The Flic 2 Hub offers pretty much the same functionality as the old Flic Hub, so if you’ve already got this then there’s not much reason to upgrade. Pressing a button paused Sonos pretty much instantly and my Hue lights responded as fast as when using the Philips wireless controls. With the new system, range isn’t a problem in my home and the system is more reliable.įlic 2 Hub response times are excellent, too. I’ve got a three-storey house with brick walls and high ceilings, and in the loft room I occasionally had to pick up a Flic button to get it to connect to the hub. Range was always good on the Flic buttons, but it was easy to push the buttons to their limits. Range and performance is better with the new buttons The big difference, though, is Bluetooth 5.0 LE, which not only uses less power than the previous Flic buttons but also improves range. Thanks to redesigned buttons, the Flic 2 feels nicer to use and keeps its looks for longer without getting grubby. Flic 2 Hub performance – Better range and a nicer feel Watch this space to see who implements the system. Even so, having additional HomeKit options makes the Flic buttons even more powerful.įlic now has an open connection protocol, so the buttons can be used with iOS, Android, Linux and macOS directly, without needing the Flic 2 Hub or the Flic app. So, if you have to use two actions (say, single click and double click) if you want one button to turn lights on and off. The only annoyance (and this is a HomeKit issue) is that there’s no toggle option available. For example, I have a Flic button set up that will turn on Ambient Lighting, matching the temperature of my Hue bulbs to daylight. After that, each button you add to HomeKit appears in the same room, although you can move them.įrom the Apple Home app, you can select what each button press does. The first time you do this, you’ll go through a wizard, telling HomeKit which room you want the Hub in. Thanks to a firmware update, each Flic button connected to the Hub now has a toggle switch that lets you turn HomeKit support on or off for each button. I’m happy not to use the IR function, but it’s handy that it’s there for those that like it.įor other devices, there’s an IFTTT channel, letting you use a button to trigger any action, from turning on your heating to turning on a light that the Flic 2 Hub doesn’t support directly.Įxcitingly, Apple HomeKit support is now available, which lets you control even more devices directly. Flic can learn IR commands, and you can set delays between commands so as not to flood the device just be aware that some devices won’t play nicely and you may need to send a command twice to get the desired action. If you have the IR accessory, you can set up your Flic to perform actions such as turning on a soundbar and TV, quickly switching a room to movie mode and getting ready for an evening’s entertainment. Sonos control is arguably easier with a button than the app or voice Arguably, you get more control with the Philips Hue Smart Button, which lets you dim your lights too, and works using the same Zigbee network as the bulbs. With my Philips Hue lights, I set the single click to toggle the office lights on and off, used the double click to set a scene, and used press and hold to set a specific colour. The gap has narrowed, though, and the hub supports the most popular systems. If you connect the Flic 2 to your phone you also get Osram Lightify, Bose SoundTouch and Ecobee control, among others, plus you can control features on your phone, such as setting an alarm, hanging up a call or sending a Gmail. On the Flic 2 Hub, the main integrations are the Harmony Hub, IFTTT, Ikea Tradfri, Philips Hue, LIFX, Nanoleaf, Sonos, Spotify Web Connect and WeMo. You get a slightly more limited selection of actions via the hub than if you connect the button to your phone. For example, you could pause all Sonos players and turn off lights if you want a button by the front door for when you go out. Each of these can be set to perform a different action on a different device, or perform multiple actions. Buttons have three actions: single click, double click, and press and hold. Once it’s added to a Flic 2 Hub, you can give each Flic 2 a name, so you know which one you’re programming. Flic 2 Hub features – Great today, better tomorrow
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