I'm happy you guys have a product that fills such a huge niche, but your website's explanation of the ability to control smart lights confused me quite a bit: support.inovelli.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-to-control-a-smart-bulb-from-a-smart-switch-smartthings#Options_for_Switch_to_Bulb_Control I think it's fair to say very few people have Z-Wave bulbs, so let's just assume that me an virtually everyone else is mostly interested in controlling smart bulbs (Zigbee or wifi) connected to SmartThings. Can these be controlled only via scenes??? Would I have to create a scene for every little function such as on/off (not a big deal, if required)? But if I need to use scenes to control these bulbs, does that mean the Inovelli Red dimmer switch won't be able to control the brightness of these bulbs in an intuitive manner (i.e. press and holding to move the brightness up or down)? I'm looking forward to getting the product either way, but I would like to know the limitations of the dimmer switch in regards to controlling smart bulbs. If the dimmer switch has no benefit in this use case, I may just go with the on/off switch. Thanks!
I did some investigation and it seems like what I want to do can be accomplished by adding the "Smart Lighting" SmartApp through SmartThings and set the devices I want to control to mirror the Inovelli Red dimmer switch. I'll have to see what kinds of workarounds might be required to have this work perfectly, but it seems like this is a solution that should work. I think it's possible that I may have to have to have the load line bypass the switch since I am not sure the Inovelli switch can do what I need it to do when disabling the internal switch relay. However, if it works without any creative wiring, that's be great. I backordered a couple of Inovelli Red dimmer switches and I look forward to trying this out.
@@stephensiemonsma I'm excited to hear how you like them! They should be back in stock later in August. If you have any questions during setup send us an email at contact@inovelli.com and our Support team will be happy to help! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
I have been researching for this topic for days but couldn't find an answer to my satisfactory. I started to wonder if there is an obvious solution that was not even worth discussing. I am new to smart home and a smart wireless physical switch is the first thing I need. I just want to hit a button to turn the light on without yelling at Alexa or pulling out my phone. Thanks for the video. Glad to find your channel. Your videos are just what I need.
I made a doorbell out of the SmartThings button (which is 3x more expensive these days btw, glad I got a bunch). You can just use double sided tape or even super glue to stick the back to things. Just rotate the button itself to replace the batter (back stays stuck). Hacky… but simple 😊
I’ve installed Shelly relays behind most switches in my house. You can set the relay to “detached” mode which disables local control and the circuit stays live for smart bulbs. Then you can use the switch input sensor entity to trigger the bulbs to go on or off according to the switch input state. This keeps the switches manual functionality as well as allowing for smart control. Also some of the relays I used have power monitoring capabilities which is only really useful for geeky graphs which I like.
Glad to see the Inovelli switches. Will be happy to hear about if you have the miss tap issues I was having! I laughed at your video because part of the reason for my smart home setup the way it is, is having wife approval and I use NOTHING but smart switches in every room Inovelli mainly and some GE but anyone could still use the house without the need to know what everything is called. So if someone is cat sitting when we are on vacation the whole house still functions!
I'll have to keep an eye out for the miss tap issues. That's good to know about. Yeah I agree that smart switches are the way to go. Easy for everyone to use, looks great, and very useful.
My parents started using Hue and really liked it, and quickly replaced 99% of their bulbs with Hue bulbs (60+ in total). So because I was installing and doing this for them, I decided to just replace all the conventional switches with Hue Dimmers, or Hue motion sensors (and then some other ZigBee sensors later on when I installed a HomeAssistant server). But what I did is what I think should pretty much be the standard solution. I just removed the 'dumb' switches, and in the back boxes for them I just joined the positive and neutral with an inline fuse between them (so they can disconnect a single switch if ever needed, and some added protection for shorts). Then I either replaced the switches with just blank plates and put the dimmer nearby, or you can also get a blank plate that has the Hue Dimmer shape in it and magnets for it to stick (you can technically install these over most switch plates, but my parents had mostly flush click in switch plates with no visible screws on the outside). It's by far the best option if you have a system with stable bulbs. The bulbs are always powered so all smart functionality works all the time, but there's also always simple switches on the wall that anyone can use. The only time I wouldn't suggest this is if you have bulbs which need resetting frequently. For example I wouldn't do this with LIFX bulbs (unless things have dramatically improved) because of how unstable they were when I last used them (~10 months ago, returned them after a few weeks because of how unstable they were, even with Ubiquiti Unifi APs), but with my parents setup in the 18 months they've had Hue bulbs (and the ~15 months since they've had 50+ Hue bulbs) they've never had to reset a bulb once, have had to reset the hub once, and the dimmers 3-4 times in total.
Oh wow that's a pretty great setup! I agree about the Hue reliability factor and especially for that many bulbs. Plus having it all in the same app would be awesome.
Really looking forward to this next video on switches. It sounds like exactly the kind of thing I have been looking for. Its very difficult to find a decent overview of options from someone who also covers the integration aspect when planning what kind of switches to convert a house to.
Thanks Craig. Yeah deciding on smart switches for the house is a big deal. I have a few other videos in the works before it but it should come out very soon!
