In 2020, I made a video about Thread, a then new smart home technology that promised to improve smart home reliability. In that video, I interviewed a number of prominent folks in the industry, including Nanoleaf CEO, Gimmy Chu. During that interview Gimmy said something really simple, but prescient:
“…a smart lighting product, it needs to work 100% of the time to compete with the old school flip switch” - Gimmy Chu, Nanoleaf CEO
I heard rumors that Nanoleaf was working on some kind of new lighting technology that would make for better lighting controls, which they later pre-announced at CES in 2023. From the press release:
“Nanoleaf’s Sense+ Controls line offers the world’s first ever hands-free smart lighting experience within your home. Matter-enabled and running on Thread, the Sense+ Controls line includes the hardwired Smart Light Switch, Wireless Smart Light Switch and Nala Learning Bridge. All three products have built-in motion and ambient lighting sensors to personalize your entire home’s lighting, automated to your daily routines and personal schedules.”
Fast forward to fall of 2024, and we are finally getting the first product in this Sense+ line with the Sense+ Smart Switch. But for someone who primarily uses Apple Home for automation, what’s the role of this new switch?
