For a small device, the Amazon Echo has a ton of functionality. With more than 90,000 Amazon Alexa skills, plus the ability to automate daily tasks and control your entire smart home from a single location, the Echo has rapidly become one of the most recommended smart devices. Even with all of this power, however, the relatively small Echo can still be too big a device for many people. Now, iDevices has a solution for people who want a smart assistant but are extremely short on space: The Instinct, a smart light switch with Amazon Alexa built-in.
The Instinct combines lighting control and a full-featured Amazon Echo device into a single, compact package. The Instinct is built with SOEN Audio technology to provide great sound despite sitting in a wall, and a series of far-field microphones allow it to understand the user clearly no matter where they are in the room. If you link multiple Instinct switches together (or put Instinct in a home with other Alexa devices), it will only respond if it is the closest Echo. You don’t have to worry about activating multiple devices at once.
The Instinct also has the distinctive blue rings Echo users have come to expect, but their brightness and intensity can be controlled via the app. This lets it double as a night-light. For privacy-focused users, the Instinct features a mute button directly on the switch, as well as the ability to turn the lights off manually. The smart switch has the capability to stream music and use built-in motion sensors to turn on when users are in the room, features that will be added in a future update.
The innovation displayed within the Instinct is exciting, but its true value lies in the problem it works to solve: Limiting the number of devices throughout a modern home. As smart home technology becomes more widespread and more devices enter the market, customers will have to be pickier about the products they give space to.
The Instinct is available for purchase now from InstinctSwitch.com for $99. The device has a two-year warranty and can be installed as a DIY project, although customers can opt for professional installation.
