How does the PIXIE Touch Panel work? #
The PIXIE Ambience Touch Panel is an optional, always-on wall device for homes running PIXIE PLUS with a PIXIE Gateway. It gives a single, central place to control every PIXIE device, group and scene, and a home can have as many panels as the layout calls for, each tuned for its location.
An always-on, customisable control surface on the wall. #
Think of the Touch Panel as the PIXIE PLUS app, mounted. It mirrors the home set up in the app, with rapid access to rooms, groups and scenes, plus four physical multifunction buttons that can be paired to whatever is most-used in that location.
Because each panel can be customised on its own, a panel mounted in the master bedroom can prioritise lighting and blinds for that wing of the home, while a panel near the front door can prioritise scenes, security and the garage. The hardware is identical, the setup is per-location.
Important: the Touch Panel does not switch load directly #
The Touch Panel is a control surface, not a controller. It does not switch any load on its own. All lighting, fans, blinds and other loads still need PIXIE dimmers, switches, fan controllers, blind controllers and so on installed in the home first.
The Touch Panel sits on top of those devices and sends control messages to them via the Gateway and the PIXIE Bluetooth Mesh.
Changes in the app flow through automatically. #
Anything the home owner changes in the PIXIE PLUS app, a new device added, a group edited, a scene renamed, a schedule adjusted, is pushed automatically and immediately to every Touch Panel installed in the home. There is no separate sync, no manual refresh, no re-pairing.
The panel can also be customised directly on its own screen by the home owner, without touching the PIXIE PLUS app at all. The two main customisation surfaces are Home Page Widgets and the Multifunction Buttons, covered next.
Home Page Widgets: up to 6 per panel. #
The Touch Panel home page can display up to six widgets. Each widget gives a one-tap shortcut to something the home owner wants in arm's reach for that location. There are three widget types:
- Room widget, a whole-room control surface (lights, fans, blinds in that room)
- Group widget, one-tap control over a custom group of devices
- Scene widget, one-tap activation of a saved scene
A Room widget takes up two widget spaces (a wider tile, because it shows more inside it). A Group or Scene widget takes up one space each. The six spaces can be mixed and matched however suits the location.
An example home page layout #
A panel mounted in a living area might be configured like this:
Tip for installers. Set up the panel's home page widgets last, once the home owner has lived with the system for a week or two. They will quickly identify the three or four controls they use most often, and those become the widgets.
The four physical Multifunction Buttons. #
Sitting alongside the touchscreen are four physical buttons, each independently configurable. These are the controls that get used without looking, the ones the hand reaches for in the dark. Each button can be paired to one of three target types:
A Device #
When paired with a dimmer, the button gives full dimming control: on, off, hold to dim up or down.
A Group #
When paired with a dimmable group, the button gives full dimming control across the whole group at once.
A Scene #
Single tap activates one scene. Double tap activates a second scene. Two scenes per button is a lot of capability.
The home owner can edit any of these as often as they like, directly on the Touch Panel, without opening the PIXIE PLUS app. Swipe left from the centre right of the screen to bring up the setup and reminder panel for each Multifunction Button.
Why the reminder panel matters. Because button assignments are flexible, it is easy to forget what a given button is currently set to. The swipe-in reminder panel removes that friction: a glance shows what each button does right now.
Hide or show per-panel. #
On the Groups Tab and Scene Tab, the home owner can choose which groups and scenes are visible on each Touch Panel. The same home, the same data, different filtered views per location.
- The Party scene might be useful from the Kitchen panel, but irrelevant in the master bedroom
- The Garage Door control might be wanted on the entryway panel, but hidden from the kids' rooms
- The Outdoor Lights group might be surfaced near the back door, hidden everywhere else
This is one of the most useful features of the Touch Panel and the one that justifies installing more than one in a home. The same powerful control surface, tuned for what each location actually needs.
Three ways to power and connect the Touch Panel. #
The Touch Panel needs power AND a network connection to talk to the Gateway. There are three install options. PoE is the preferred method, because it delivers both over a single cable.
PoE (Power over Ethernet) #
One cable from a PoE switch carries both power and the network connection to the Touch Panel. Cleanest install, single cable run, no separate DC supply needed.
LAN + DC 12V #
Network arrives over a standard LAN cable. Power is supplied separately from a DC 12V supply (minimum 15W). Two cables to the back of the panel.
