Alexa is already everywhere in a lot of homes, thanks to the affordability and ease of installation/setup of the Echo Dot. But Alexa could become even more seamlessly integrated into your home, if you think about it. And Canadian smart home tech maker ecobee did think about it, which is how they came up with the ecobee Switch+.
Ecobee is probably most known for their connected thermostats, which are one of the strongest competitors out there for Nest. The company’s been building other products, too, however, and developing closer ties with Amazon and its Alexa virtual assistant. The Switch+ has the closest ties yet, since it includes Alexa Voice Service and far-field voice detection microphone arrays to essentially put an Echo in your wall wherever you have a light switch handy.
The ecobee Switch+ is still a connected light switch that works like similar offerings from Belkin’s Wemo, too, and offers full compatibility with Alexa, HomeKit and Assistant for remote voice control. But it goes a step further with Alexa, acting not only as the connected home smart device, but also the command center, too.
The Switch+ is now available for pre-order from ecobee and select retail partners, including, unsurprisingly, Amazon, in both the U.S. and Canada, for a retail price of $99 U.S. or $119 Canadian. It should work with most standard light switches, although not two-way switches where multiple switches control the same light or lights. In-store availability and shipping starts on March 26.