For anybody with an Alexa smart home, meaning they likely have a number of Echo smart speakers, smart plugs, smart lights, and other devices that work with Alexa, iDevices announced a really neat smart light switch. The iDevices Instinct ($100) is a smart light switch with Alexa built-in. You can manually switch on/off the light by pressing the button, or you can speak directly to “Alexa” and turn the light on/off. No need to have an actual Echo or Echo Dot speaker within shouting distance.
The iDevices Instinct is effectively a smart light switch combined with an Echo Dot smart speaker, so you can speak to the smart light and control the rest of your home’s smart devices. You can use Broadcast Mode and relay voice messages to the entire house, as well. And you can add it to an existing Alexa multi-room speaker system, so you can play music throughout your entire house; it’s like having a speaker built into your wall (although the speaker won’t be playing exceptional audio quality).
The design of the iDevices Instinct is pretty neat, too, because there’s an integrated light ring in the middle of the light switch. Whenever you say “Alexa” it lights up and looks just like the LED lights on the top of an Echo speaker. You can also configure this to act as a night light, which seems pretty smart.
This is a product that’s probably best for somebody who already has an established smart home; the iDevices Instinct is an in-wall smart device, meaning it requires a little more installation. You’ll have to remove your existing light switch from the wall, and replace it with the iDevices Instinct; this will involve some light wirework. If you purchase on Amazon, you can also pay for somebody to come to your house and install it for you.
It’s worth noting that this is an Alexa-exclusive product at launch. It won’t work with Google Home or Apple’s HomeKit.
