The Plug-In Panels wiring doesnt need to be inside the wall and plugs into a regular AC wall outlet.
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This Brilliant Plug-in Panel flush mounts to any wall and plugs into any outlet.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
Includes a 5" LCD touchscreen, built-in camera with privacy shutter, and built-in motion sensor.
The color touchscreen is vibrant and sharp.
It was more responsive than I expected it to be.
This Brilliant Plug-in Panel flush mounts to any wall and plugs into any outlet. Includes a 5" LCD touchscreen, built-in camera with privacy shutter, and built-in motion sensor.
Sometimes, taps were registered as slides and vice versa.
Beyond the motion sensor, there’s also a camera integrated into the unit above the touch strips.
But I was able to test it from the Brilliant app.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
The video from the tiny camera was dark and grainy.
It really needs a lot of light in the room.
Talking from my phone to the Plug-In Panel was also delayed enough that it was annoying to use.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
There are some oddities, however.
I couldnt add Hue lights from the app and had to do that from the Plug-In Panel itself.
The first day, my Nest cameras wouldnt show up despite enabling all the permissions.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
The cameras showed up just fine the next day.
From there, Brilliant wanted me to assign all those items to their room.
That means youll still need to pull out your phone to control some things.
You also can’t get to a speaker’s queued music list.
Its much too long to install right above a wall outlet thats out in the open.
I tried to hide my wire behind a plant.
One key to success for this product is having the right place for it to live.
I dont think most people will be able to tolerate a visible cable dangling on the wall.
And if its an eyesore, it will only be a source of annoyance.
Although it has powerful capabilities, those quickly get obscured behind multiple taps and swipes.
Setting up a scene will allow multiple things to happen with a single button tap.
It’s neat but can be overwhelming for those uninitiated.
Unless you set up a scene you won’t be able to tell what it will trigger.
In certain cases, I found myself avoiding the panel because it felt too cumbersome.
The part I really struggle with is introducing another middleman into the fickle smart home.
(Though my Nest doorbell was constantly laggy.)
Still, I didnt hate it.
I thought it did a fine job of being accessible with readable text and clear sections.
As you might expect, the app is laid out similarly to the panel itself.
There are sections for scenes, rooms, and devices.
Once all my devices were configured, I used the app sparingly.
The wired control panel with three touch stripsretails for $499, and the four-strip version costs $549.
Should You Buy the Brilliant Plug-in Panel?
Really, this control panel is still an enthusiasts equipment.
Getting it installed is only a minor consideration for the totality of the gadget.
It’s for smart home people who want another smart home product.
I do like how versatile it can be for areas around a property where in-wall wiring just isnt possible.
At its worst, its another thing to manage that cant even let everyone escape their phones completely.
