Smart light bulbs have been one of the cornerstones of the connected home space from the beginning. Philips has a pretty strong grip on the market with its Hue line, but everyone from the 116-year-old stalwart Sylvania to startups like LIFX are getting in on the action with color-changing connected bulbs.
Noon Home, a new Bay Area-based home automation startup, is going after the light switch. The company, which includes former executives from places like Nest and August Home, has been operating in stealth under the decidedly less pronounceable code name, Locoroll. It’s already scored backing from investors like Shasta Ventures, Lux Capital and Sway Ventures. The company’s first product is the straightforwardly named Noon Smart Lighting System.
At $400, the system isn’t cheap, though it’s designed to replace far more costly custom installs. The primary control pad is a small touchscreen display that plugs directly into the wall power, swiping in for the light switch. Once up and running, it works with existing lights to offer customized layered lighting designed for a specific space.
The system does its best to guess at the room’s lighting needs using on-board sensors, but the rest of the customization is up to the user. Like many other smart home offerings, it also can be used to develop custom scenes for different scenarios. It gives you three out of the box: everyday, bright and relax, which can be controlled via the switch or remotely with the company’s app.
And, naturally, the product is launching with Alexa functionality — no surprise there, given how bullish Amazon has been about embracing every connected home gadget of late. The systems are available starting today through the company’s site. Additional extension switches run $100 a pop, and the company is offering up professional installation for $50.