Imagine a home where your smart speaker blends seamlessly into the background, both visually and sonically. The Indigo SC.S1 speaker cradle, designed for the Sonos One and Sonos One SL, takes a step in this direction by offering a ceiling-mounted solution. This is more than just freeing up space on your side tables; it has the potential to be a glimpse into the future of smart speaker integration.

Traditionally, smart speakers like Sonos and Google Home have occupied prime real estate on benches and countertops. While they offer convenience, their prominent placement can disrupt a room’s aesthetics. Ceiling-mounted cradles, like the Indigo SCS1, address this by offering a discreet, inexpensive and potentially superior listening experience. Mounting the speaker higher up in the room can improve sound dispersion, creating a more immersive soundscape.

However, the Indigo SC.S1 isn’t just about aesthetics and sound quality. It hints at a future where smart speaker installation becomes as routine as installing light fixtures. Currently, the cradle itself boasts a tool-less design, but connecting the Sonos to power likely requires an electrician’s expertise. This foreshadows a potential shift where electricians routinely handle not just lighting, but also the seamless integration of smart speakers and assistants throughout a home.

The Indigo SC.S1 might be the first step on this path, but its implications are broad. Imagine a world where speakers from Sonos, Google, Amazon, and other major players all have custom-designed ceiling mount kits. This could lead to a more streamlined and aesthetically pleasing smart home environment, where the technology fades into the background and the user experience takes center stage. While the future of smart speaker installation remains to be written, the Indigo SC.S1 offers an intriguing glimpse of what’s to come.

The Indigo SC.S1 is currently available from most premium Sonos dealers including Westan, Canohm, Jayvee, Radio Parts, Middy’s and West Coast HiFi.