Verdict
The Logitech Pop Switch is a slick, reliable and stylish device – just a little pricey, however.
Pros
- Incredibly easy to set up
- Buttons look great
- 3 different types of presses for each button
- Superb when combined with Harmony remotes
Cons
- Quite expensive
Key Features
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Review Price: £34.99
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Can control Hue, Sonos, IFTTT, SmartThings, August Lock and Harmony remotes
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IFTTT compatible
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5-year battery life
What is the Pop Switch?
The Pop Switch is the super-stylish smart button from Logitech that you can program to do all sorts of clever things. Sometimes you just don’t want to get the smartphone out to perform basic tasks – on those occasions, you need a big fat button.
Pop Switch – Features and Design
The base set comes with a hub and two switches. The hub is built into the back of a plug and supports Wi-Fi – and it’s one of the smallest hubs I’ve encountered, which is refreshing. This unit could easily be plugged in anywhere, even into a socket that’s tucked away behind furniture.
Installation is easy: simply plug in the device, download the app and your phone will locate the hub. Enter your Wi-Fi password into the hub and it will connect and start looking for devices. If you have Philips Hue or even a reasonably new TV it should be able to find it, and start controlling it.
Related: 35 amazingly useful IFTTT recipes
Even more impressively, the Pop Switch can talk to any Harmony hub-based remote. This means you can have the lights dimmed, the heating set to cosy, and your TV turned on with a single press of a button.
A Pop Switch can be programmed for three different actions, depending on how it’s pressed: a short tap; double-tap; or holding the switch down for a few seconds. Programming is incredibly simple, with the app offering guidance with every step. It can also talk to other smart devices or almost anything through IFTTT.
The buttons can be attached to anything and are supplied with a couple of double-sided stickers so they can be adhered a second time if you’re unhappy with the initial placement. Expansion packs include buttons in other colours (Coral, Teal and Alloy), but are rather expensive at £35 a pop for only a single button.
Related: Amazon Echo review
Pop Switch – What’s it like to use?
It took only a few moments to get the Pop Switch to turn our Hue lights on and off, so acting like a normal light switch. The real value, however, is in combining functions to a single button press – turning off all the lights in the house in one go, for example, or maybe switching on an electric blanket (via a smart plug), dimming the lights and turning on a Sonos.
Combined with a Harmony Pro system, it’s possible to achieve more advanced setups. I programmed a button to turn on the TV (using a Harmony Pro), the Sky Q box, a sound bar and dim the lights with a single press; a double-tap can do the same, but turn on the Xbox instead of Sky and set the TV to a different input.
If you have a moderately complicated smart home setup, but want to simplify regular tasks or those that you always do together, then the Pop Switches are ideal. They could also make life easier for people who are less mobile, or those with children.
Should I buy a Pop Switch?
The Pop Switch is one of the easiest systems to use. A basic set of buttons for a Devolo is cheaper and comes with a couple of sensors, but if you already have a Harmony Pro system or a house full of smart tech, and want a simple way to control it, then this is the obvious choice.