Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. News

Fluid One gives you point-and-click control of your smart home, from your smartphone

Keyan Riddick
By

Ever wished you could use your smartphone to control your smart home, beyond just pulling up an app to turn something on or off? We’re now starting to see companies create actual functionality around the Matter initiative. Fluid, a relative newcomer to the smart home field, is building a service on top of Matter to allow you to control smart devices around your home simply by pointing your phone at the device.

Fluid calls this new service Fluid One. You can point your phone at a device, and it will automatically and immediately show you options to control said device. The service also allows for location-based automation and gesture controls. For example, imagine walking around your home and having lights automatically turning on or off depending on how close you are to them.

Fluid One app showing the AR room map and devices.

This new smart home system’s brains are contained within the Fluid Hub. The hub uses the same Apple ultra wideband chip available from Apple’s iPhone 11 onward to connect to all devices in your home. Once you set up the hub within your home and place four smart nodes on your walls to help with integration and automation, you’ll be able to control your devices with just a click, flick, or step.

Related

The Fluid One system will also build an AR rendering of your home floor plan to help with location-based automation. You can see this floor plan, a list, and a graphic of all your smart home devices in a dashboard view on your phone. The view will allow you to monitor and manipulate all of your devices in one area.

Recommended Videos

With Fluid One, Fluid claims that you no longer have to deal with different menu systems, separate dedicated apps, and microphone usage. It seems that once in “Fluid” mode, your iPhone becomes a remote that can control whatever it’s pointed at. Not only will you be able to do basic on-off commands but you can also change colors, brightness, and volume levels.

The Fluid One system will be compatible with over 20,000 devices from various companies, including Apple, Google, Amazon, and Philips Hue, among others, upon release. Additionally, the company is garnering money and interest for its product through Kickstarter. As such, we don’t have an exact date for when the Fluid One will be released. However, it could be a smart home game-changer if it works properly.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Keyan Riddick
Keyan Riddick
Smart Home Author
Keyan Riddick is a freelance writer based in the mountains on North Carolina. When he isn't writing you can find him behind…
Sonos One vs. Google Nest Audio: which is the best smart speaker?
The Google Nest Audio speaker on a table.

The Sonos One and Google Nest Audio are two of the best smart speakers of 2023. Both can pump out impressive sound, respond to a wide variety of voice commands, and easily sync up with the rest of your smart home. But with the Sonos One costing more than $200 and the Google Nest Audio clocking in at just $100, you might be wondering if the Sonos One is truly worth your money -- or if you’d be better off saving $100 and opting for the cheaper Google product.

Before picking up either smart speaker, here’s a closer look at the Sonos One and Google Nest Audio.
Pricing and availability

Read more
Sonos One vs. HomePod mini: which smart speaker is best?
The Sonos One smart speaker on a countertop.

When it comes to smart speakers, the Sonos One and HomePod mini are two of the best. Offering impeccable sound, great smart home connectivity, and sleek designs, few products can match the style and performance of these two behemoths. But which one is right for your home?

While it’s impossible to go wrong with either, there are a few key differences between the two smart speakers that might make one a better fit for your home. Here’s a closer look at the Sonos One and HomePod mini to help you decide which is best.
Pricing and availability

Read more
Apple reportedly working on a new iPad-like smart home display
Someone holding the 12.9-inch version of the iPad Pro (2022).

Apple recently announced a new HomePod with support for Matter, but it seems the company might have bigger smart home plans for the rest of 2023. According to the latest report from Bloomberg, Apple is allegedly working on an iPad-like device that could directly compete with Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub Max.

Details on the rumored product are scarce, but it seems the device would feature a touchscreen and function similar to an iPad. Magnets would allow it to be mounted to a wall, and HomeKit would give it access to all your smart home products. It’s unclear at this time if the device would feature a stand, allowing it to sit on your countertops like the Echo Show and Nest Hub. What is clear, however, is that Apple wants to gain a stronger foothold in the smart home market -- and this could serve as a great alternative to using the HomePod Mini as a HomeKit hub.

Read more