Gadget of the Week – The Netflix Switch

Published on March 2, 2016

What if you had a button that could let you drop everything and dive right into the middle of a Netflix marathon?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, a genuine “Netflix and chill” button isn’t as far-fetched as you may think.

Not long ago, the streaming company unveiled the The Switch at the World Maker Faire in New York. A handsome wood and plastic contraption, pressing The Switch allows the user to automatically dim the lights, change the privacy settings on their phone, and even order food based on preset preferences.

Essentially, the button works a lot like the Netflix button that comes pre-installed on many smart remotes: It connects to your local network and is able to communicate with your server in order to do just about anything you program it to.

Now for the bad news: The Switch was just a prototype, and there don’t seem to be any plans to make it commercially available anytime soon.

But don’t despair! Like the patron saints of wiling away a weekend that they truly are, the team at Netflix has shared detailed plans to make one of your very own. It takes some basic electronics and programming know-how, but we bet the geekiest of our readers can get it done!

For a better sense of The Switch in action, check out this cool video from Netflix.

Happy watching!