Australian-based M-Elec have been around since 2006, and have been supplying products like dimmable downlights, light strips and other lighting products since this time, culminating in a Good Design Award in 2015. Now the company are moving into the Smart Home realm with their 'Stitchy' line of products.
This lineup initially centres around their Stitchy Switch; a relay controller, that sits inside the recess behind your wall switches to give regular light switches smart functionality. As with many smart home devices these days, it promises compatibility with the big three providers – Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.
In addition to the 'stitchy' relay, the company are working on a dimmer version, in addition to one-channel and five-channel strip controllers.
What's interesting about all of these products is that they use ZigBee for their method of communication but unlike companies like Aqara, for example, don’t provide their own hub, instead relying on the Philips Hue Bridge as the central hub. In fact, the company even offer starter packs that include a couple of relays in addition to the Hue Bridge, with a Hue motion sensor, also added in the B and C starter packs.
This, in essence, would make them akin to 'Friends of Hue' products, although the company don't describe them as such. The company also point out that there's no accompanying app required for their products, which would probably indicate the Hue app is the preferred initial app for control, which would then expose them to HomeKit thereafter.
The company are also working on more interesting products, including a neutral-free version of their module, a fan controller, plate dimmer, in addition to garage and blind controllers. You can check out the video below to learn about more of these forthcoming devices