Wi-Fi (2.4GHz) + DC 12V #
Network arrives wirelessly on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. Power is supplied from a DC 12V supply (minimum 15W). No data cable to the panel.
Both DC options require minimum 15W. The Touch Panel screen and processor draw more than a typical low-current accessory, so a 15W (or higher) DC 12V supply is the floor. An undersized supply will cause unstable behaviour.
How the Touch Panel connects to the PIXIE Mesh. #
The Touch Panel works in conjunction with PIXIE PLUS and a PIXIE Gateway (model SGW3BTAM). The Touch Panel itself does not join the Bluetooth Mesh directly. Instead, every button press, screen tap or widget action gets sent over the home network to the Gateway, and the Gateway relays the message into the PIXIE Mesh.
The Gateway connects to the home network either via Wi-Fi or Ethernet (Ethernet preferred). Likewise, the Touch Panel connects via Wi-Fi, LAN or PoE (PoE preferred). Get both ends on a wired connection and the whole stack is as reliable as the home internet itself.
How to set up a new PIXIE Touch Panel. #
When the Touch Panel is first powered up, it displays a QR code on screen. The PIXIE PLUS app scans that code and walks through the rest. If the network is set up correctly, the whole process takes about 30 seconds.
Do this first #
Before adding the Touch Panel, complete the PIXIE PLUS home setup in the app: add all devices, groups and scenes, name everything, and create any schedules. The Touch Panel reflects the app, so the app needs to be in good shape first.
If the PIXIE PLUS home is not yet set up, work through the recommended setup workflow before returning to the Touch Panel.
The 30-second setup #
Power up the Touch Panel #
Once powered, the Touch Panel screen displays a QR code, ready for pairing.
Open the PIXIE PLUS app on a mobile device #
Tap the cog icon in the top right corner of the home screen, then select Configuration from the menu.
Select Touch Panel #
From the Configuration menu, choose Touch Panel. The app will offer a Scan button.
Tap Scan and scan the QR code on the Touch Panel #
Point the mobile device at the Touch Panel screen and scan the QR code. The app and the panel handshake from here.
Follow the on-screen test and setup process #
The Touch Panel runs through a step-by-step test of the connection. If the network is set up correctly, this takes about 30 seconds and all the PIXIE PLUS data (devices, groups, scenes, rooms) is transferred onto the Touch Panel.
Configure the panel for its location #
Now set up the Home Page Widgets and the Multifunction Buttons for this specific Touch Panel. Repeat for any additional panels in the home, each tuned for its own location.
Network and subnet: this is the most common setup failure #
The PIXIE Gateway, PIXIE Touch Panel and the mobile device running PIXIE PLUS must all be on the same network and the same subnet. If they are not, the panel cannot pair, the QR scan times out, or setup fails partway through.
PIXIE PLUS will try to identify the network issue for you, but the diagnosis starts here. Confirm all three are on the same network and subnet before troubleshooting anything else.
Guest networks are the usual culprit. Many home routers put guest Wi-Fi on a separate subnet that cannot reach the main network. Avoid the guest network for any PIXIE device.
Screen saver, wallpaper, date, time and weather. #
The Touch Panel ships with a set of display preferences the home owner can tune to taste, all from the panel itself.
Screen saver #
Use a screen saver or let the screen revert to black after a timeout. Brightness can follow ambient light or stay at a preset level.
Wallpaper #
Ten preset wallpapers ship with the panel. Select any combination to cycle through, or upload your own photos to use as screensaver images.
Date, time, weather #
Choose whether to display time, date and current weather on the Touch Panel home screen. All three are optional.
How is the PIXIE Touch Panel installed? #
The Touch Panel is wall-mounted using its supplied mounting hardware, with the chosen power and network method (PoE, LAN + DC, or Wi-Fi + DC) terminated behind the panel. Full mechanical and electrical detail is in the installation manual.
Two practical notes worth flagging before site:
- Plan the cable run before the wall closes. PoE is preferred but only viable if a data cable was pulled to the mounting location. Decide early.
- Mount at a comfortable touch height for the household. Standard light-switch height is a good baseline, slightly higher if children are not the primary user.
Get the most out of the Touch Panel. #
The Touch Panel reflects the PIXIE PLUS home it sits in. The better that home is set up in the app, the more capable each Touch Panel becomes.
