Have you heard about this new company called "BRILLIANT" & their solution to upgrade your basic light-switch into a totally awesome smart light-switch?
Last month I was able to meet with a Brilliant rep at a local distributor (Electronic Lane) & saw their solution in action. I had a great conversation with the Brilliant rep, got a demo of all the system features & talked about their go-to-market business strategy. Overall I thought the solution & company were pretty cool, but I was still reserved & slightly skeptical about ease of installation & set-up, features, integration compatibility with other smart devices, & how they would market to the mass consumer market to bring awareness of their product.
Well yesterday I was gifted by the same distributor with one of Brilliant's 1 Switch Control units to test out in my own home. Let me tell you this solution is nothing short of amazing! I installed it in my Dining Room. Not only was installation easy, but the set-up & integration was even easier. It easily integrates / controls my Philips Hue system, Ring Video Surveillance System, my Nest Climate Control system, whole home SONOS sound system & to top it off it has voice control integration with my Amazon Alexa! Not only does it control all of these smart devices, it also looks beautiful on the wall while in screen saver mode by shuffling through some pre-loaded art work. Over all my wife & I are very impressed with this solution & amazed by all the features that are packed into this beautiful touchscreen.
So let me break these phases down for you.
Installation: Installation was pretty straight forward. If you have ever changed a light switch before then this is nothing new, but if haven't just follow the easy to ready & understand step by step instructions included in the box & you should be all set. If this is your first time installing a light-switch, just remember to turn the breaker off to avoid any unwanted shocks lol. If you're more of a YouTuber for how-to's, here is a video to see how to install.
Features & Integration w/ other Smart Devices: So once you have the Brilliant properly wired up & the face-plate put on, Brilliant will go through its initial set-up. This includes connecting to your WiFi network, processing the latest & greatest software & firmware updates (5-10 minutes), & then asking you what devices you want to integrate / control on your new Brilliant light switch / touch screen. As stated above I do have several different smart home devices installed in my house & I was stoked to see Brilliant was compatible with ALL of them.
I started with my Philips Hue system. Now off the bat you might think that this switch will only control 1 room right? WRONG! When it paired with my Philips Hue system I got the ability to control ALL my rooms that have Philips Hue bulbs. Not just my Dining Room, but my Perimeter & Entry lights, my Living Room, Kid's Room, Home Office, Master Bedroom & Bathrooms. The touchscreen interface makes jumping between rooms super easy & the ability to set scenes is another great feature!
I then integrated my RING video surveillance system. I have the Video Doorbell like some of you may have, but I also have 6 of their RING Floodlights Cams around the perimeter of my house. With Brilliant I have the ability to get on screen alerts, two-way communication with whoever is outside & live view any of my RING cameras with a push of a button.
The Nest Thermostat integration was a breeze, & now I have another location where I can adjust the climate OR even create a scene that will adjust the temperature to my ideal preference for that event i.e. Good Morning or Good Night.
I integrated in my SONOS systems for my Dining Room / Kitchen & Living Room. It pulled in my saved favorite playlist & gives me quick & easy access to start playing my favorite tunes.
Alexa Voice integration was also awesome because when I say a phrase like, "Alexa, what's the weather like today?" The screen changes like it does on a traditional Dot or Show & gives me the forecast. It's basically like having another Alexa Show in the house but in the wall.
Going to Market: Now this phase I believe they still need to work on. Currently you can only purchase Brilliant's solution via their .com store or through an authorized dealer such as Digital Delight. They have yet to release their product to the big box stores i.e. Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot & more. Personally I believe having their solution in these stores will draw the mass market consumer awareness that is needed to drive their sales. Granted this is not a popular stance in the CI (Custom Integration) industry, but this is certainly a consumer DIY product. It's not any harder than installing a Nest Thermostat or changing an outlet or switch in your home. Now I do strongly recommend hiring a certified professional to ensure installation is performed correctly if you're not seasoned in these types of installation & also to ensure you are maximizing the performance of this product. Regardless of where you buy at, brilliant.tech, a possible future big box store or a custom integrator you want to ensure you get the installation done right & take advantage of everything this system has to offer.
In Closing:
This is a very cool solution to upgrade a basic light switch into a smart touch panel. It offers much more than just turning lights on & off or dimming them. If you are like me & have devices in your home like Ring, Nest, Sonos, or Philips Hue this could be a very cool upgrade for your home. Even if you don't have these devices it still is a nice switch / dimmer for your existing bulbs & you get the joy of having a voice AI from Alexa or Google Home. These are just a few features that I personally encountered. I actually want to get more in the house now so I can utilize the room-to-room video intercom system. To learn more about this solution, watch the video below & check out Brilliant's website. As always if you're interested in this solution for your home or business contact Digital Delight Houston, TX's local neighborhood smart home professional.
Brilliant Smart Home Control | All Together Now
Thanks for reading. Make sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below, and subscribe, like & share to our blog for the latest in smart home technology solutions.
D I G I T A L ☝️ D E L I G H T
☎️713-283-8100