This new button lets you twist your smart home into submission


Buttons are the best. They can make your smart home “just work” and don’t require wiring, remodeling your home, or shouting at a speaker to make magic happen. Want the lights to dim, your TV to turn on, your thermostat to adjust, and your front door to lock with one tap? Get a button.
The newest button from smart home button maker Flic, launching today, adds an exciting twist to the button concept. The Flic Twist ($88.88) is a button that you can push, double-push, twist, and push and twist to control any connected device.
The twist feature, in particular, is well suited to dimming lights, adjusting speaker volume or thermostat temperature, and controlling shades — all functions that are hard to achieve with just a button press.
As a button, its functions are similar to the Wemo Stage Scene Controller I’ve reviewed, although it uses Bluetooth LE, whereas that uses Thread. The twist function is similar to the Philips Hue Tap Dial, which, while designed for use with Hue lighting products, can be used with Apple Home for wider functions.
However, the Flic Twist has wider compatibility than either of those options. It can control devices from many smart home staples, including Philips Hue, Lifx, Ecobee, Spotify, Ikea, and Sonos. It also works with smart home platforms, including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, and IFTTT.
The Flic Twist launched on Kickstarter in 2021 but is now available to preorder from Flic’s site for a discount of $80 and will ship later this month. The button has a magnetic mount so you can attach it to a wall, and it runs off two AAA batteries.
The downside here is the cost and the required hub needed to make the Flic Twist work outside of a Bluetooth connection to your phone. However, the company is launching a new, cheaper hub — the Flic Hub Mini ($40) — which powers the Bluetooth LE Flic Twist and Flic’s range of other smart home buttons.
Buttons are the best. They can make your smart home “just work” and don’t require wiring, remodeling your home, or shouting at a speaker to make magic happen. Want the lights to dim, your TV to turn on, your thermostat to adjust, and your front door to lock with one…
Recent Posts
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010