I love just about every smart device there is, my house is almost a monument to the so called “Internet of Things” (IoT). I have cameras, appliances, smoke alarms, lights, door and window sensors, and even a weather station that are all connected via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to my phone. One of the big players in this field is Elgato and its range of Eve connected devices, many of which I have. One of the new products on offer is the Eve button, an attractive device that allows you to control all your Eve products without fumbling through your phone or trying to wake up Siri.
The main selling point for me is Elgato Eve’s integration with Apple HomeKit, my smart home interface of choice. Along with its own highly customisable (if a little complex) app and the HomeKit control centre, it’s a dream to operate. But there are times when your phone is on the charger or in another room, so controlling a scene is not possible.
The Eve button will fire off up to three HomeKit scenes based on a single, double or long press. For me that would be activating my Philips Hue living room lights, kitchen lights and back deck lights. So essentially this aluminium box with curved contours acts as a physical remote control.
The Eve button is paired to your HomeKit setup like any other compatible device and is configured via the Apple Home or Eve app. For me I think this product does fill a bit of a void. At present, short of actually getting up and using traditional switches I can’t turn on certain lights without my iPhone or Siri. Yes I know how silly that may sound!
It’s probably also a device, much like a TV remote you’ll end up losing from time to time. But for now, it’s a worthy addition for those with an addiction such as mine. The Eve Button is on sale right now for USD $49.95 from Elgato and Amazon and will appear in the Apple Store later this month. Australian availability and pricing is yet to be announced. There’s also an Eve Aqua on the horizon, a connected irrigation controller. More on that later…
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