Wink is a integrated smart home system that allows you to use and automate all your smart home devices all with one app. If you haven’t heard of the Wink system, we’ve been reviewing the system, some of the devices that work with Wink, and how we use them in our homes such as the smart garage door controller and ecobee3 Wi-Fi thermostat with more to come. Today Wink announced that their Wink Relay, a touchscreen control panel and light switch replacement that that’s powered by Android, added a few new nifty features such as Uber, Fitbit, and IFTTT integration.
In my home, I don’t have a Wink Relay so if my smart devices aren’t automated I have to use them through my phone. Most of the time that’s convenient enough for me, but it also could be convenient to be able to access the smart devices from a central hub within my home such as the Wink Relay. The Wink Relay is a smart light switch replacement that also acts as a hub for all your Wink devices. In my initial review of the Wink system, I use a Wink Hub in my home. I believe with this Wink Relay you don’t need a Wink Hub. The Wink Relay acts as a hub and does all the smart device integration for you. You connect it to your Wi-Fi and your smart devices and you can automate and control your smart home from the Relay or from anywhere.
On Tuesday Wink announced some neat new features for the Wink Relay: Third party integration. The Relay now has widgets that can do things such as call an Uber. I just Ubered for the first time a few weeks ago and thoughts the experience was pretty great. If I Ubered on a regular basis, I think it would be fun to call and Uber and be able to monitor to progress on the Wink Relay. In addition to Uber, you can now monitor you Fitbit step goal progress and smart buttons to trigger lights or IFTTT recipes. In addition to the third party integrations, if you have multiple Wink Relays in your home, you can now use them as an intercom which a nice new feature.
Home automation is a passion of mine. I think it’s fun, challenging, add protection to your home and can save you money if you do it right. If you’re on the lookout for smart devices to add to your home the Wink system deserves a look and the Wink Relay with its new updates seems like a great place to start. The Wink Relay is available on Wink.com for $99 or Amazon from 3rd party sellers for more than $99.
What are you thoughts on the Android powered Wink Relay and its recent updates? Would you like to call an Uber from where your light switch used to be? Do you already have a Wink Relay? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!
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