by David Redmond
You know that feeling when you buy something, and before you receive it have instant regret? That’s how I felt when I purchased Flic buttons. I’d spent over €150 on a hub and three buttons, and as soon as I did I realised in my head that it seemed stupid. This had the potential to be an idiotic waste of money, but despite that, I stuck with it. I’m really glad I did.
What are Flic Buttons?
Flic buttons are small programmable buttons that can control all sorts with a simple push. They are about the size of a few 2 euro coins stacked together, and the middle is recessed into this lovely clicky tactile button.
They connect to the internet via a small and slightly tacky feeling box, but that can be plugged in somewhere out of the way and forgotten about. Once you add the buttons to the hub, you’re in business and can now use them to control stuff.
Each button can be loaded with three actions. One uses a single tap, another a double tap, and another uses a hold. These actions might be Alexa routines, setting smart home scenes, or basically, anything you can think of. Want a button on your bedside locker to resume your audiobook on Alexa? Great. You could also set that button to turn off all smart lights when you double press and set your alarm when you hold it.
Maybe you want to have one on your extractor fan that when pressed, announces across the house that the dinner is ready. Again, no problem. It could also set a baking timer when double-pressed. Play Spotify? sure, control slides on a PowerPoint presentation? no bother, launch the nuclear weapons? Oh, wait, I’m not supposed to mention that.
The possibilities are really endless. If you can think of something, you can probably find some way to do it with a flic button.
Is it really that good though?
In my view yes. I went from feeling really unsure about the purchase to ordering more. I can’t say much more than that. I have had one or 2 connection issues, but they’ve been rare and restarting the hub seemed to fix things. They are expensive, but if you can think of a use case that makes that justifiable you probably won’t be disappointed.
Conclusion
Overall I’ve been really happy with Flic buttons. They’re a unique product and one I’ve personally found great idea cases for. With new versions like the Flic Twist coming later this year too, it’s an exciting time ahead for this cool little gadget.