Lack of buttons for smart devices has been frustrating for me as well. I originally got the Lutron Casetta for the bedroom specifically because of the remote control. By the bedside I don't want to have to talk to Alexa/Google or break out my phone and go through the apps to turn off or on the main light. But I scrapped that as the Casetta design as a wall switch is the worst in the history of light switches (totally flat, no guide lights, no memory of last setting if you hit the on, doesn't fully cut off power when switch is off, remote is physically different even though it is supposed to be used as a wall switch in 3-way, etc). Have (and love) Wemo switches now but miss having the remote for the nightstand. Smartthings button might work (though I don't currently use smartthings hub) though it, and all of these options, are missing dimming capability for 3rd party devices.
I just installed the Innovelli red series fan and light controller. I love it, but it was $69. You forgot to mention that the innovellis can be used without a neutral wire, which is a big deal in some older homes. Great video. I learned about some new products I didn't know about.
Hey Clell! Thanks for the support, it's awesome to hear you're enjoying your Fan + Light Switch, and you're spot on about the no neutral Dimmers! They should be back in stock in August! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Thanks Clell! I thought about mentioning no neutral wire needed. I saw that there are some extra steps involved so I didn't want to go down a rabbit hole with it. However, looking back, I should have at least mentioned it.
The issue I struggled with is wanting all my buttons/switches to look the same (including replacing all my "dumb" switches). For anyone who wants that, your options are limited. Paddle switches are ubiquitous and perfectly fine, but paddle switch remotes just don't cut it. The only one I know of is Lutron Cadeta and Pico. It requires a bridge, but can connect to SmartThings (using the cloud) or Hubitat/HASS.
Lutron caseta pico remotes can control almost anything if you have the Lutron smartbridge pro. The remotes are only like $15, they have 5 buttons, and programmable options for when the buttons are pushed, held, and released. I use them with Hubitat for local control of devices/smart bulbs. You should be able to trigger an Amazon routine... I haven’t gotten that far in Hubitat yet. I’ve read that people use them to control all kinds of devices and to manually trigger routines/scenes, automations. The company makes really cheap wall mounting kits so they’re aesthetically pleasing. I put them in my parents’ house, and they love them.
You should’ve mentioned the Shelly 2.5 You can disconnect the relay from the switch so the switch can’t control any smart home thing or the light but can always be turned on by Alexa
Brad: The newer Hue Dimmer is my go to for this. Especially is single gang switches. I take out the dumb switch, cap the correct wires and then the newer dimmer can screw over top of the box. Then set the dimmer up in HomeKit with 4 different scenes.
Thanks Reed, One question I have, If in my setup I have a two way switch (two switches for one bulb) Is there any smart switch that could work with this setup?
Great video! I had heard some good things about the Inovelli Red switches, but I had no idea that they could handle smart bulbs if you gave them a custom handler. Earlier this month I set my parents up with a bunch of smart home improvements, and being able to give them a traditional light switch to control their living room bulbs would have been a great final addition. I'll be removing that light switch cover and replacing their old physical switch with an Inovelli Red at some point. Thanks!
@@SmartHomeSolver I noticed that you only recommend the on/off Inovelli Red switch in the video, but it seems to me that you should be able to get full dimmer capabilities with the Inovelli Red dimmer switch if you leverage the "Smart Lighting" SmartApp in SmartThings to "mirror" the state of the dimmer to the smart lights it controls. Is that something you have tried? It seems like it would be a great type of automation to mention for SmartThings users, if they care about having real dimmer controls. I'm not sure if Inovelli supports this in its firmware when the internal switch relay is disabled, but even if it doesn't I think you could just have this automation run with the internal switch enabled and then have the load line bypass the switch to be always hot (so that the smart bulbs always have power despite the state of the dimmer switch). Hopefully that kind of wiring isn't necessary, but I don't have an Inovelli switch yet (nor will I until at least August) so I'm not sure if they have catered their firmware to this kind of use case yet. Edit: I'll note that the "Smart Lighting" SmartApp is locally processed on the hub, so hopefully the lag is tolerable with locally connected devices (i.e. Zigbee bulbs). If I had any dimmer switches already I would have tried it out to see if the lag makes it a jarring experience or not.
I live in an older home that was constructed without ceiling fixtures in most rooms, but with switched outlets for plug-in lamps in every living space. About a third of the outlets in this house are controlled by a wall switch, and being that my rooms generally only have two or three total outlets, it's a nightmare for not only planning home automation, but also for just being able to find somewhere to plug things in that I don't want turned off accidentally. I've been considering replacing the switches for these outlets with smart switches, but not connecting the load side of the switch. Basically tying the existing line and load together in the box with a jumper to the smart switch line for power, assuming that there's an available neutral at the switch. I'd then use that switch's state to logically turn smart bulbs on and off logically in Home Assistant. The other option is going with Innovellis with the relay disabled and doing the same thing with HA, but then I'd also need to integrate Z-wave. What are your thoughts on this arrangement for my situation?
