Smart home developer Leviton has a simple philosophy towards making its smart switches useful for consumers: make the switches compatible with every conceivable smart hub, network and speaker on the market.
In a press release today, Leviton announced a partnership with Nest to make its Decora Smart technology compatible with Nest devices.
Owners of the Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest Cam or Nest Protect can pair these devices with Leviton’s smart switches using a free app.
On their own, Leviton Decora smart switches, dimmers and outlets connect to your Wi-Fi, allowing you to turn the switches off remotely with your smart device or to time them to automatically turn on or off at certain times of the day.
You can even create a specific activity setting, like dimmed mood lighting in the living room for "Movie Night", and trigger it at any time.
Linked with Nest devices, the capabilities expand even further.
For instance, if a Nest Cam detects motion on your porch, or if Nest Protect senses carbon monoxide in the bedroom, Decora lights in those areas can be programmed to turn on or blink at intervals as a warning.
Or, when Nest Thermostat detects you leaving or entering the house, it can trigger lights to turn off or on accordingly.
Linking Leviton to your smart hub
These “Works with Nest” features work best for reactionary or automated features, but don’t give you much control unless you’re using Leviton’s specific app.
Thankfully, the company has already integrated its Wi-Fi devices with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you’ll be able to control your light settings using a voice assistant you’re already comfortable with.
Apple HomeKit users and Samsung SmartThings users aren’t quite so lucky. Leviton does sell smart devices that tie in with HomeKit or Z-Wave smart home ecosystems, but these are separate devices from the Wi-Fi device family, and unfortunately won’t work with Nest, Alexa or Google Assistant.
It's disappointing that Leviton hasn't made its devices interchangeable between some major smart home ecosystems and others. But at least its specialized devices make sure that no smart home owner is left out.
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