Homesense announces New HomeKit Switches

While Australasia is relatively hungry for a decent selection of Smart Home devices, especially compatible Homekit devices, there has been a recent flurry of activity for this market, this year seeing companies such as HPM / Legrand, iKeon, M-Elec and even LiFX announcing products either directly or initially for Australian consumers. So, it’s nice to see another Australian company — Homesense — reveal their latest in-wall, wired light switches for this market, commonly referred to as the Homesense Smart Switch. These new switches operate with Apple HomeKit exclusively and are available in two colorways and four configurations.
These touch-sensitive switches, available as one, two, three or four button switches in either Frost White or Jet Black, do not have physical buttons as such, but rely instead on what appears to be capacitive touch technology. They are certified in accordance with Australian and New Zealand standards (AS / NZS 60669.2.1:2013) and are designed for use with 240v lighting.

While up to a four-button configuration is provided by the manufacturers, none of these switches are intended to be used as substitutes for three-way switches as they are only one-pole. Nevertheless, the company says on its website that you can reproduce the effect of three-way lighting very easily through automations with HomeKit. Homesense also said these switches can power ceiling fans, but only to the degree that the fan can be turned on or off, with no ability to regulate the linked fan speed. These light switches only work with HomeKit, so the integration of Alexa and Google is not available at the moment, although the company is open to this if there are enough customers

You can find out more about these products on the company’s website. homesense.com.au