Rithum Switch Smart Home Control Panel Review

DIY home automation can be an incredibly frustrating experience, where the negatives often outweigh the positive outcomes. But occasionally, you come across something that actually does what it claims to do. Rithum is a relatively new British company that specialises in designing and manufacturing intelligent touchscreen control panels for home automation systems.

When I built my dedicated media room in 2018, I opted for a plug-and-play lighting solution from LIFX, which is an Australian company that arguably pioneered Wi-Fi-connected lights. My room had a total of 14 GU10 downlights, and to say they have been frustrating would be an understatement.

Philips Hue wasn't so well known at the time, and required a 'Bridge' for connectivity, which seemed cumbersome and added expense. However, in the years since, Hue has emerged as the champion in the plug-and-play smart home lighting market, and so I duly made the 'switch' more recently – if you pardon the pun…With Hue in place, I'd been experimenting with Home Assistant and Zigbee switches to create automations, as well as handle the physical switching.

The brief was simple: the ability to physically switch the lights at the wall, as well as to create 'scenes' for various scenarios (such as all lights off except the rearmost lights, dimmed to 5%, for example). Various Zigbee far-Eastern sourced switches and touchscreens were tried, with mixed results, mostly unacceptable.So when I saw the elegant EU-style square-shaped Rithum Switch presented with multiple touchscreen button scenes, it piqued my interest. A quick browse of the 'Works With' page on the website soon had me at 'Philips Hue', and I duly parted with my hard-earned to see if this was the solution I had been looking for.

There are two ways to power the Rithum Switch, namely 100-240V AC (with a neutral wire required), or 12-30V DC. There's also a 'Pro' version available with a built-in speaker for 2-way intercom, and powered by PoE.

For the energy-aware buyer, Rithum Switch consumes just 0.7W in standby mode. It connects via 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and operates in temperatures from -15°C to 45°C. The unit fits standard EU 68mm round or UK 71mm square back boxes with a depth requirement of just 35mm (25mm in some scenarios). There's an optional adaptor plate for existing AU lighting cutouts, or in the case of a new home build or renovation, you can opt to cater for the smaller Switch size.

While my application only required lighting control, the Switch can also manage multi-room audio with plugins for Sonos, BluOS, and more. But its bigger claim to fame is that it can also integrate with HVAC systems, functioning as an in-room thermostat using its built-in temperature sensor.

The device features Rithum Stat climate control, complete with a 7-day scheduling screen that allows up to eight time points per day. Sadly, it's not compatible with my Smart Temp (AU)/Lennox-based HVAC system.

However, as we are in the process of building a new home, we have specified a system that will work with the Rithum Switch – utilising these in many rooms – given how impressed we are with the product. The Switch offers extensive integration capabilities through software plugins that connect with Fibaro, Rako, HDANYWHERE, BluOS, Tado, Homey, Shelley, Lutron Ra2, and Control4 systems.

In Use

For our application, it was essential to have four lighting scenes that were easily accessible, reliable, and dependable. We were able to integrate Rithum Switch with our Hue Bridge in seconds (be sure to set a static IP for your Bridge), and it immediately discovered our pre-existing Hue Scenes.

Configuring the onscreen displays was incredibly simple, and we were up and running in just a matter of minutes. You can swipe the screen in different directions to access more options, buttons, or to control music or the thermostat.

The device's Group Scenes functionality elevates it beyond simple scene control. While the Switch displays up to eight main Scene buttons, users can collate multiple sub-scenes within groups, providing much wider control options.

For example, you could group three or four kitchen scenes under one main button. The system offers three modes: Macro mode (triggers all scenes in the group), List mode (displays a pop-up list of grouped scenes for independent control), and Step mode (automatically cycles through grouped scenes).

The Levels Screen provides granular control, allowing users to adjust lighting levels at both group and individual device levels using intuitive toggles and sliders. This level of control eliminates the need to fumble with smartphone apps when you want precise lighting adjustments.

The Rithum Switch is very responsive, and it's clear that no expense has been spared on the hardware itself. Where some of these products fall short is in the 'other people' test. Being tech-savvy, I quickly find my way around these types of products, even being forgiving at times when faced with quirks or bugs.

But the real test is the wife and kids, as well as other visitors to our home. I'm pleased to report that after nearly five months of use, the Rithum Switch, paired with a Hue Bridge and 14 lights, has not failed us once!

A thoughtful feature is the Standby Gestures functionality. When the screen is in standby mode, a short hold toggles the lights, while a double-tap activates music playback. These no-look gestures allow you to control your environment as quickly as a traditional light switch, but with the added benefit of smart home capabilities. It also means that when walking into a pitch-black room, as is often the case with a dedicated home cinema, hitting the lights is no problem.

While I am not invested in the Sonos ecosystem, it's widely adopted globally, so its native integration will be of interest to integrators. I tested the BluOS integration with multiple Bluesound devices and other devices in my home that use BluOS, and it performs exactly as advertised. You can select your zone, track/playlist choice, and control volume, working seamlessly with streaming services including Spotify.

The Verdict

During my time with Rithum, firmware updates, additional plugins, and integrations have been continually released. This demonstrates a company that is constantly moving forward, delivering new technology and features, often at no additional cost (though some plugins are paid extras).

Such is its reliability, ease of use, and simplicity that my wife signed off on multiple units for our new home, as mentioned. And for me, that's the best endorsement a product can receive. The Rithum Switch represents what smart home technology should be – powerful enough for enthusiasts, yet simple enough for daily family use, backed by award-winning design and unwavering reliability.

For more information visit Rithum