Unfortunately, there’s a catch: The transmitter has to be plugged into the hub. This is something I’d love to have on a couple of ceiling fans, for example. That’s an optional infrared transmitter, meaning that you can use Flic buttons to control infrared devices, which would also be a way to effectively make them HomeKit-compatible. In the desk shot above, you can see a black blob on the right. The buttons use Bluetooth 5 LE, so are good for up to about 150 feet. Now that they are HomeKit-compatible, they can control any HomeKit device.įlic buttons offer three functions per button:įor example, I have one set up to control a Hunter Douglas blind:īattery life is said to be up to three years, and the battery is replaceable. The first-gen buttons relied on integrations with specific devices. OK, it’s easily solved by adding a dumb Ethernet switch, but it’s still junk we have to find a home for. I quickly ended up using all the Ethernet ports on my router with these. The need for hubs is one of my grumbles about smart home technology. They have a pleasant-feeling mechanical click, and a three-color LED to indicate the status when pressed. The front has a Flic logo, while the back has an adhesive pad with a peel-off cover. They measure just over an inch in diameter by a third of an inch thick. The original Flic buttons from Shortcut Labs could control a reasonably wide range of devices - including Ikea, Nanoleaf, Lifx, Lightify, Philips Hue, Sonos, Spotify, and WeMo - but HomeKit support now makes them suitable for a much wider range of smart home products… Look and feelįlic buttons are small, white, and round. Second-generation Flic smart home buttons now have HomeKit compatibility, along with multi-color LEDs to indicate the status of the device they control. His work has been covered by news websites like Digital Trends, Stacey on IoT, Daily Tech News Show, and USA Today.When I saw that Flic HomeKit-compatible smart buttons were available, I had to take them for a spin. Josh has outfitted his house with a wide variety of smart gadgets, ran Ethernet cables everywhere, assembled Plex servers, and even built a smart mirror with just a frame, some electronics, a Raspberry Pi, and open-source code. He rooted Android phones and flashed custom ROMs on them gamed on all major consoles and with his PCs and built his own computers. During that time, Josh achieved a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification.Įven before working directly in Information Technology, Josh had a passion for technology. While working for Microsoft, he helped create a shared knowledge repository for all Microsoft employees repairing computers and developed a training process for catching new employees up to speed. He took apart laptops, troubleshooted the Windows operating system, fixed programs like Microsoft Outlook, and removed viruses from customers' laptops. Josh worked for Microsoft for several years, specializing in computer repair of both hardware and software. Josh also built and maintained PCs and servers for IDM, and was responsible for maintaining local and offline backups for the company. His years of project management experience included a focus on Linux and macOS applications and troubleshooting, giving him intimate professional knowledge of all three major desktop operating systems. Josh Hendrickson was the Editor-in-Chief of Review Geek and a former How-To Geek Staff Writer with over a decade of experience.īefore writing for How-To Geek, Josh did project management, quality assurance testing, and sysadmin work at IDM Computer Solutions, which makes the popular UltraEdit text editor. Keeping a hub in the room with your buttons will solve that problem. But if your phone isn't nearby, that may not work. Without a hub, the buttons will connect to your phone over LE Bluetooth to communicate with Alexa. You don't have to have a hub, but having one will add convenience. Related: Flic's New Smart Home Button Comes with a Twistįlic's latest update adds Alexa routine functionality for free on both the original Flic and the Flic 2 buttons. But Amazon discontinued the buttons, and you can't buy them anymore. You could set them to turn on all the lights in a room, give you the latest weather from a nearby Echo, and more. With an optional hub, you can connect it to various smart home systems, including HomeKit, IFTTT, and more.Īnyone who has ever tried an Amazon Echo Button knows the convenience of skipping voice commands and firing a routine with a push instead of talking. If you're not familiar with the Flic 2 smart button, it's a small and discreet button you can stick anywhere in your home.
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