One reason you don't need to have the switches disableable via software is that you can instead wire the smart switches up in parallel with your light bulbs and then and switch can be used as just a button and the light bulbs stay on all the time.
@@SmartHomeSolver I have an automation idea for the flic. If you can’t afford a video doorbell, then stick a flic to your front door. To make it a video doorbell, you will have to have an outdoor smart security camera or an indoor one through glass. Then, create an alexa routine as flic have released their alexa skill to make your echo dot make a doorbell noises and say someone is at the front door when the flic is pressed. If you have an echo show, to get the live view, you will have to add a custom command to show the live view of the camera. I hope you find my tip helpful. Funcat.
Like the video... This is probably not in your space but I have one word to say.... Tasmota. With a simple "PowerOnState 4" command you can ensure power is always supplied to the smart bulb, fans etc. I've Tasmotized all of my Tuya smart bulbs and switches so has ceased to be an issue.
The very end was priceless!!! We can all relate to that. I too find the Flic buttons way overpriced for household use. That being said, you can put one paired to your phone in the car and set it up to send a quick text, like "I'm on the way home" by a simple press of the button. I do like that. I love the Samsung SmartThings buttons. Both my wife and I have one where we watch TV that is setup to toggle on/off our bar and counter lights, toggle on/off our kitchen ceiling lights, and toggle on/off the dining room lights from the same button. This can be handy when you've already chosen the brightness and color you want, and just don't want to try to get Alexa/Google to pay attention when there is TV noise and conversation going on in the area. Thanks.
Thanks Hugh! Those are great ideas for Flic and SmartThings buttons. It's definitely nice to not have to deal with a voice assistant changing the lights during a movie.
We have a gen1 flic button for my wife. It worked using the phone as the hub. That means the phone has to be there for it to work, but it did the trick, at that time.
My gosund Wi-Fi light switches for $15 a piece. Can be fully automated. Can be turned on and off manually and still be controlled through the home wirelessly. They do need a constant power supply but most modern homes have. I think they're one of the most economical choices there is
Hi, thanks for the video. What about the Shelly i3? It’s not actually a switch. It’s a in wall solution. You can ‘control’ up to 3 switches with one device.
Great video as always! Id love to hear your thoughts on my smart switch / smart bulb issue. I have a Lutron Caseta dimmer switch & pico remote in my kitchen and just recently installed six Lexi BR30 Smart bulbs and didn't know that smart bulbs have issues working with dimmer switches. I was thinking of switching out the switch to a non-dimmer Caseta (I already tested and it works) and then control the dinner through the app but my family uses the dimmer a lot so I don't think that's gonna fly with the wife. lol Any idea on how I go about keeping a option to dim these for the rest of the family? I'm lost! Did i just spend $120+ on bulbs I can't use!?
I've flashed my WiFI switches with Tasmota and can run automations with the switch and the bulbs using my Hubitat. It's not for those who aren't technically inclined as you have to install custom drivers in Hubitat for Tasmota, but it's worth it to me. EDIT: Subscribed!
ditto here too... sonoff wifi wall switches, Tasmota flashed... gives you MANY options and configurations !! these are setup with... a simple tap, for toggle of main lights.. a double tap simply toggles lamps in room, hold switch to fade lights up and down.... all self contained, but also controllable via homeassistant too :) (therefore in app, and automation etc) so a triple tap switch all lights off in house...
There are plenty of options in the US and if you have a neutral line. I am in Hong Kong and I don't have neutral and the voltage is 240V. The best option I found is the Aeotec Wallmote.
You should look into Insteon! An Insteon fan controller paired with one of its smart keypads allows you to control both the fan (and fan speeds), its light, and other devices like a lamp if paired with other Insteon devices like the plug in modules or smart wall outlets; almost forgot but you need the Insteon Hub to make this work but it gives you much more functionality then just using the devices by themselves. They have a 6-button and 8-button keypad depending on how many devices you want to control, and if you want a portable solution they have mini remotes. I personally use the Insteon fan controller paired with an 8-button keypad and an on/off wall outlet in the room that controls the fan and its light, as well as my bedside lamp. I then have a portable mini remote next to my bed if I'm too lazy to walk to the switch. When I'm even more lazy, which is quite often, I just use Alexa voice to control the devices in my room, and the Insteon integration with Alexa works quite well and is easy to setup. Insteon is a really robust system with a lot of customization, and its dual mesh technology that uses RF and hard line to communicate is much more robust than Zigbee Zwave, wifi, etc. My only qualm is that the Insteon app isn't the cleanest and that Insteon is a bit pricey, but it's well worth it imo if you're looking to make your to make your entire place a smart house.
Great video! Switches are the biggest PIA for me too with Hue. Wish there was a better slimmer bolt on solution. Oh first world problems. Your wife was a great actor at the end, got a good laugh.
I watched this video to learn something new about smart switches (great video by the way) but the finale... Oh man, i couldn't stop laughing. This is literally my everyday life with my wife! I cut this scene and posted on Facebook, i really hope you don't mind. She nearly died laughing when she saw it.
