When I last reported on the Rithum Switch, there were a few complaints about the high price. The NSPanel Pro, a much cheaper solution, was suggested as an alternative at the time. I ordered it back then and packed it up again just as quickly as it was delivered. The hardware, which was nowhere near as high quality, and the software, which was a pain in the arse, were the main reasons for me to quickly bury this project.
Voice control and apps are a great thing, but sometimes you want to control your lamps and the many other smart homes directly on the wall. Classic switches offer few options, more options are available with the new Echo Hub. Echo Hub is an Alexa-enabled smart home control panel with an 8-inch touchscreen and a customisable smart home dashboard.
From my point of view, it was already a big step forward when Philips Hue added White Ambiance models to its filament collection in late summer 2021. The different shades of white are a real added value, because previously you had to rely on 2,100 Kelvin with the Hue White Filaments and thus on a very warm light setting.
Approval documents already suggested it at the beginning of the year, then yesterday the first product photos surfaced. Signify, the manufacturer of Philips Hue, will launch a smart home camera. However, not in the Hue cosmos, but for the independently operating WiFi system of the WiZ brand. Works with Nest has since been discontinued However, the topic of Philips Hue and camera is not entirely new.
Approval documents have already suggested it earlier this year, now we can deliver the first pictures. The French manufacturer WiZ, which was taken over by Signify a few years ago, will probably soon bring a surveillance camera onto the market. The first product photo shows the packaging of the “Home Monitoring Starter Kit”.
Just earlier this week I informed you that the Hue switches now also appear in the Alexa app as Smart Home devices. However, there wasn't much you could do with the switches in the Alexa app yet. This has changed today, because the individual buttons of the switches can now be used as triggers for Alexa routines.
With the introduction of Matter, Philips Hue wants to finally change the course here sometime in spring, the story should be settled anyway. Perhaps they are already the harbingers. In the Alexa app, switches from Philips Hue are currently showing up, at least for the first time. So if you take a look at the devices section of the Alexa app and are surprised that suddenly numerous new devices have been found, then these could be accessories such as the Philips Hue dimmer switch or the Hue Tap Dial Switch.
Matter has been with us for several years now. Formerly known as Connected Home over IP or CHIP, the new smart home standard aims to make the connected future much easier. In principle, all the major partners from the electronics world are involved, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung and Ikea. And Signify with Philips Hue and WiZ is also one of Matter's supporters.
A few months ago, I was able to give you the first details about the Violet SmartSwitch. In the meantime, the project has progressed further and on the website of the British manufacturer, pre-orders for an EU version (round switch boxes) of the Violet SmartSwitch can already be placed. Unfortunately, the whole thing is not quite cheap, but in return you get a rather unique control option.
Especially with the Nest Protect smoke detector, I always found the interaction with Philips Hue lamps particularly exciting, even if the emergency hopefully never occurs: as soon as smoke and a possible danger is detected, all Hue lamps throughout the house should switch on. A function which, thanks to Works with Nest, could be implemented without any major problems.
Fabian