Brilliant Control could be the most exciting thing to happen to light switches since the dimmer

I've checked out a lot of smart light switches since I built my own smart home in 2007, but Brilliant's Brilliant Control is the most exciting lighting control I've seen since I've been able to control my lights with Amazon's Alexa. This one works with Alexa, of course--in fact, Alexa Voice Service is built in--but it also has a touchscreen; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios; a motion sensor; an integrated camera and microphone; and it can control much more than just lights. Brilliant co-founder and CEO Aaron Emigh said he was in the midst of renovating his own home in the pre-Amazon Echo days when the inspiration for Brilliant Control struck. "I was looking at various smart home options. I wanted an a la carte option, because it suits my hackerish background. Systems like Crestron involved putting holes in your walls and depended on professional installers, and the next tier down was centered around security, which wasn't the lens I was looking through for a smart home. I was going to end up in a weird situation where I was dependent on my smartphone to control anything. So I thought to myself'why not put a screen and a microphone where the light switches are, so there's one in every room?' I was shocked to discover this didn't already exist."