With the surge of the smart home appliances and gadgets, the Brilliant Control is a San Mateo, California-based startup’s answer for the all-in-one smart home control panel. The Control is designed to easily replace a conventional light switch, with an installation designed to take no longer than 5-10 minutes.
In my mind, the most important aspect about a product like this is mass compatibility with other smart home devices. It turns out that Brilliant has ticked the boxes on most of the recognizable household names, including Nest, Sonos, Philips Hue, Ring, SmartThings, Wink bulbs, Honeywell and some security systems.
The Control can speak and control those devices using on-screen sliders, function buttons — and yes, it supports dimming. IFTTT support is included, as are companion iOS and Android apps. You can also humanize the Control, with seasonal images and a customizable standby screen to blend in with your home decor.
The Brilliant Control also includes Amazon’s Alexa assistant, so your can ask for weather forecasts, play music, control devices, and even create preset scenes, thus controlling the mood (climate, lighting, etc.) in different rooms around your home.
The Control’s main input is a 720×1280 resolution, 5-inch touchscreen, but it’s supported by the motion and voice control options. The controller itself includes a camera, privacy cover and microphone, which Brilliant says is an easy recipe for adding video or voice intercom to your home.
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Brilliant is also partnering with Target Open House in San Francisco, starting February 10th, where functioning Controls will be demoed and used by the public to control different smart home gadgets — you know — to prove that it actually works.
If Brilliant’s Control hub for smart home devices is as good as it sounds on paper, it might have the potential to encourage hesitant homeowners, who’ve been wondering how they could unify those devices.
Regarding availability: the first 1,000 pre-orders will cost $149, then afterwards will be $199 via Brilliant’s website, with shipping and retail availability by late Summer 2017.