A (resistive)
• Max. 600 W / 5 A (incandescent / tungsten)

Wireless Connection

• Bluetooth, Thread

Dimensions

• 4.7 x 2.9 x 1.7 inch

Compatibility

• Eve Light Switch requires a neutral wire and replaces a single-pole or 3-way switch. Only for use with copper or copper-clad wire in dry, indoor locations.

In the Box

• Eve Light Switch, wall plate, mounting material

The post Eve Release Third Gen Light Thread-enabled US Switch appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Flowchart

To get started, take a look at this flowchart below which outlines how the automation actually works. This should make it a little easier to understand what’s going to happen and what I’m explaining.

The Automation

To get started, open the Home app and Long/3D press on the smart button icon. Choose one of the actions and select “add scenes and accessories”. In that menu, scroll all the way to the bottom of the list and choose “Convert to Shortcut”.

Open the actions list, and choose “Get Date” and then set the variable as “current date”. So the automation should read “Get dates from Current Date”.

For the next action we want to format the date into short form. So choose the action “Format Date” and the variable should automatically assign itself to the date from the previous action. In that same action, choose “show more” and change Date Format to none and Time Format to short.

For the third action, we want to round the short format time to a single number. So choose the “Round Number” action and assign the variable to “Formatted Date” and have it rounded to “ones place”. And that’s all that is needed for the first half of this automation. So if the time is 11:30 PM at night, than the rounded number will be “23” (this automations works in 24 hour time).

For the next half of this automation, grab an If Statement and make the condition “If [Smart Light/Device] is off” and within that, use multiple if statements to determine the time and thus the action. For example, in my automation I have “If Rounded Number is between 7 and 10″ turn on the daytime scene”. Continue this until you have all the actions that you want and delete the otherwise tags for all of those inner If Statements. For the outer if statement, within the otherwise tag set the lights to turn off.

Thus, when the automation runs it’ll trigger when you press the button. It checks the time and then checks if the light is on or off. If it is off, then it will compare the rounded down time to the if statements and complete whatever action you set. If the lights are on, it’ll turn them off. And that’s all there is to it. As for the second and third actions of the button, you can do whatever you want. You can use it to control other lights or have it set scenes in its dedicated room. Automation runs as far as your imagination can.

For a visual look at this automation, check out the photo below so you can see what it should look like for you.

The post Advanced Smart Button Light Switch appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.