About this project
What better way to start or organize your smart home than with something as familiar as an outlet?
Swidget is not an ordinary outlet. Installed using your home’s existing wiring, Swidget provides an ever-growing suite of inserts to make your home a smart home. Whether you are looking to clean up your existing technology, expand your smart home, or figure out where to start, Swidget is a simple solution that is future-proof and has the capability to work with all smart home platforms.
Through our minimalist design, we want to eliminate the need for clunky hardware in your home. We believe that Swidget will bring your home to life with the snap of an insert, creating a fully customizable experience in any space. The possibilities with Swidget are endless.
However; we need your help. We have beautiful, fully-operational prototypes of the Swidget outlet and select inserts. We have completed the pre-regulatory design review and are eager to move on to the next step. With your pledges, we will be able to complete formal regulatory testing and finalize production - which means, Swidget will be delivered to your home as soon as possible.
HOW DOES SWIDGET WORK?
Swidget is made up of two elements, the Swidget outlet and inserts. Many of the Swidget inserts can be used on their own, like a nightlight or USB charger, or they can connect to an ever-growing number of systems via WiFi, Z-Wave or ZigBee protocols. This allows you to connect Swidget to your existing array of smart home products. Alternatively, you can start your smart home automation with Swidget, and choose whatever platform you'd like to use in your home.
Swidget functionality is enabled by snapping in an insert, which can be controlled by your smart phone or tablet through an app, or your existing smart home hub. Typically the app is tied to a specific insert, function, platform or protocol, such as Smartthings, Nest, Google Home, Alexa, and others.
Don't believe us? Read it for yourself from some of your favorite journalists, reporters and bloggers.
MEDIA COVERAGE SO FAR:
HERE'S HOW SWIDGET COULD WORK FOR YOU
Don’t worry about finding your way to the bathroom (or anywhere else for that matter) in the dark again.
WHO SHOULD USE SWIDGET?
Whether you are an early adopter, a smart home enthusiast, or new to the smart home scene, the beauty of Swidget is that it can work for everyone. The Swidget outlet is simple and familiar, operating as a normal electrical outlet until a Swidget insert brings it to life. It works with all commonly used protocols and is compatible with an ever-growing list of applications/technologies. It is easy to install and will work into the future by swapping inserts in and out as your needs or technology change.
INSTALLING THE SWIDGET OUTLET IS EASY.
Whether you are an expert DIYer or just getting started, installing the Swidget outlet is simple. Watch the step-by-step instructions below and you'll see.
AN ORDINARY OUTLET WITH AN INNOVATIVE TWIST.
Swidget is a new type of outlet, but it's also the natural evolution of a product category that's not seen much innovation in the last century.
Smart home technology is already in our everyday lives… from simple thermostat comfort and energy efficiency to more elaborate security and home automation. But often the question is… where to begin?
With any new technology boom, there are always going to be several competing devices… wouldn’t it be great if there was one device with the capability to work with all devices?
That’s why we created Swidget.
READY TO BACK THIS PROJECT? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
HOW TO BACK :
1. Choose a reward level.
2. As our backer community grows, so will our ability to release new inserts. We’ll post these “add-ons” as they become available, and communicate them as an update.
3. Relax, you're done for now. All details like shipping information and add-on specifics will be collected after the campaign has ended.
WHAT YOU'LL GET WITH EACH SWIDGET UNIT ORDERED:
- Single Swidget Outlet + WiFi Control Insert (target compatibility: Swidget App, Alexa, Google Home, Nest, IFTTT, Stringify)
- 2 wire connectors
- Installation instructions
- Blank insert
- Wall plate
Swidget Wifi Functionality:
- Remote ON/OFF control (1 outlet controlled, 1 outlet ON always)
- Independent power monitoring for each outlet
- Timer/Schedule feature
- Power threshold for triggering “on” and "off" notification
We’ve been dreaming up all kinds of possibilities for the Swidget inserts, but quickly realized that we can’t (nor want) to do it all alone.
Swidget is a platform that easily enables others to get involved in the ever-expanding smart home technology market or to create an in-wall application for your existing smart home technology.
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A DEVELOPER FOR SWIDGET INSERTS?
No problem. If you have a great idea for an insert, back the Swidget project at the highest Reward Level and you will receive your very own Development Kit. Here's what it includes:
Do you already have a smart home technology that you think could work well with Swidget? Interested in becoming a partner? Check out our website here.
Where has Swidget been? Where is it going?
Swidget started as an idea after one of our co-founders, Lowell, fell down the stairs during a power outage. We put together a few concept drawings and filed for the patents. In 2015, the patents came back so we focused our attention on Swidget, started our prototypes for the outlet and the inserts and after many iterations we have the current version of Swidget that you've seen today.
Check us out on: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter
Risks and challenges
We're tackling this project like all the other projects we've completed successfully in the past. That is, ensuring a capable and reliable product, delivered in the time frame that we've promised. We are a team of experienced engineers (like NASA experienced) working day in and day out to ensure our hurdles are overcome. But as our experience has taught us, rocket launches don't wait for contractors. Despite everyone's best efforts - delays can happen.
Being an electrical device, Swidget cannot be distributed without the necessary testing to UL and CSA safety standards (for sale in the US and Canada). To this end, we’ve engaged both UL and ETL labs to perform these tests, on the road to certification. We’ve also undergone a comprehensive pre-regulatory review that successfully identified some necessary design updates, which we have dutifully completed. This was performed to ensure we had the best possible chance of successfully achieving certification in the shortest timeframe.
Establishing trusted manufacturing partners is the other main element that we’ve identified as key to a successful product launch. This is something that cannot be rushed, as our product will only be as good as the partners we have manufacturing it. While we’ve already engaged in a pricing review with a number of manufacturers, we have built in additional margin on their anticipated manufacturing schedules, to allow us to meet our stated timeline.
Our philosophy is this: to maintain our stated delivery schedule at all cost, unless safety or product reliability is concerned. In those areas, we do not cut corners.
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