![]() ![]() The first-gen Flic system was great and the sequel is even better. The Flic 2, which also began life as a crowdfunding campaign, is easily the most button-like smart button, weighing less than 10g. Here are our picks for the best smart buttons you can use in your smart home, whether you're trying to control a single appliance, or you're looking to set up more involved routines and systems.įlic has been in the smart button game longer than most – it first went live on Indiegogo in 2014, smashing its $80,000 target and raising almost $1 million. You'll hardly ever have a click (or double, or triple, or long press) go unnoticed and, on the odd occasion this does happen, no button below is more guilty than any other of this misbehavior – we found them to be pretty much on a par when it came to reliability. We've lived with the above examples for a while now, and they just work. We detailed some of those factors in each entry below, and more information can be sought out from each manufacturer. What you do need to consider, though, is what smart home devices and platforms the smart button you're thinking of buying taps (see what I did there?) into.ĭoes it support HomeKit scenes, are IFTTT applets compatible? Will it integrate with how you already run your smart home? Will it provide a key control for your most important smart device? Once you go beyond a button that offers two to three scenes at the tap of a button, you're entering the realm of a remote control, and that would be missing the point. However, even if more contenders do come to the party, they won't really do much more than the current offering can. Smart buttons are still a fairly new idea and the market isn't exactly bursting at the seams with options. Smart buttons: What to consider before buying Plus, a lot of smart buttons - including the likes of Hue and Flic - can even act as triggers for routines and automations within your chosen smart home ecosystem nowadays anyway. ![]() Sure, you could ask Alexa or the Google Assistant to kick start these routines and control your smart devices, but sometimes it's so much easier to just push a button – especially as you can strategically place them (and move them) around the house to where they will be most useful. With a simple tap, double tap or long press (or maybe a twist) you can trigger an array of smart home scenes and automations. That's where the current crop of smart buttons come in. Unless it's a smart light switch, of course, but that's a different story. Sure, you can turn your bedroom light on with the switch on the wall like your grandpa used to – but can that switch also turn off any lights you may have left on downstairs, turn on all of your security cameras, set your alarm and tune into some sleeping sounds on your smart speaker? It cannot. However, the brilliance of the best smart home buttons lie in their simplicity, and multi-functionality from a single press. You may think that, as we move away from remote controls, switches and apps and towards a voice-controlled smart home, you'd have no need for another physical controller in your house. Not to be confused with r/SmartThings a different type of home automation that uses a hub.Smart home buttons are a big thing now. Just use one app for all your compatible devices! Many of these off brand devices will have their own branded app which is just Smart Life / Tuya re-skinned and not necessary. Such devices as Wi-Fi plugs / sockets, switches, light-bulbs etc that do not require a hub. Generally Smart Life compatible devices are made by "off brands" and are substantially cheaper then other home automation options. And also linking them to Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa. Welcome to /r/SmartLife a place for discussion and questions about Smart Life / Tuya Smart Home Automation apps and devices. This is a fan run, unofficial subreddit with no relation to the Tuya Inc. ![]()
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