There is nothing stopping you from installing any smart switch and bypassing it (hotwiring the load). Then you just need to link the on/off/dim using a hub like Smart Things or Home Assistant. I have yet to try it, but I'm thinking about doing this with some TP-Link Kasa switches.
I was wondering if you could suggest something for how do I set alexa routine to turn off certain appliances during power cut when I'm using inverter as backup power for home. The backup power would last longer if I could do so. Thanks
If you’re on SmartThings, there is a DTH you can download to use the hue dimmer remote as a 4-button device to control SmartThings bulbs without a hue bridge or even any other hue bulbs. Combine with the Advanced Button Controller app, and you get the ability to have push and hold commands for each button. It’s a little finicky sometimes, but I’ve been running it for about a year without needing to repair. community.smartthings.com/t/alpha-hue-dimmer-switch-zha-beta-no-hue-bridge/62874/22
Hi Reed!!! @smarthomesolver i have the flic buttons, but i cannot connect them to home assistant, could you point me into a video or a tutorial? thanks a lot!! great channel by the way, thanks again for everything
Should add the C by GE switches to your next set of reviews. Their smart switch hardwires, replaces existing switch and retains smart function when off. The switch itself acts as the hub for other CbyGE devices. App can be quirky but I only use for initial setup. Didn't care for the look of the dimmer at first but it grew on me.
It is very easy to use any hard-wired smart switch to control just about any smart lights (especially if they are all within the same control app; but even if not then ifttt or similar cross platform apps should help make it happen). Here is how to make any smart switch work with smart light(s or other devices): When you install the smart switch you need to wire the output wire (usually either black or red in USA- this is going to the light) to the always-hot source wire (usually black in USA); you still need to connect the hot and common and ground (hopefully) of the switch to the powered circuit so the switch gets power and communicates with its server or hub; but the rest of the circuit will always be on, the switch will not physically be turning the light, or anything, off. After powering up and pairing the switch, it is going to appear and work like a light in most cases (even if it looks like a switch in the app, it is not given the pre-programmed ability to digitally switch another smart device, the app thinks it is physically controlling a device but there's no device in reality- only a switch!)... However, this is easy to fix with a little bit of smart automaton programming! You need to program it so that when this switch is turned on then turn that light or those lights or that scene on; and when this switch is off then turn these device(s) off; If you have alternate control other than the switch, like Alexa or Google voice control or other smart settings like a timer, then you'll also want to add additional programming so when the light is turned on (by another route than the switch) then the switch is turned on too; and same when the light is turned off then turn the switch off too). In my living room, I have four recessed lights in the ceiling each with a smart bulb, and I wanted more than just on and off ability without needing to open an app or talk to alexa; So I took things a step further using the BrilliantSmart app (which is almost identical to the Tuya/ Smartlife app but Brilliantsmart should not be losing ifttt access any time soon- It works with all the SmartLife devices as well- but you can do this with most of the apps on the web as they are all built on the same base code and have similar features): I built five different control scenes- scene 0 is all off, 1 turns on the rear two at 15% (movie mode), 2 turns all 4 on at 25%, 3 turns all of them to 50%, 4 turns all of them to 75%, and 5 sets all the lights to full 100%. The trick to making it work is just a little bit of automaton programming. The following steps are programmed into each of the five scenes: Step 1) Turn off the switch as soon as it's pressed (technically the switch is always off and only turned on very briefly when you press it) Step 2) Set each scene to do what it is intended to do to the lights and/or other controllable devices (including instruction to turn each light on or off as necessary- Even if the light was on in the previous scene, set it to turn on again just in case the scene is pulled out of order from a voice command). Step 3) Set a Scene Control to "disable all 5 scenes - except the next scene in the order", which becomes enabled awaiting the next switch press (and remember to set scene 5 to activate scene 0 so the program restarts after the last scene runs!)- This scene control ensures that a switch press only activates the next scene in the loop! By using voice or other automaton, any scene can actively be called at any time, even if it is set to inactive mode- because the inactive mode just deactivates the trigger action (switch) from activating the scene- so I can still ask alexa to put the living room in movie mode, no matter what mode the switch was previously ready to do next; and then the next time the switch is pressed it will just call scene 3! Similar programming could be used to build 3 or 4 way switch systems, with simple on/off smart switches not designed for 3 way use- but it's probably cheaper nowadays to buy a single 3-way switch if you have the wiring in place already where you want your multi-way switches to be installed. Happy automating!
Great video! I've been on Smartthings for about 4 years and I've been looking for a good in-wall remote ever since. I never understood why I couldn't find one like they have with Insteon. I have the GoControl, which is great but ugly and only two buttons. I also have the Smartthings button which is horrible, it eats through batteries and is super-unreliable. The best I've come across is the Aeon Minimote, which is no longer made and hard to find now at an inflated price. I have this velcro'd to a custom routed wood wall plate in my mud room. Press one button on the way out the door and all the lights turn off (Smartthings scene)! I really wish some company would come out with an 8-ish button remote like what is available on Insteon though! I have also setup scene control on some of my Zooz switches and it works really well! I wish I'd gone with more Zooz than GE/Jasco/Enbrighten because of this feature. Reid - if you ever want someone to help test for you just let me know :) !
