Amazing back from the dead with 2 generations of smart home control

Brilliant Nextgen is back with the second generation version of the smart home control wall panel. And while it looks the same on the outside, this time there’s more going on under the hood.

The updated smart home controls slot neatly into the wall like regular light switches, but now boast a much sharper display (said of four times the resolution) and dual-band Wi-Fi with support for 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.

There are also more intense processors designed to handle what the fantastic next person said is saying that virge will be the “next stage in smart home evolution that powered AI”, but we still can’t see what that actually means.

In the short term, speed boosts could help tackle one of the original panel’s biggest complaints of slower response times on third-party devices.

Brilliant says the new hardware reduces latency across integrations such as hue bulbs and Sonos speakers, but there are no new software features to display yet.

Despite getting caught up in the brink of last year, the company fired most of its staff and closed its support center. It was scooped up by private equity companies Almeida Strategic Investments and Cullinan Holdings to form an incredible Nextgen.

Like the first generation model, the new panel replaces the standard light switch, making it possible to use 1-4 options and supports voice control via Alexa, motion trigger automation, smart lighting control, intercom chat, ring door bell feed and remote access via the app.

New panels are currently available, starting at $549 for a single switch replacement and up to $699 for a 4 switch.