Elgato today launched the Eve Light Switch, the first available light switch to support Apple's HomeKit platform.
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Eve Light Switch replaces a standard light switch to transform any single or multi-bulb setup into an intelligent lighting system controllable via Siri voice commands or the Elgato Eve app. The switch connects directly to an iPhone or iPad using Bluetooth LE, without the need for a hub, gateway bridge, or Wi-Fi configuration.
The switch has a clean, white modern design with a capacitive touch sensor to manually turn a light on or off with the tap of a finger. The switch requires a neutral wire and replaces a single pole switch. It is not intended for use in a 3-way installation where lights are controlled by more than one switch.
Homeowners can create HomeKit scenes to control Eve Light Switch and other HomeKit-enabled accessories with a single command. The light switch can also be controlled away from home with a third-generation Apple TV running software version 7.2.1 or later or a fourth-generation Apple TV with tvOS 9.2 or later set up as a Home Hub.
iDevices introduced a similar HomeKit-enabled wall switch at CES 2016 earlier this year, and had aimed for second quarter availability, but it has since delayed the product's launch until the fourth quarter. The switch will connect over Wi-Fi and features a customizable LED night light and support for 3-way installations.
Eve Light Switch is available starting today for $49.95 on Amazon and Elgato's website. The companion Eve app is a free download from the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models running iOS 9.3 or later.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)Why pay $50 for this light switch and still buy separate bulbs, when you can just buy something like the Philips Hue bulbs, which gets you a good LED bulb that has Homekit compatibility and full RGB control?
Fixtures that use bulbs that Philips does not make. Plus there are switches that control multiple ceiling lights. It's much cheaper to buy one switch than multiple smart bulbs.Why pay $50 for this light switch and still buy separate bulbs, when you can just buy something like the Philips Hue bulbs, which gets you a good LED bulb that has Homekit compatibility and full RGB control?
Because a switch can operate a light fixture with multiple bulbs. If your fixture has three bulbs, Hue would cost you $150 for bulbs, whereas this is just $50.I have HomeKit-enabled lights all over my home...but all of these fixtures lack any sort of wired wall switch for operation...which makes HomeKit control infinitely better than pull chain or other controls.
Others I know recently purchased a brand new construction...that has no shortage of lights...and no shortage of light switches to control all of those lights. The said to me, "We want to do it like your house so we can control everything from the phone/pad/tv."
...to which I responded...Yeah, that's great, so as long as you never touch another light switch. The moment you turn a light off at the switch, the entire thing falls apart. Getting the switches themselves under Home Kit control and making them digital instead of hard analog toggles is critical to this kind of smart home control merging with the physical controls that are still great and still exist.
There are already two different homekit compatible light switches on the market, one made by lutron and the other by insteon. Both have been available for atleast a year...
IMO, this one is interesting because it natively speaks HomeKit (something that the Insteon and Lutron switches don't), so you don't need an additional hub (in addition to an AppleTV4 or iPad) to automate it.