We’re doing a bit of research and would love to hear your thoughts.
Are there any smart home devices you feel are missing from the market — or where the current options just aren’t good enough? Maybe you’ve had to make something yourself, or settle for something that isn’t quite what you wanted.
We’re especially interested in hearing from UK and EU users, since that’s our current market — but all input is welcome.
To be transparent, we’re from a smart home company looking to better understand what users would like to see — so this isn’t a sales pitch, just trying to learn from the people actually using this stuff every day.
You didn’t give a link to yourselves - I assume it’s here:
Since you’re interested in Zigbee, could I suggest that you provide a product-specific compatibility guide? The only company that I know of that do this are Frient, but it’s extremely helpful:
Edit: I see you do mention ZHA and Z2M compatibility in the support tab for each product - still, a table of all products would be appreciated.
I agree with @tmjpugh that there is a need for good quality voice devices. However, I’d say that the main need is for off the shelf products Tinkerers are going to be able to track down what they need - in fact, that’s part of the fun. Even just another UK stockist for Voice PE would be great
One thing that, inexplicably, seems not to exist is a Zigbee implementation of something like the Sonoff Mate. There are so many variations on multi-way switch circuits that aren’t easily compatible with many smart switches/relays. It would be great to have a Zigbee option that can easily smartify a few toggles or buttons so that users don’t have to resort to using kinda-sketchy hacks.
+1 for the power sockets with power monitoring and USB (type C). Closest thing I could find so far were the ClickSmart+ range from Scolmore. They have a great range of finishes but they’re missing power monitoring and USB.
UK style light switches in 1 gang 1 way on/off rocker format with a ZigBee relay built into them so they can just be used to simply swap out current traditional dumb UK light switches without worrying if there is space in the backbox. Neutral free of course for maximum compatibility with UK domestic electrics.
Pull cord ZigBee toggle switch as a direct replacement for traditional bathroom switches.
UK 1 and 2 Gang smart sockets with power monitoring and ability to enable/disable any indicative LEDs.
For me a panel which integrates/aggregates different devices into a touch screen panel.
NSPanel pro promised much but does not deliver.
It needs a consistet user interface and has to be so “intuitive” my wife can use it.
My alternative at the moment is proprietary remotes- I have more remotes than a 1980’s tv installation ……
An iphone is an option but it aggrgates apps but not a single interface …
Thank you for the welcome, and providing the link to our site. I’m always a bit cautious about posting links myself, as some places have strict rules around self-promotion.
The idea of having a compatibility table is a great suggestion. I’ll bring it up with my superiors and see if we can get that arranged.
Thanks so much for all the suggestions so far - I’m absolutely loving reading them! There’s obviously so much potential in smart home technology, and it’s exciting to see different ideas.
We’ll be reviewing all the suggestions internally to explore any we might develop. Many of the ideas are great, and there are definitely some I’d use myself. For now, we’ll see where these conversations lead us.
Thanks again for all the input - if there are any more suggestions please do add them, we’re always open to new ideas.
I know you are UK based, but a Zigbee power plug socket E with 1 or 2 USB ports and power monitoring would be great. Ikea has inspelning, but lacks USB ports. Action has power plugs with 2 usb ports, but not smart. And Aliexpress seems to think the whole EU uses schuko.
