After making a name for itself in the smart thermostat space, ecobee's now stepping into the world of smart light switches with its new Switch+. The Switch+ can be installed in your house for easy control and automation of any lights throughout your space, but it also kicks things up a notch with built-in Alexa.
Thanks to its built-in speaker and microphone, you can issue Alexa commands to the ecobee Switch+ just like you would an Echo speaker. This means you can ask it about the weather, your commute to work, change your thermostat, and a ton more. ecobee did something similar with the ecobee4 Thermostat, and it's nice to see this feature make a return on the Switch+.
In addition to Alexa, you can also use other smart-home services to connect to and control the Switch+, including Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Samsung's SmartThings, and IFTTT.
Other goodies include daylight sensors that'll automatically trigger your lights to turn on when the sun goes down and a motion sensor that toggles a night-light on the Switch+ so you can easily control it in the dark.
Pre-orders for the ecobee Switch+ are open now with shipping expected to begin March 26. The $99 and $119 price tags for the U.S. and Canada, respectively, are a bit higher compared to other smart switches, but when you consider that you're basically getting that and an Echo speaker that lives on your wall, it's not a bad value by any means.
