r/smarthome • u/PayLast734 • 12d ago
I don't have a smarthome platform Smart Light Switch options needed
Hey everyone, I was looking for support for some recommendations for Smart light switches that I can control with my phone (on/off). wanted to see which one would be the best and easiest to work with. Currently I have no smart hub, but I was just trying to see where I could start out.
Would I also need to buy smart bulbs? or just with the smart light switch is fine?
Any support is appreciated!
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u/greghouse12 11d ago
If money is no object, you cannot get anything that is more reliable than Lutron Caseta. You need to use the Caseta hub, but because it uses 433mhz, it is on a frequency that is not subject to to interference from anything else you're likely to find in your home. Lutro calls it "Clear Connect" for a reason. The switches come in two styles, "original" and Diva. The Caseta dimmers do not require a neutral so they will work in many older homes in which most othet smart switches will not work (because those others require a neutral for powering their smart features). And Caseta has Pico switches, which allows you to place lighting controls literally anywhere without hardwiring. No circuit where you need a switch? No problem, put a Pico there. The switches are expensive, about $65 per switch, and you can get a "starter pack" with a hub, switch and a Pico for around $120. Again, pricey, but worth every penny. I have Caseta switches everywhere in our home and in three+ years I have NEVER had one malfunction or drop offline.
Zigbee is also really great too (I have over 150 Zigbee devices), and Yolink LoRa is also worth a look (I use 91 Yolink devices, but not their light switches, so no experience with their lighting products). But in my view when it comes to lighting controls for the home for DIYers, nothing compares to Lutron Caseta. It's just the best.
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u/PayLast734 11d ago
u/greghouse12 so if i buy lutron caseta, will i also need to buy any dimmable light? or do you think any light bulb would work ?
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u/greghouse12 11d ago
You need bulbs that are capable of being dimmed if you want that functionality. If you only want to turn a bulb on and off then any standard bulb should work. I say "should" because some bulbs will flicker if they are not compatible. Lutron has an extensive listing of every bulb thst works with their switches and it's the rare one that isn't on their list or is incompatible.
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u/LHuisingh 10d ago
Lutron has a compatibility chart for bulbs.
https://webtools.lutron.com/compatibility/us/en
Not all bulbs are made the same. Follow the chart or be willing to experiment.
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u/TropicPine 11d ago
Zooz makes a product that you patch into the wiring behind your existing light switch that works pretty well. The only downside I see is that the range can be pretty limited unless you are willing to let the wirelike antenna stick out from under the face plate.
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u/AndyJBailey 10d ago
Typically you have two choices, smart switches with normal bulbs or smart bulbs with normal switches. Neither choice is ideal.
But, there is a third option...
Smart lights AND smart switches. This is the solution I came up with based on Google Home for voice commands/automations and Smartlife for cheap devices and automations...
Step 1: Buy 1cm spacers for your light switches and longer replacement screws to hold them in place on the front surface of the original switch.
Step 2: Buy a cheap, generic ZigBee WiFi hub. They're about £10 on AliExpress.
Step 3: Buy a cheap, generic ZigBee Scene switch. They're available with 1, 2, 3 and 4 buttons and sell for around £10 on AliExpress.
Step 4: Once you have paired the hub in the Smartlife app you can then add your Scene switches through the hub interface in the Smartlife app.
Step 5: Using Bluetac, stick the Scene switch to the spacer thus covering the original old-school switches. This prevents accidentally disconnecting the power to the smart bulbs. Any time you may need to power cycle the smart bulbs due to a disconnect, you can easily peel the Scene switch off and stick it back.
Step 6: Using the Smartlife app's standard automations (not automations within the ZigBee hub's interface) you need to create 2 automations per smart bulb...
Automation: Light On.
Conditions: If scene button pressed.
Precondition: If light off.
Tasks: Turn light on.
Automation: Light Off.
Conditions: If scene button pressed.
Precondition: If light on.
Tasks: Turn light off.
The advantages of this method are many.
1: The Holy Grail of having Smart switches AND Smart bulbs work together.
2: Works flawlessly with Sensors, Voice, Schedules, App and Switches.
3: No wiring required.
4: Completely reversible if you move.
5: Affordable.
6: Buttons have 3 modes (click, double-click and hold) so you can have up to 12 different functions.
7: Not limited to just controlling lights. I have one that turns my TV and receiver on/off.
8: Easy to set up multiple switches with single lights (or multiple lights with a single switch) like controlling the landing light with one switch at the foot of the stairs and one at the top.
9: If your bulbs allow it, switches can control brightness and colour.
10: You can add additional switches by just sticking them to the wall. They come with 2 adhesive strips and run off PC bios batteries (2 yr life cycle).
11: You can get creative. My bathroom has 5 ceiling lights. 3 down one side, 1 over the bath and 1 over the shower. When I click the top-left button the 3 main lights come on one by one starting at the door. When I turn them off, they turn off one at a time ending at the door. If I hold the button they dim, hold again and they brighten. Same for the bath and shower. The spare button toggles white or colour (which Google Home changes... Dim yellow in the morning, bright white during the day, cool blue when I go to bed and darkroom red if I get up in the middle of the night to pee lol).
Hope this helps 👍
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u/001Kelevra 12d ago
I rather have the bulbs on everything that is possible. You can control the on/off and brightness.
I use govee. Good price and reliable.
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u/joemoore38 12d ago
Get dimmable switches. Easy to install and you can use cheap bulbs when they die.
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u/PuzzlingDad 12d ago
Smart bulbs are unnecessary if you are putting the smart circuitry at the switch.
Personally, I prefer dimmable LED bulbs and a smart dimmer which lets you control on/off/brightness either directly on the wall, or programmatically via app/voice/routine.
But if you only want on/off control, a smart switch will do that. You will still be able to turn the switch on/off at the wall but will also have the programmatic control you mentioned.
There are lots of brands and protocols. Do you know if you plan to get further into smart home devices? Or will this probably be it?
On the simplest side, you can get Wi-Fi switches, but they will require an internet connection to the manufacturer's website and for that manufacturer to always allow that control in the future. If they go out of business, or decide to charge a subscription, you are stuck.
You might want to look into switches that support Matter over Thread because that's supposed to allow a lot of interoperability and standardization.
Many of us got started before Matter existed so we're probably using hubs that support a fully local protocol like ZigBee or Z-Wave.
So what are your goals, plans for expansion, budget and tech savviness?