Tech Crunch confirms that Logitech has successfully launched its single-button device, the “Pop Home Switch,” which enables customers to control multiple devices simultaneously. Rumors suggest that the device will arrive in the US in August 2016.
Logitech hopes that its latest offering will help bring users together in a single household to control smart devices with pre-assigned tasks — all that is required is a Bluetooth device that can be connected to a power outlet. A mobile app, then, searches for compatible devices, allowing users to activate their settings accordingly.
The palm-sized device connects to a hub that plugs directly into an outlet via Bluetooth LE. The hub has support for a slew of top smart home gadgets, including Phillips Hue lights, LIFX connected bulbs, Lutron smart drapes and August locks. Using a companion app on either Android or iOS, you simply scan some one’s Wi-Fi network for compatible devices, then connect them to one or more Pop for easy control and recipe creation.
Given that Logitech allows users to customize their “recipes” and designate certain actions to control smart devices with a single press, the company may choose to come up with a more advanced system, beyond its Starter Pack, in the future. The price of the Starter Pack is $99.99, and Pop Add-On Home Switch will be priced at $39.99.
The company has started pre-orders for the device today. However, it is still unclear when the Pop Switch will arrive in other countries, such as the UK. As mentioned earlier, the company is likely to initially launch the device in the US, and then release it in other parts of the world.
We believe that the new device may help further bolster the trend of controlling smart-home devices, which has risen rapidly since the launch of Apple’s Echo, a voice-enabled wireless speaker, in 2014. It’s likely that iOS users will wait for Apple’s Siri platform instead of opting for the Pop Switch.
Ever since Echo’s debut, it looks as though rival tech companies such as Apple and Google have also increasingly focused on developing their own version of smart-home controllers.
Given that Amazon recently integrated the option of using August smart locks to lock doors with Alexa Skills Kit, Logitech’s effort to embed a range of pre-assigned tasks might give a tough time to Amazon Dash and Apple.