Is a Smart Button Better Than a Voice Assistant?

Smart home equipment is becoming more popular than ever as people see what the technology can actually do for their daily routines. Automating lighting, heating and cooling, and security systems allows homeowners to create spaces that adapt to their needs. But one thing many people do not like is the complexity of a complete home automation setup. Do we really need AI-powered voice assistants to turn on the lights?

Of course not. In fact, many of the things we ask our smart homes to do could be handled just as well by a button. Going this route would not only keep things simple and reduce costs, but it would also help to protect our privacy. If you would like to replace some of your gear with a simpler solution, then YouTuber Microamp Home’s latest video is worth checking out. He demonstrated how easy it is to build a button that can control your smart home wirelessly via Matter.

The project is built around an inexpensive Bluetooth beacon board sourced from AliExpress. Originally designed as a tracker similar to an AirTag, the tiny circular device contains a very capable Nordic nRF54L15 microcontroller, a built-in push button, and a three-axis accelerometer. Rather than designing custom hardware from scratch, Microamp Home repurposed this off-the-shelf gadget into a compact smart home controller that can integrate with modern Matter-over-Thread ecosystems.

Since the beacon lacks a USB port, the creator designed a simple 3D-printed jig that aligns spring-loaded pogo pins with the board’s tiny programming pads. An RP2040-based development board was then converted into a CMSIS-DAP programming adapter, eliminating the need for a dedicated hardware debugger that would otherwise cost far more than the beacon itself.

The project uses custom firmware based on Nordic’s Matter light switch example. Microamp Home provides precompiled binaries of the software, making it a no-code project for anyone who wants to replicate it. Once flashed, the device can function as a wireless smart button for triggering actions throughout a connected home.

Since the button runs on a coin cell battery, keeping power consumption low is very important. Testing showed that the beacon consumed roughly 17 microamps while idle, far higher than expected. After investigating, the culprit turned out to be the onboard accelerometer, which remained active by default. Disabling the sensor during normal operation reduced standby current to just 6 microamps. At that level, a CR2032 battery could theoretically power the device for several years, with a realistic service life of around two years after accounting for battery aging and self-discharge.

Despite being disabled by default, the accelerometer didn’t go entirely unused. The creator implemented a dimming feature that allows users to adjust light brightness by rotating the device in mid-air. To avoid flooding the network with excessive updates, brightness changes are calculated from overall movement rather than continuously transmitting every orientation change. A double press of the button temporarily wakes the accelerometer, enabling the feature before the device returns to deep sleep.

Be sure to check out the project’s video to learn how you can build your own smart home button.