In this review, we look at an inexpensive smart home product from Shelly and the Shelly ecosystem with app and smart home capabilities, Shelly Cloud – An Affordable home automation based on WiFi.
In the field of home automation systems, the choice has expanded considerably in recent years. Not only with regard to brands and specific products but also the way in which they communicate with each other. In addition to Zigbee and Z-Wave, WiFi is also gaining in popularity, especially because products based on WiFi can be produced more cheaply and more compactly. Shelly is a company that focuses entirely on WiFi-based home automation and in this review, we take a look at the ecosystem and the functionality of the platform.
What is Shelly Cloud?
Shelly is part of Allterco Robotics, a Bulgarian company that has been making progress in the smart homeland for some time now. The company focuses entirely on smart products that communicate via WiFi and can be controlled and set via the Shelly Cloud app. In addition to its own app, Shelly offers the option of having all products work with its own software and systems through MQTT, HTTP requests and a REST API. The Shelly products are relatively affordable but require a little more knowledge for installation and use than, for example, Philips Hue.
The range of Shelly products has expanded considerably in recent months. The company has various built-in dimmers and switches in its range. You place these behind existing switches and thus make it possible to control your lighting (or other connected equipment) remotely or automatically. With certain Shelly relays, you can also measure energy and other models can be used to make devices smart. In addition, Shelly has a number of plug-and-play solutions, such as a smart plug, smart lamps and a button with which different products can be operated. In terms of sensors, Shelly has temperature and humidity sensors, a water sensor, a smoke sensor, a gas sensor, and a door/window sensor. In short, with the Shelly range, you could make almost your entire home smart.
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