Amazon served up a slew of flashy Echo speakers and displays during its big fall hardware event in New York City last week, but its most practical and affordable Alexa announcement didn’t get any stage time.
Slated to ship on October 30, the $20 Amazon Basics Smart Dimmer Switch and Remote is just that—a palm-sized remote that lets you control your Alexa-connected smart devices as well as trigger Alexa routines.
Spotted on Amazon’s website by Engadget, the Amazon Basics Smart Dimmer Switch and Remote looks to be a handy replacement for Echo Buttons, the jumbo-sized Alexa-enabled remotes that were discontinued several years ago.
The new remote is also a rival to the Flic Button, a compact push button that supports a variety of smart home platforms, including Alexa.
Amazon’s new coin cell-powered remote bears a strong resemblance to the Philips Hue Dimmer Switch, with the four-button switch component designed to magnetically snap into its matching wall plate. You can mount the wall plate using the included adhesive tape, while mounting holes allow you to screw the plate to the wall. You could also lay the remote on a bedside table or affix it to a metallic surface, like the base of a lamp.
The Amazon Basics Smart Dimmer Switch and Remote will magnetically attach to its matching wall place, or you can simply place it on a flat surface, such as a bedside table.
Amazon
The top button features an LED indicator, while the other buttons are marked with (respectively) two, three, and four raised dots. The LED will blink different colors depending on whether the remote is in setup mode, registered and working with Alexa, encountered an error, or is running low on battery life.
Getting started with the Amazon Basics Smart Dimmer Switch and Remote seems fairly straightforward. Just pull out the plastic battery tab, ensure you have a nearby Echo device powered on (all but the earliest Echo smart speakers and displays are supported), press a button on the remote, and fire up the Alexa app. The app should automatically detect the remote and step you through the setup process.
Once that’s done, you can set up the remote to control just about any Alexa-connected smart devices, ranging from smart lights and blinds to smart locks and thermostats. You can also use the switch to trigger Alexa routines; for example, you could configure a button on the remote to trigger a routine that dims your smart lights and turns on your Amazon Fire TV.
This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart lights.
