Brilliant runs lights, doorbells and other smart devices — and there’s an intercom too
Brilliant's CEO and co-founder Aaron Emigh wanted a simpler way to control all the internet-connected things in his home. Sure, he could have cherry-picked through the apps on his smartphone, or chatted to a voice assistant like Siri or Alexa to run his gadgets. But Emigh wanted an interface that allowed him to both talk or press a button — which can be a simpler option at times. Enter Brilliant: a panel that replaces a standard light switch, but lets you control other items in your home with touch or voice — and even acts as a video intercom.
GearBrain got an early demo of Brilliant, (See our full review at Brilliant Home Control Switch Review) and the product looks a bit like a smartphone. There's a clear screen framed by a case, which comes in six different colors to help blend into walls. You can also customize the screen with family photos and different images and scenes.
Brilliant has two ways to work. You can either talk to it or make selections by pressing controls on its screen. There are also built-in shortcuts, such as sliding up from bottom to top with two fingers to turn on lights and sliding back down to turn them off again.
Brilliant is working with a number of partners including Sonos, letting you control your music selections right from the screen. It's also Alexa-enabled, so the panel works ask an Alexa device. There's a camera and microphone built-in as well, so you can use Brilliant with a Ring video doorbell and talk to someone at the door from the wall panel. Install two Brilliant panels in two different rooms, and you also have an instant video intercom. There's also a privacy slide to cover the camera when it's not in use.
There are other brand integrations as well, with Brilliant connecting at launch with Nest, Google Assistant, Ecobee, Schlage, Honeywell, Philips Hue, Wemo, and others. Brilliant will also support the Samsung SmartThings hub and work with Z-Wave and Zigbee.
Brilliant is now on sale for $299 each. Note that you will need two to access the intercom feature.
(Check out The GearBrain, our smart home compatibility checker to see the other compatible products that work with Amazon Alexa.)
Sonos Era 100 - Black - Wireless, Alexa Enabled Smart Speaker
