The days are getting shorter and my workdays seem to be getting longer. It usually means I come into a dark house at the end of the day.
I'm not a big fan of this, for safety reasons. (That applies to my cat, whom I recently stepped on while entering a dark living room after work. Sorry, baby!) Consequently, I own a couple of timers to automatically turn on lights in my home.
where it’s @
The Switch requires a home Wi-Fi network and the iDevices Connected app, available at the Apple App Store. Remote access requires an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with iOS 8.1 or later and an AppleTV, third generation or later, with firmware version 7 or later. The product retails for $59. More information is available at www.idevicesinc.com.
I'll be honest, I hate those things. They're complicated to set up, because I never know exactly where to put the clip thingies or which ones to leave up or down to set the proper power-up time. They have to be reset every time the power goes out, which means unplugging them, resetting them and plugging them back in. Plus, the ones I have started ticking loudly after a while. It sounds like I have a bomb about to blow in my living room.
That's why I was very interested in checking out the new Switch from iDevices.
The Switch is a rectangular device with a grounded outlet in one side and a stripe across the face. The stripe is actually an LED light that can serve as a night light and can be changed to reflect any color. The Switch plugs into a standard, grounded outlet. It then connects to the home's Wi-Fi system for control without wires, clips or weird ticking.
The Switch itself is pretty basic, but when paired with the free iDevices Connected app, it can be a pretty useful device.
The free app is actually the key, because it controls the Switch. The app is only available for Apple products, unfortunately, but it is compatible with Apple's HomeKit automation system. The app handles the three major features of the Switch.
The app uses the iPhone, iPod or iPad's wireless signal to send commands to the Switch. With one touch, you can turn the Switch on or off. You can even ask Siri to do the same. The app also can control that LED night light across the front, including changing the color of the light.
The second major feature is the ability to group Switch signals together. Assuming you have more than one device, the app allows you to group those devices into "Rooms" and "Scenes." The Room is pretty self-explanatory -- you designate the room the Switches are in, and you can turn on all of the devices hooked to Switches in that room with one touch.
The Scene function uses a similar concept, but it allows you to do different tasks at once. For example, I programmed a Scene where, when I toggled it on, it would turn on my lamp while turning off the Switch's night light. So, for example, you could turn on a small light or night light while turning off a television and larger lamp.
A third major feature of this product is the ability to use it anywhere -- at least, according to the device.
That line needs an asterisk. It's not as easy as it sounds.
Yes, you can control the Switch remotely, but only if you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod running iOS 8.1 or later. Oh, and you need an AppleTV. Actually, you need a third-generation-or-later AppleTV, running firmware version 7 or greater. Oh yes, and you need an iCloud account.
But yes, it works remotely.
Most of the things I mentioned aren't that new, so anyone who has upgraded recently should be able to work the Switch remotely. It wasn't just that all these requirements were necessary that bugged me; it was the fact that I had to Google how to set it up, because the requirements and instructions were really vague. Nothing really explained how it worked. I ended up having to sign out of my account on my AppleTV and signing back in, because for some reason it didn't work until I did. Incidentally, I found that solution by Googling it. Once everything was logged into the iCloud, the remote access feature worked.
I tested this feature several times. I have a security camera in my living room, so I pointed it toward a lamp I used to test the switch. I asked Siri to turn on the lamp. It took a few seconds for the command to be executed, but it did happen. I was impressed, especially since I was doing it from another city.
That said, I really like this gadget and the app that accompanies it. It's easy enough to get a timer that will turn a lamp on and off, but the real key here is the Scenes, which will perform multiple tasks together. It's a lot easier to set timers for several devices in one room by using a phone than it is having to do it manually. It's a lot easier to set the timer, period. Plus, I don't have to worry about messing with those little clip thingies on a manual timer.
I do think the app is a little more complicated than it needs to be, but overall, there is a lot to like here. There's enough for me to consider going out and purchasing a couple more of these for my home, though at $59 a pop, that could be a bit of a pricey venture.
It might be worth it, though, to come home to a bright living room without it sounding like I need to call the bomb squad. I'm sure my cat would agree.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at [email protected].
SundayMonday Business on 10/05/2015