The app lets you upload photo albums so you can always have a miniature slideshow playing on your wall. What I liked most about the Brilliant, though, was using it as a digital photo frame. But that means that anytime I say “Alexa” the Brilliant would cheekily respond “You are not logged into Amazon,” which got annoying quickly. I chose not to set up the Alexa functionality since I have an Alexa speaker in my office. There is an integrated privacy shutter that keeps the camera blocked when the camera is not in use.īrilliant also has Amazon Alexa built in, which is good if you don’t have Alexa in your home already. Brilliant even integrates with Amazon’s Ring platform so you can see who’s at the door after someone rings your doorbell. If you have multiple Brilliant Control Panels installed throughout your home, you can use them as a video intercom system, which would be convenient for owners of large homes. It can only play playlists or albums that you save as favorites in your Sonos library. Even though the Brilliant looks like a smartphone, there aren’t any apps, so I couldn’t type in “The Rolling Stones” from its touchscreen to play the Stones.
You’re able to control music playback and adjust volume from the panel, but Brilliant unfortunately, does not let you browse music that’s uploaded on streaming music apps like Spotify. I didn’t have any issues linking my Sonos speakers to the Brilliant ecosystem. I also have smart lightbulbs in my bedroom lamps, meaning that if I accidentally left the lights on, I could turn them off from the hallway using the Brilliant switch. It does, however, integrate with SmartThings, so once I linked my Lutron lights to SmartThings, I was finally able to control and dim all of my lights using the switch. The reason being, Brilliant doesn’t integrate directly with Lutron Caséta smart switches, which I use at home to control my living room lights. I appreciated the many diagrams and pictures that I could reference, too.Īlthough the physical installation was a breeze, setting up the Brilliant Control Panel didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped. I found Brilliant’s included instructions ( and the app) to be clear and easy to follow. It took me about 20 minutes to remove my existing single switch and replace it with the 5-inch Brilliant touch screen. Depending on whether you have one, two, three or four switches, installation time will vary. All you need is access to a circuit box and a neutral wire.
#Ipad smart home control panel install#
I don’t consider myself an electrician by any means, and I was able to install the Brilliant Control without a hitch.
#Ipad smart home control panel full#
Most recently, Brilliant added support to control an internet-connected garage door opener, but you can find a full list of compatible products on their website.
The control panel is available in six colors to seamlessly blend with your home decor.įor now, Brilliant integrates with smart cameras, doorbells, lights, locks, thermostats, switches, and streaming music services, but the platform continues to evolve as more smart home gear is released. The Brilliant Control Panel, which looks like a tiny smartphone display, replaces your existing light switch to give users touch and voice control over their smart home, without the need to juggle dozens of apps on a smartphone or tablet. Whether you have a full-blown smart home or you just started dabbling in home automation, chances are, you have a cluttered folder on your smartphone with several apps from all of the past smart home devices you’ve installed.Ī company called Brilliant hopes to end all of your smart home woes with its Brilliant Control, a smart home control panel that aims to make interacting with all of your smart home devices simpler and more streamlined.Īfter being targeted by Brilliant’s flashy Instagram ads for weeks, I set out to test its smart home system to see if it was - ahem - as brilliant as it seemed. The Brief: Although smart homes are designed to make your life easier, they come with their fair share of headaches, especially when it comes to setting new devices up and managing them all with your smartphone. The Tester: Brandon Carte, gadget-obsessed editor who is overwhelmed with smart home apps. On Trial: Brilliant Smart Home Control Panel There are a lot of cool things out there that make us wonder - do they really work? In our I Tried It series, we set out to use them in the real world and have determined that, in fact, they really do.
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