The same may be said of Brilliant's remote controls. For the moment, it's not terribly flexible, however, given the limited number of compatible products. These scenes can be tagged for 'Bedtime' or 'Morning,' for example, to turn on lights, music and heat when you get up. You can use Brilliant to coordinate smart devices to work in concert. It's also one of the best Apple HomeKit products. That’s a decent start, but much more is needed. Smart home compatibilityĪs of this review, Brilliant can work with Ring, Sonos, Philips Hue, Google Assistant, Alexa, SmartThings, Ecobee and Honeywell Lyric smart-home devices. It lacks the volume levels and clarity to play music satisfactorily. Should the assistant become too intrusive, you can adjust Alexa's sensitivity and volume.Īlthough the Brilliant's tiny built-in speaker is sufficient for spoken programs like the news summary, it is not intended to be a substitute for a Sonos speaker.

One additional feature: The Alexa weather skill also displayed my location and the three-day forecast on the Brilliant screen.

You also can trigger all the usual Alexa skills, such as setting an alarm or asking for the weather forecast or the latest news from the BBC. So you can turn lights on or off with your voice, for example. And you can add any skills you've already enabled by simply linking Brilliant to your Alexa account. Brilliant smart home controller: Alexa featuresīetter still, Brilliant comes with Amazon Alexa services built in no need for a Dot or Echo. From the in-wall controller, you can then adjust the volume, pause and skip tracks. If not, you simply add favorites - say, your top Pandora stations - to the Sonos favorites list and they will automatically appear on the Brilliant screen. If you've got favorites listed in your Sonos app, they will also appear on the Brilliant screen.

Brilliant connected automatically to my Sonos system. Setting up music control was a simple matter. MORE: Best Smart Plugs - WiFi Outlets That Make 'Dumb' Devices Smart It was not compatible with cameras like Piper or a raft of other connected devices, such as garage door openers, door locks and water sensors. It had no trouble finding Honeywell and Sonos devices, for example, in my test house. Once the Brilliant controller is connected to your Wi-Fi network, it will try to suss out compatible devices. It’s perfect for parents who want pictures of their kids on display. The Brilliant app will even allow you to center and crop the photos to fit the vertical screen of the controller. Brilliant supplies a preprogrammed set of photos, including shots of landscapes and puppy dogs, but you can upload your own photos from your phone if you prefer.

Conversely, you can use it as digital picture frame, displaying a slideshow of meditative photos. It's a convenient option if you don't want the LCD screen on all the time. Brilliant can also act as motion-triggered night light so that you don't stumble around in the dark.īrilliant's 1280 x 720 color display can also be turned on and off using the motion sensor. It's a handy feature I used to trigger a light at the top of the stairs where I usually have to fumble for the switch. Brilliant has a built-in motion detector that can be enabled to turn on the lights automatically and then turn them off after 5 minutes of inactivity. You can also use the app to remotely control the connected light.

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