Conclusion:

Legrand has laid down a good basis with the Valena Next system to make your home smart(er). We think the solution to merge the gateway and a socket is well thought out. This makes the connection seem a bit more complicated, but in practice it comes down to connecting 2 wires. Everyone should be able to do that.

The entire installation procedure, to connect the gateway to your WiFi network, is user-friendly and went without any problems.

You can connect different types of devices to this system. Think of a dimmer, switch to operate your shutters or an extra socket. It is also possible to connect Netatmo devices. Their range includes a thermostat, smoke detectors, doorbells and various thermostats.

Legrand also has a motion detector to, for example, automatically switch lights on or off.

The communication between the hub and the connected lamps is done via the Zigbee protocol. This protocol is best known from Philips HUE and has already proven itself as a stable solution. The hub uses Legrand's cloud environment, but it can also work without it. Internal communication goes through Zigbee, which is a separate network. So you don't need internet to turn off your lamp, but it's a nice thought.

There is an opportunity to make your home smart by schedules and scenes. Here you can, among other things, set a lamp to switch on automatically at a specific time. With scenes you can easily turn on or off multiple devices at the same time. The options are somewhat limited. Especially if we compare this with, for example, Philips HUE or the Ikea Trådfri systems. For example, we miss an option to switch everything off automatically when no one is at home, which can be done by looking at the GEO location of your phone.

Also making it really smarter, by having a system where you work with triggers/conditions (IF, AND , THEN), is missing. Which means you will never be able to make your home really smart. A system such as Smartthings or a Homey is more useful here. These systems are somewhat more extensive but a lot more expensive.

So is this the right choice? Yes, especially if you are looking for a user-friendly and easy-to-install Smart Home system. Especially for a novice user.

This starter kit is for sale for around € 150.00.

We would like to thank Legrand for making this starter kit available.