Smart switches are one of the easiest ways to bring your home into the era of the connected home, allowing you to switch appliances on and off remotely, from your phone, or through your Google Assistant or Alexa. They’re available from a number of known brands (and many lesser known brands), but some of the best ones are ones you mightn’t have heard of.
Not long ago we all went a bit nuts and bought some Aldi Smart Switches for $19 each, and though they had some initial issues (like randomly turning off), a firmware update quickly came and fixed that, making them great value. Well, those switches have come and gone, but Mirabella (an Australian company based in Melbourne) has its range of Genio smart products on shelves at K-Mart.
Starting at just $29, you can can grab smart switches which will quickly bring your dumb appliances into the connected world. The Genio smart switch is an easy buy, and better yet, it’s compatible with Google Assistant, Alexa and mobile apps out of the box. While Mirabella have their own branded app on the Play Store, you don’t actually need it; if you’ve got Aldi switches (or other brands using the Sonoff-type switch) already, you can use your existing app to simply add the new switch to your existing setup.
I did precisely this tonight; I set up a Mirabella Genio switch within the Medion Life app (I don’t need another smart app clogging up my phone) with no issues, and it showed up in Google Assistant on my phone and home devices almost immediately. Couldn’t have been easier.
At $29 each, they’re a bit more expensive than Aldi’s version, but the plus side is that you can buy them today; Aldi’s are long since sold out and won’t likely be sold again. Just head to your local K-Mart and grab as many as you need.
While you’re there, there’s a range of smart bulbs with standard fixtures too, so you can replace some of your lights with their smarter cousins for easy control from your phone or connected assistants.
