This tiny smart puck can control your smart home without the need for mobile apps

Jon Bitner / Linxura

My location is overrun pinch smart gadgets, and nan main measurement I interact pinch them is done my smartphone. This is usually a robust measurement to power my gadgets, arsenic my telephone is ne'er acold from my broadside — whether I request to toggle my smart lights, set my aerial purifier, aliases alteration nan thermostat, my smartphone lets maine tackle astir of these tasks successful a matter of seconds. However, having a beingness fastener to execute these actions would surely beryllium preferred. Instead of diving into apps and wading done menus and automations, a beingness controller would execute actions astatine nan property of a button, overmuch for illustration a distant useful for a TV.

That’s nan thought down nan Linxura Smart Controller — a disc-shaped entity that lets you execute a agelong database of actions astatine nan property of a button. After syncing it pinch your smart devices, you’ll nary longer request your companion mobile apps. Just pat aliases double-tap its outer ring, and you tin toggle hundreds of different products. I’ve been testing it retired successful my home, and while I deliberation it’s a nosy device, it falls short successful a fewer areas. But if you’re craving a beingness distant for your smart home, there’s bully logic to return a person look astatine nan innovative gadget.

Simple, but tedious setup

Linxura

Syncing smart devices pinch nan Linxura Smart Controller was amazingly easy. Its e-ink show is crisp and clear, and its outer ringing some rotates and clicks — giving you plentifulness of ways to negociate your settings. You’ll nexus it to your different smart devices successful nan aforesaid measurement you’d group up automations. For example, aft getting it connected to my Google Home account, I could quickly group up a programme that allows maine to pat nan outer ringing to toggle nan lights on, past double-tap to toggle them off. The broad Linxura mobile app will locomotion you done astir of nan process, truthful if you’ve ne'er utilized automations aliases routines before, nan programme has you covered.

Four devices tin beryllium mapped to its 4 buttons, and you tin usage nan ringing to toggle betwixt 13 screens — giving you plentifulness of abstraction to representation each your astir utilized actions.

Setting things up is straightforward, but it is incredibly time-consuming. You request to not only sync nan Linxura pinch each app, but past besides programme each individual action. That tin return a batch of clip and requires rather a spot of commitment. Once synced, nan e-ink surface will fto you cognize what each fastener does acknowledgment to immoderate useful icons and text, allowing different family members to quickly parse what’ll hap if they property a definite button.

Linxura has added rather a spot of functionality since launching successful 2023, and it now supports platforms for illustration Google Home, Alexa, Yale, IFTTT, August, Philips Hue, and SmartThings. Functionality tin still beryllium a spot constricted wrong these apps, but each nan basal functions are accounted for. Google Home support is peculiarly nice, but since Linxura’s room of actions for immoderate products isn’t arsenic heavy arsenic their dedicated apps, you’ll sometimes beryllium constricted to elemental actions for illustration turning a merchandise connected aliases off.

A bully summation to astir smart homes

Jon Bitner / Digital Trends

Despite a fewer limitations, nan Linxura Smart Controller should beryllium a bully summation to astir smart homes. As agelong arsenic you’re not seeking to move analyzable routines into a fastener press, you’ll find it to beryllium a useful instrumentality to person around. Having a beingness fastener truthful anyone successful nan location tin quickly alteration nan lights, extremity a robot vacuum from running, aliases set nan thermostat is incredibly useful.

I’ve noticed a spot of lag pinch its performance, pinch definite actions taking a fewer seconds to register. Turning my lights connected tin sometimes return astir 3seconds aft property nan button. Some users study moreover longer times for different actions. It’s not a full deal-breaker, but it’d surely beryllium bully if connection betwixt nan Linxura and its target was a spot snappier.

Overall, I recovered nan Linxura to beryllium a useful personnel of my home. Its creation is simply a spot clunky, but its fastener presses and spinning dial are ever a pleasance to interact with. It’s alternatively pricey astatine $100, though anyone seeking a caller measurement to power their devices will find it to beryllium a cool summation to their smart home.