Why aren’t we talking about Shelly 2.5 relays? Require minor electrical work and a bit of head scratching on how to wire it but works with your normal light switches and has a wide range of features. There is a great plugin for Home assistant too. You can also use it to make any fixture or outlet smart. Also the Lurton Aurora is fantastic for hue lights.
We can help you there Christopher! Our Red Series Dimmer Switches can be wired without using a neutral wire! Perfect for our customers with older homes. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
@@christopherp3474 Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions! I'm always scouring the internet looking for more Smart Home community members -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Great vid, I am deep in the rabbit hole with GE z-wave otherwise I would go to Innovelli. Unfortunately, when I started they had an outage in production. Next house maybe.
I hope we can convince you to make the switch now that we've grown a bit more and have gotten a lot more experience with deadlines under our belt ;) -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Inovelli , sure if you want to 1-for-1 trade my GE, I would consider switching over. I have about 20 installed with 10 to go. I like having all the same brand, makes things easier.
@@TheJamesJones haha totally understandable situation you have there. Having a uniform look for smart products seems to be the easiest way to incorporate a full system. Always great to talk to a fellow Smart Home user though! Good luck with the rest of your install. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
@@TheJamesJones I get wanting to have all the same switches but you are missing out on all the extended feature of the Inovelli switches that the GE just lack for the same price in most cases. GE switches are actually Jasco re-branded switches and I use to like them but once I saw all the features you get from Inovelli, like power monitoring, notification options, No neutral required. and all the cool stuff built into their firmware you will look at GE switches like Basic switches with no feature. Just my two cents but I really like them!
I have Nanoleaf essential bulbs with thread tech and I would LOVE a light switch that I can use manually without turning off the power to the bulbs. I have apple home pod minis as my hub, I wish there was an easy solution that didn’t cost a ton.
You forgot the Lutron Aurora. Work for Hue bulbs. No hub required and doesn’t need to be mounted to a switch. One press for On, hold for Off or rotate the knob for Brightness :)
Yes an interesting problem. I had several TP Link bulbs, so at one point I replaced a bunch of switches with TP link switches as well. Maybe a little pricy but they all have the same app, work fine from webcore and Alexa, and just works like a switch for the Neanderthals. 9 times out of ten I think we just ask Alexa for lights anyway. My wife walks with a cane and for her voice control is a game changer; she can carry something into the kitchen and still turn the kitchen light on.
I have the same questions as you. I bought a smart outdoor outlet to plug in my string lights and I just want a switch on the wall to control it, but that's not how any smart switch works apparently. Looks like I'll have to get a SmartThings button and attach it to the wall somehow.
I have Philips wink smart color down lights. They work great but I'm trying to figure out what's the best switch to go with those. The TP link smart dimmer switch doesn't have constant power I don't think. Any ideas? Also, is there another hub that is similar to smart things that are cheaper?
Awesome 🤩🤩🤩...BTW . I'm convering my house into smart house .. therefore I've spend more than 2000 usd in smart devises .. Please tell me you opinion in below list Because your opinion is very important to me 1- TP link smart plug 2 - TP link smart light switch 3- Yeelight strip 4 - eufy doorbell 5 - eufy 360 indoor Camera 6- Smartthings hub and sensors and for the AC i think Nest is very expensive so Im looking for cheaper solution
Great stuff as always 👍! Do you have a recommendation for some smart light switches for older homes without the neutral wire? My kitchen light switch is really inconveniently located, but it's old school wiring with just the two wires. I'd love a solid solution so I can turn this on/off from my phone or Google Assistant.. Thanks!
We can help you here Mike! Our Red Series Dimmer Switch can be wired without using the neutral wire! We should be back in stock at the end of August. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Thanks Mike! Yes like Inovelli mentioned that the Red Series does work without neutral wires. There are also a few others as well that I will be comparing in that video coming up.
Wow, that's great! Thank you both for the info! I'll look into the details for the Red Series product and look forward to your upcoming video, Reed. Thanks again!
Iv soldered 2 wires to my hue buttons, and use my fancy chrome UK momentary switches to control them, look stock but i can now also just flick the switch
Inovelli is what I'm using now, and you forgot to mention the button opposite the notification LED. That button can also be programmed to control your smart house.
Thanks for the support, and you're spot on there! The config button can be used as a "favorites" button for an additional configurable scene, or at least that's what I use it as! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Glad you're liking Inovelli. I couldn't get into every detail of that switch since I covered several others here, but there are really cool options like that button you mentioned.
I will appreciate if you will answer to the following problem. I have Alexa echo dot 4th generation. in my house I have wiz,xiaomi,sonoff lamps. I want to buy the philips smart button, Philips dimmer switch and the Philips tap dial. Do you know if these devices will work correctly with all the functions?!
