New Philips Hue gadget turns dumb light switches into smart switches

Signify showed off a few new Philips Hue smart products at CES 2021, including a new device that can turn dumb switches smart.

This little device is called the Hue Module, and it needs to be placed in your wall behind your existing light switch. Philips hasn’t shared much information about how this works, but once you wire it behind your switch, you can control your lights regardless of whether the switch is turned on or off.

Coming soon: the wall switch module! Make any light switch smart by installing this little gadget behind the wall plate. Your smart lights stay reachable — and you can use the light switch to set your favorite light scenes.

Europe: spring 2021
North America: summer 2021 pic.twitter.com/197GqSye4c

— Philips Hue (@tweethue) January 14, 2021

This essentially means you’ll be able to use your light switches as you would traditionally, without losing connection to your smart lights. The device is going to come to North America in 2021 and costs $50 CAD. It’s also battery-powered, so you’ll need to remove your light switch and replace the battery every few years.

Beyond that, there’s a new dimmer switch that looks like a traditional light switch but is actually a little remote that can be removed from the wall and control your Hue lights.

There’s also going to be a new outdoor light that goes on the side of your house and “washes” the side of your home in light. It’s an outdoor light that’s slated to cost $200 CAD.

Source: Signify