Onvis Smart Button, 5-Keys Smart Switch, Scene Controller, Compatible with Apple HomeKit, Automatically Trigger Accessories & Scenes-Thread (iOS 17.4 or Later is Required)

Five single-click buttons, room for fifteen actions, works on Thread or Bluetooth ... what more could you ask for?I set this up to control our bedroom fan/light. We have a (Thread-connected) controller in the canopy which allows for dimming of the light and setting the fan to various speeds. Setting up this button (center button #1 for the light, with a single click bringing it to our normal 60%, a long click bringing it up to 100%, and a double click turning it off; button 2 turn fan off; 3-5 for high, medium, and low fan speeds) was easy and intuitive via the app.PERFORMANCE: Responsiveness is good. Not "instant" like a hard-wired button would be, but about a half second between click and the light responding. Just as a note, our thread router is a HomePod Mini about ten feet and one normal (hollow) wall away from the button, and the light canopy it is controlling is another ten feet away in the center of the room. The physical proximity and thus signal strength might be a key to how well all responds.FORM/STYLE: It is a little bulky mounted on the wall, but far from terrible. It has a quality feel, feeling solid either on the wall or in hand. Doesn't really matter"go" with any decor style, so really is its own "tech" style; I suspect in 5-10 years more stylized versions will be available to replace this without standing out on the wall like a sore thumb. But, we don't live in the future, and this is about the best the present has to offer unless you're happy with a single button.THE UGLY: On the "Ugly" side, the only criticism I have is that the setup for the app says that your Homekit Hub *must* be a Thread Border Router. For us, that meant I had to designate our non-ethernet-connected Apple TV (new, but in the guest bedroom) as the Home Hub, which seems destined to cause Apple Home issues. We haven't seen any yet, but this seems like a very odd requirement that really shouldn't be the case, and hasn't been a requirement for any of the other Thread devices we have. I haven't done any experiments to see what happens if our ethernet-connected AppleTV (the general before Thread came out, so not Thread compatible) is the designated Home Hub instead so I'm not sure really what is driving this requirement for the Onvis button. This *might* be something they correct either through an app or a button firmware update in the future.One note: for a week our Eve app has been reporting that this is connected via Bluetooth instead of Thread. After looking for solutions to this, I ran across a suggestion on Reddit that said to try restarting the phone. Immediately after doing so, now the Eve app shows it as connected to Thread. I'm not sure if the issue is a cosmetic one with the Eve app (not looking at updates from the button) or the button (missing something in the Thread spec that needs to be sent out when it connects to the router etc?), or if this was a real issue with the button (meaning that it actually stayed connected to my Bluetooth until I restarted the phone ... but I've gone miles out of bluetooth range several times so that seems unlikely). In any case, it now shows up as on the Thread network.

I’m an avid user of the Apple HomeKit smart home environment. I have 60+ smart devices currently installed in my home. I’m always on the lookout for new and innovative smart home products. I purchased the Onvis 5-Keys Smart Switch HS2 to control various devices and scenes in my home theatre. This product is a win for anyone with family members that aren’t keen about smart home technology. Some people just don’t like controlling things like lights with their phone or their voice. They prefer the tactile feel of a switch. This is where the HS2 shines. With single button click, the theatre lighting is set. The long click has been programmed to turn everything off.On the technology side the switch utilizes Thread communications which is great for anyone like me with a busy home WIFI network. Connecting it to my smart home was quick and easy. Each of the 5 buttons have 3 actions: single click, double click, and click and hold. This means you can control 15 individual devices or scenes. Using Apple Shortcuts, you can even double this number to 30. A single click can be programmed to turn a device on when it’s off or off if already on. The combinations feel limitless.I was happy to see that the switch came in minimal paper packaging with no plastic. The device itself has a high-quality look and feel. They also include an extra adhesive pad for installing the magnetic base. On top of that, they added small stickers that can be used to identify what each button does. Shipping the device without the included battery installed is also a nice touch to ensure you always start with a fully charged battery.The first time I used the device in the dark, I was surprised to see glow-in-the-dark marking to identify the orientation of the switch. Great foresight here! I should also mention that the buttons themselves produce a very satisfying click when used.I’ve been using the HS2 for about a month now and overall, I’ve very happy with it. With so many possible configurations and Thread communications, it’s my new go to for this type of smart home accessory. I’ll likely be buying more. Another great product from Onvis to enhance our smart homes.

I am using 10 of the Onvis door sensor, and they are one of the more reliable Homekit device I have, so imagine my disappointment with this remote button.Right after the pairing, everything works for 3 hours, then all the sudden it no longer trigger scenes. I can still see the button action in the Onvis app, but Homekit does not respond. Couple hours later everything works again, then couple hours later it does not trigger scenes anymore again. This went on for 3 days even after numerous reset and even reboot all of my Apple TV.When it works it is fast and responsive, but it only works 50% of the time and it will stop working for no reason. It is unreliable (I can’t say faulty because it likely a firmware bug), at this point I cannot live with it.