Sometimes incorporating smart home devices that can control everything from your smartphone can be more of a headache than helpful. Simply turning on a light from a wall switch is often easier than controlling the light with a connected app.
French company Sevenhugs has ventured to fix this smart home, smart product usability problem with a smart device of its own, the Smart Remote.
For people who have a handful or more of smart features in their home, the Sevenhugs Smart Remote takes away the hassle of having to unlock a phone to then act out the necessary control. Instead, owners can utilize their smart home features with a simple remote.
Sevenhugs’ remote gives homeowners the ability to control their Philips Hue smart bulbs, Samsung TVs, Sonos speakers, and any other smart home products.
The Smart Remote comes in the form of a rounded rectangle, with the front being a color touchscreen display. It is powered by a rechargeable battery that is charged via a USB Type-C port on the bottom of the remote when connected to the accompanying base station.
When pointed at smart home lights, the controls for brightness and on/off appear, so users can point the Smart Remote at a TV and the controls for channels, volume, inputs, and more pop onto the full-color display.
Three electromagnetic wave emitters and orientation data from a nine-axis accelerometer and a gyroscope help the remote understand what needs to be controlled.
Sevenhugs claims its Smart Remote can work with over 25,000 Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and infrared devices from a plethora of companies, and the level of items and devices the remote can integrate with is only growing.
The Sevenhugs Smart Remote is currently on Kickstarter, and early buyers can order their own from $100 to $200. Sevenhugs hopes to raise $50,000 before its anticipated June 2017 shipping date.