I have LIFX mini Color bulbs in my room, there all in lamps so I don’t need a switch that covers up the main lights switch. I just would like a smart button that doesn’t require a hub. It would be great if it could also change Color/brightness. Any reccomendations
Hi Reed, I have the Sonoff TXT2EU1C wired to Yeelight Ceiling light but if I turn off the wall switch I loose the connection with the light, can't use the app if the smart wall switch is off 😞 anyway to fix this? thanks
It would be really nice to know which ones work with hubitat. Specially the buttons, that usually doesn’t work with hubs that are different than the manufacture.
This is just what I've been trying to find a solution for. Can you connect the hue dimmer to a zigbee bulb and have that same bulb connected to smartthings at the same time?
Ever considered that a Shelly 1 or Shelly 2,5 could solve your control problems too with your Fan? Does require you do work with electricity wires tho..
Great video! Ive know about inovelli switches for a while and to be honest its probably the best bang for your buck as far as zwave switches go. You cant really get a zwave wall* switch for under 30 bucks anyways on amazon.
Thank you! That means a lot to us. We are currently out of stock of Red Series Switches, but we'll be back in stock in August! If you have any questions feel free to reach out. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
I'd like to see you do a video about the current state of smart home devices in general - What you hate the most, what you wish would change and why nothing really seems 'smart'
IMO the Sonoff mini is the way too go if you have a neutral wire. Sure, you have to do some wiring, but it’s very easy and you get to keep your original light switches for the « non tech » folks in your house ;).
Dude great videos don't stop, unless it involves family, I do wish that you made videos more frequently but I'm not telling you to because there are more things to do than YT, stay safe Reed
Thanks! I am actually planning on making videos more frequently. I have some plans in the works so hopefully in the next few weeks you will see more videos. I appreciate the feedback and stay safe as well!
Amazon sell plate covers for the hue switch that cover your existing switch and are very neat. They're about 6 7 euro so what 9 dollars but neatest I've seen. Now I dont know if they do them for us switches but id be suprised if they didn't
Thanks for your well made videos, as always. What just bugs me is that almost none of this is working locally. Only the flic and lifx. But what about hue? I sometimes just want to throw out all my echo devices when the shit is not working correctly. And yes it does happen. On last Christmas for example the echo servers were partially overloaded and sometimes when I download stuff my devices get a bad internet connection. In situations like these I am always grateful for my hue dimming switches, they are directly connected to the bulbs.
How do you handle your lyfx lights losing connection permanently with just a brown out (which happens often here)? Do you have any tricks? I have 70 lights and it is a barw to fix every week or so. Thank you
Thanks for the great comparison! It seems that almost a year later and still that space is basically not even as fleshed out as dumb switches. Is there any single gang double dimmer (not fan + light) switch (preferably wifi). There are non smart ones by Lutron and Legrand, but no smart switches I can find and I was wondering if that is a thing.
Thanks for the shoutout! We should be back in stock of all switches towards the end of August! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
I'm happy you guys have a product that fills such a huge niche, but your website's explanation of the ability to control smart lights confused me quite a bit:
support.inovelli.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-to-control-a-smart-bulb-from-a-smart-switch-smartthings#Options_for_Switch_to_Bulb_Control
I think it's fair to say very few people have Z-Wave bulbs, so let's just assume that me an virtually everyone else is mostly interested in controlling smart bulbs (Zigbee or wifi) connected to SmartThings. Can these be controlled only via scenes??? Would I have to create a scene for every little function such as on/off (not a big deal, if required)? But if I need to use scenes to control these bulbs, does that mean the Inovelli Red dimmer switch won't be able to control the brightness of these bulbs in an intuitive manner (i.e. press and holding to move the brightness up or down)?
I'm looking forward to getting the product either way, but I would like to know the limitations of the dimmer switch in regards to controlling smart bulbs. If the dimmer switch has no benefit in this use case, I may just go with the on/off switch.
Thanks!
I did some investigation and it seems like what I want to do can be accomplished by adding the "Smart Lighting" SmartApp through SmartThings and set the devices I want to control to mirror the Inovelli Red dimmer switch. I'll have to see what kinds of workarounds might be required to have this work perfectly, but it seems like this is a solution that should work. I think it's possible that I may have to have to have the load line bypass the switch since I am not sure the Inovelli switch can do what I need it to do when disabling the internal switch relay. However, if it works without any creative wiring, that's be great.
I backordered a couple of Inovelli Red dimmer switches and I look forward to trying this out.
@@stephensiemonsma I'm excited to hear how you like them! They should be back in stock later in August. If you have any questions during setup send us an email at contact@inovelli.com and our Support team will be happy to help! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Is inovelli also compatible with European sockets?
@@EightRipples Currently we are only certified for US and Canada. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
I have been researching for this topic for days but couldn't find an answer to my satisfactory. I started to wonder if there is an obvious solution that was not even worth discussing. I am new to smart home and a smart wireless physical switch is the first thing I need. I just want to hit a button to turn the light on without yelling at Alexa or pulling out my phone. Thanks for the video. Glad to find your channel. Your videos are just what I need.
That rocket thing was so clever hahaha Someone had fun editing.
