Linxura Smart Controller review: a unique e-paper smart switch limited by the state of the smart home
Linxura Smart Controller: One-Minute Review
Smart switches are still a fairly emerging smart home technology, which means it’s a space ripe for creativity. The Linxura Smart Controller is a unique smart switch with an e-ink display and four-button clickable dial control.
slightly reminiscent of appleLike the iPod, the Linxura Smart Controller has a lot going for it, from portability to the display to the fact that it can be programmed with up to 52 individual devices from a range of smart home ecosystems and manufacturers. While these qualities do set it apart from many other products The best smart switch Nowadays, they are not without their drawbacks.
It works on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, which means there’s no added cost or hassle of installing a proprietary bridge or hub device, and it works with Philips HueAlex, Google Home Page, IFTTT, sonosSmartThings, and more, although there’s no HomeKit available. However, not all pairings are the same as the Linxura; I did have trouble setting up some of the tools, while others offered a limited toolset.
It is unique and definitely useful for those who need a device that is quite contradictory and offers a large number of configurable commands, but in the end it is impossible to recommend the device without reservation because the performance is so complex and depends on the ecosystem it is paired with And overall product quality compared to its price.
Linxura Smart Controller: Pricing and Availability
- Price: $99/£80 (approximately AU$150)
The Linxura Smart Controller is quite expensive for a smart switch at $99 / £80 (around AU$150), compared to its competitors’ average price of $50 / £40 / AU$80, but considering you can Programming so many devices requires just one Linxura device to complete the task, rather than four or five simpler smart switches.
It’s available in three different colorways; Snow Pearl (white), Midnight Onyx (black), and Sterling Moon (grey). The Linxura smart switch sells an accessory: a magnetic base plate, priced at $14.99 / £16 (about AU$25), in the same colour.
Linxura Smart Controller: Design
Shaped like a disc that can be attached to a wall-mounted magnetic base plate (sold separately) or carried around your home for convenience, Linxura’s smart controller is a great option if you don’t want to use one of the best smart speakers to control your home but still want the benefits of a semi-hands-free smart home.
The palm-sized watch face is great for versatility and portability, but it ends up looking a bit ’80s sci-fi, which may or may not be the vibe you want in your home. The device’s all-plastic outer ring is a clickable dial that controls the circular e-paper display surrounding it. It charges via a USB-C port on the bottom and magnetically attaches to the base plate.
Although they have some similarities, the wheel isn’t as satisfying as Apple’s iPod, although I do enjoy the slight clicky sound the wheel makes when it spins. To operate the dial, you need to hold Then Turning the wheel, this caused some confusion when I first tried it. Otherwise, your option is to click and double-click the scroll wheel.
Due to the size of the puck, it’s not entirely discrete and sticks out from the wall very clearly. Of course, in my house, I secure it with double-sided renter-friendly tape instead of the included screws, but even without the 2mm added by my tape, Linxura’s Smart Controller could at least be a little thinner for a more modern look , fewer features. Eye-catching look.
The display shows four devices at once, and there are thirteen pages that you can quickly browse using the scroll wheel – for all my criticisms of this smart switch, this is a huge boon since many smart switches rely on stickers or tactile labels to distinguish buttons. In dim environments, built-in light and capacitive sensors trigger the backlight; however, it is uneven and further reduces the price of the device.
Linxura Smart Controller: Performance
To set up the Linxura Smart Controller, you need to download the app and follow the instructions to pair it; it’s a fairly painless process at first. Once paired, however, setting up the switch is a bit cumbersome.
It’s worth noting that your Linxura experience will be affected, at least to some degree, by the ecosystem you set up. On Alexa, for example, this is a bit of a nightmare because the way it works is that the combination of icons and actions in each Alexa app is registered as a unique “switch” in the smart home.
This means that you must program the single-click, double-click, counterclockwise wheel, and clockwise wheel controls as separate triggers for each of the 52 devices you can control with the Linxura Smart Controller. If you’ve used Alexa-based automation before, you know the pain of having to manually configure more than 200 triggers.
First-party software like the Philips Hue app works much more efficiently because you can configure everything directly in the Linxura app once you pair the two platforms.
Additionally, you get very different experiences in terms of levels of control between platforms. When with Philips HueDirectly on the platform, I can increase and decrease brightness and color temperature through set parameters by turning the knobs clockwise and counterclockwise; on Alexa, it simply adjusts the light to the set level.
Latency also proved to be an issue, though it seemed to resolve itself during my testing. When I first started testing, turning on the fan with the Linxura took between five and twenty seconds to trigger a response, but when I retested before writing my review, it seemed to keep changing its settings over the course of a few seconds.
However, I must say that its portability is really useful and I’m impressed with its battery life. The advertised three-month battery isn’t quite what it says with regular use, but I found it lasted nearly two months with moderate use and just over a month with heavy use. There are some thoughtful features in the app, like the “Find My Controller” buzzer, and the Linxura is easier to use and remember which controls are tied to which action than the display-less smart switches I’ve used in the past.
Conceptually, it’s a great idea, and had it come out a few years earlier, I’m sure it would have scored more favorably. In reality, however, the Linxura feels too feature-limited and too expensive to compete with The best smart speakers As well as the mobile applications it faces.
- Performance rating: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy a Linxura smart controller?
| property | notes | grade |
|---|---|---|
| value | With tacky build materials, limited performance, and a hefty price tag, the Linxura Smart Controller doesn’t win many points here. | 2/5 |
| design | It’s not exactly a thing of beauty, but Linxura has earned some praise for its innovative ideas and thoughtful inclusion of sensors like the ones built into it. | 4/5 |
| Performance | When it works, it really works. If not, it’s a huge pain. | 3.5/5 |
buy it if
If you don’t buy it
First test November 2024
