The ubiquitous light switch has become more intelligent with Ecobee’s new smart light switch. Ecobee, the company that gave us the smart thermostat Ecobee4, has now created Switch+, a light switch that has a direct integration with Amazon’s Alexa.
The Switch+ is a smart light switch with voice-enabled technology and a speaker. It can operate as a light switch and it also has Alexa’s full suite of capabilities built-in – a feature that eliminates the need to buy an Amazon Echo product.
The Switch+ is no ordinary light switch. For starters, you can ask it to turn on or off the lights, ask it to forecast the weather, or play music. Its motion sensors can detect your presence or absence in the room, and switch off the lights automatically if it senses that no one is there. The switch also has a timer that you can set for when you want the lights to go on or off. For example, you can set it for sunset and it’ll turn on as soon as the sun goes down. These features are great for helping you save power and electricity costs.
For checking the room temperature, you’ll just have to wait until the end of this year, when a firmware update is added. Following the update, the device will be able to detect room temperature wherever it’s installed.
The built-in voice technology is Amazon Alexa. You can talk to it just like you would an Echo device. This is what makes this smart switch truly unique – it doesn’t work along with Alexa, it is Alexa, and it is another great option to bring Alexa into other rooms of your home.
Is the smart light switch easy to install?
According to Ecobee, you can install the device yourself in 45 minutes. The accompanying instructions are great. Just make sure you are comfortable with simple wiring or hire a professional. To start, you will need to shut off the electricity. Then grab a screwdriver and remove your existing light switch. Next, you wire up the Switch+, add the faceplate, and then… believe it or not, it’s done. Although Ecobee says it’ll take 45 minutes to install, with a little common sense you can do it in about 15 minutes.
Does it live up to its expectations?
Engineers from Digital Trends tried out the smart light switch and according to them, it works very well as a smart switch. There are several ways to control the lighting – using voice, manually pushing the button, or with the help of motion sensor control. They also wrote that the motion sensors worked very well, and without any flaw; the light in the room turned on quickly when they entered and it went off as soon as they left the room.
Should you buy it?
If you enjoy smart devices and are looking for a smart light switch, then you should consider the Switch+. You’ll be happy because a $100 price tag won’t just give you a smart switch, it’ll give you a smart assistant that follows your command. You get Alexa and a smart light switch in one small package!
The price in Canada is $119. It is available for order on Amazon. Also, Check out our other top recommended smart devices here.