I made a doorbell out of the SmartThings button (which is 3x more expensive these days btw, glad I got a bunch). You can just use double sided tape or even super glue to stick the back to things. Just rotate the button itself to replace the batter (back stays stuck). Hacky… but simple 😊
"You can just reference this manual I made for the entire house." 😂🤣😂🤣
We laugh at that statement but raise your hands if you have a wiki / manual for your house. 🖐🏾🖐🏾
@@retalus here we go! :D
The look on her face! I was rolling 🤣🤣🤣
@@landov1412 My husband has definitely been giving these looks on a regular basis.
I’ve installed Shelly relays behind most switches in my house. You can set the relay to “detached” mode which disables local control and the circuit stays live for smart bulbs. Then you can use the switch input sensor entity to trigger the bulbs to go on or off according to the switch input state. This keeps the switches manual functionality as well as allowing for smart control. Also some of the relays I used have power monitoring capabilities which is only really useful for geeky graphs which I like.
I'm trying to achieve the same result, is there a specific version of the relay that has the "detached" mode or all of them? Thank you!
Glad to see the Inovelli switches. Will be happy to hear about if you have the miss tap issues I was having!
I laughed at your video because part of the reason for my smart home setup the way it is, is having wife approval and I use NOTHING but smart switches in every room Inovelli mainly and some GE but anyone could still use the house without the need to know what everything is called. So if someone is cat sitting when we are on vacation the whole house still functions!
I'll have to keep an eye out for the miss tap issues. That's good to know about. Yeah I agree that smart switches are the way to go. Easy for everyone to use, looks great, and very useful.
@@SmartHomeSolver Thanks for having Inovelli on the show. Honestly I love Inovelli switches! Glad to see that you liked them also!
My parents started using Hue and really liked it, and quickly replaced 99% of their bulbs with Hue bulbs (60+ in total). So because I was installing and doing this for them, I decided to just replace all the conventional switches with Hue Dimmers, or Hue motion sensors (and then some other ZigBee sensors later on when I installed a HomeAssistant server). But what I did is what I think should pretty much be the standard solution. I just removed the 'dumb' switches, and in the back boxes for them I just joined the positive and neutral with an inline fuse between them (so they can disconnect a single switch if ever needed, and some added protection for shorts). Then I either replaced the switches with just blank plates and put the dimmer nearby, or you can also get a blank plate that has the Hue Dimmer shape in it and magnets for it to stick (you can technically install these over most switch plates, but my parents had mostly flush click in switch plates with no visible screws on the outside).
It's by far the best option if you have a system with stable bulbs. The bulbs are always powered so all smart functionality works all the time, but there's also always simple switches on the wall that anyone can use. The only time I wouldn't suggest this is if you have bulbs which need resetting frequently. For example I wouldn't do this with LIFX bulbs (unless things have dramatically improved) because of how unstable they were when I last used them (~10 months ago, returned them after a few weeks because of how unstable they were, even with Ubiquiti Unifi APs), but with my parents setup in the 18 months they've had Hue bulbs (and the ~15 months since they've had 50+ Hue bulbs) they've never had to reset a bulb once, have had to reset the hub once, and the dimmers 3-4 times in total.
Oh wow that's a pretty great setup! I agree about the Hue reliability factor and especially for that many bulbs. Plus having it all in the same app would be awesome.
Great idea on printing out a manual! My wife would love that. LOL. :)
Haha I'm sure she would!
It's really easy to follow babe!!
Really looking forward to this next video on switches. It sounds like exactly the kind of thing I have been looking for. Its very difficult to find a decent overview of options from someone who also covers the integration aspect when planning what kind of switches to convert a house to.
Thanks Craig. Yeah deciding on smart switches for the house is a big deal. I have a few other videos in the works before it but it should come out very soon!
Lack of buttons for smart devices has been frustrating for me as well. I originally got the Lutron Casetta for the bedroom specifically because of the remote control. By the bedside I don't want to have to talk to Alexa/Google or break out my phone and go through the apps to turn off or on the main light. But I scrapped that as the Casetta design as a wall switch is the worst in the history of light switches (totally flat, no guide lights, no memory of last setting if you hit the on, doesn't fully cut off power when switch is off, remote is physically different even though it is supposed to be used as a wall switch in 3-way, etc). Have (and love) Wemo switches now but miss having the remote for the nightstand.
Smartthings button might work (though I don't currently use smartthings hub) though it, and all of these options, are missing dimming capability for 3rd party devices.
That's why I'm thinking to go with hue lights despite the big prices
The Smart Things button (And their sensors) work just fine with Home Assistant. No Smart Things hub needed.
Loved it. - Can't wait to add these to my apartment.
Shelly 1 wifi implant has a detached mode that can control smart lights via SmartThings, Hubitat, Home Assistant or similar. Is cheap. Works reliably.
I just installed the Innovelli red series fan and light controller. I love it, but it was $69. You forgot to mention that the innovellis can be used without a neutral wire, which is a big deal in some older homes.
Great video. I learned about some new products I didn't know about.
