Hello all,

Alisa and clued me into this device and I wanted to share my experience.  After the device was sitting on my desk for two weeks, I finally had the chance to play with it.  This device may be an answer to some of the difficulties with providing a "plug and play" environmental control option.  You do need internet and a smartphone to set up the account, but after that you can do all of the setup via the touchscreen on the device.  You do not have to have internet to operate Phillips Hue, Zigbee, or Z-wave devices.  I was able to pair my Schlage Z-wave lock in addition to a light bulb and a light switch!  Once you have the devices learned, you can access control via a web portal via a local IP address.  There is an app, and you can use Alexa if you want - so it could be a device that would be useful for someone via voice, app, or computer access.  If you want to pair Z-wave devices, you just need to add a Z-wave stick to the router.  But, now that Alexa is supporting Zigbee, there are more and more zigbee devices available.  We have used these switches for homes without a neutral, but this could be a way to provide light switch access without needing an electrician:

If the user has internet, the Almond is also a WiFi extender, and you can add as many as you need to help the WiFi reach the whole home.  The device has some interesting other features, but they are not related to environmental control, so I will leave you to discover these on your own.

There are cheaper hubs on the market, and you can do Zigbee devices via Alexa Show, but for those wanting a more robust option that will serve PALS regardless of if they are a voice, touch, or eye gaze user, this could be the ticket.

If anyone else has experience, I would love to hear your thoughts.