Hey Clell! Thanks for the support, it's awesome to hear you're enjoying your Fan + Light Switch, and you're spot on about the no neutral Dimmers! They should be back in stock in August! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Thanks Clell! I thought about mentioning no neutral wire needed. I saw that there are some extra steps involved so I didn't want to go down a rabbit hole with it. However, looking back, I should have at least mentioned it.
Dude... my wife yelled at me yesterday "All I want to do is turn on the damn light! Hey Google I hate you!"...hahaha! My poor wife...
I've had that conversation before.
@@SmartHomeSolver ditto.. this is going to be a long thread. Lol
SAME! hahah
The issue I struggled with is wanting all my buttons/switches to look the same (including replacing all my "dumb" switches). For anyone who wants that, your options are limited. Paddle switches are ubiquitous and perfectly fine, but paddle switch remotes just don't cut it. The only one I know of is Lutron Cadeta and Pico. It requires a bridge, but can connect to SmartThings (using the cloud) or Hubitat/HASS.
Lutron caseta pico remotes can control almost anything if you have the Lutron smartbridge pro. The remotes are only like $15, they have 5 buttons, and programmable options for when the buttons are pushed, held, and released. I use them with Hubitat for local control of devices/smart bulbs. You should be able to trigger an Amazon routine... I haven’t gotten that far in Hubitat yet. I’ve read that people use them to control all kinds of devices and to manually trigger routines/scenes, automations. The company makes really cheap wall mounting kits so they’re aesthetically pleasing. I put them in my parents’ house, and they love them.
You should’ve mentioned the Shelly 2.5 You can disconnect the relay from the switch so the switch can’t control any smart home thing or the light but can always be turned on by Alexa
Brad: The newer Hue Dimmer is my go to for this. Especially is single gang switches. I take out the dumb switch, cap the correct wires and then the newer dimmer can screw over top of the box.
Then set the dimmer up in HomeKit with 4 different scenes.
Which zooz switch can you do this with and if so how? I have many zen22 switches in my house!
Thanks Reed,
One question I have, If in my setup I have a two way switch (two switches for one bulb)
Is there any smart switch that could work with this setup?
Great video! I had heard some good things about the Inovelli Red switches, but I had no idea that they could handle smart bulbs if you gave them a custom handler. Earlier this month I set my parents up with a bunch of smart home improvements, and being able to give them a traditional light switch to control their living room bulbs would have been a great final addition. I'll be removing that light switch cover and replacing their old physical switch with an Inovelli Red at some point. Thanks!
Glad I could help! Hopefully the Inovelli works well for them.
@@SmartHomeSolver I noticed that you only recommend the on/off Inovelli Red switch in the video, but it seems to me that you should be able to get full dimmer capabilities with the Inovelli Red dimmer switch if you leverage the "Smart Lighting" SmartApp in SmartThings to "mirror" the state of the dimmer to the smart lights it controls. Is that something you have tried? It seems like it would be a great type of automation to mention for SmartThings users, if they care about having real dimmer controls.
I'm not sure if Inovelli supports this in its firmware when the internal switch relay is disabled, but even if it doesn't I think you could just have this automation run with the internal switch enabled and then have the load line bypass the switch to be always hot (so that the smart bulbs always have power despite the state of the dimmer switch). Hopefully that kind of wiring isn't necessary, but I don't have an Inovelli switch yet (nor will I until at least August) so I'm not sure if they have catered their firmware to this kind of use case yet.
Edit: I'll note that the "Smart Lighting" SmartApp is locally processed on the hub, so hopefully the lag is tolerable with locally connected devices (i.e. Zigbee bulbs). If I had any dimmer switches already I would have tried it out to see if the lag makes it a jarring experience or not.
That sounds like a sweet setup! If you have any questions reach out, I'd be happy to help! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
I live in an older home that was constructed without ceiling fixtures in most rooms, but with switched outlets for plug-in lamps in every living space. About a third of the outlets in this house are controlled by a wall switch, and being that my rooms generally only have two or three total outlets, it's a nightmare for not only planning home automation, but also for just being able to find somewhere to plug things in that I don't want turned off accidentally. I've been considering replacing the switches for these outlets with smart switches, but not connecting the load side of the switch. Basically tying the existing line and load together in the box with a jumper to the smart switch line for power, assuming that there's an available neutral at the switch. I'd then use that switch's state to logically turn smart bulbs on and off logically in Home Assistant. The other option is going with Innovellis with the relay disabled and doing the same thing with HA, but then I'd also need to integrate Z-wave. What are your thoughts on this arrangement for my situation?
One reason you don't need to have the switches disableable via software is that you can instead wire the smart switches up in parallel with your light bulbs and then and switch can be used as just a button and the light bulbs stay on all the time.
This is very interesting. I'm trying to decide how to do this. I have Philips wink bulbs and a TP-link smart dimmer switch.
The ending makes me think those switches are not staying up. :P
Don't worry the manual fixed everything...I hope...
@@SmartHomeSolver - Pro move. Your marriage tips are better than your tech tips.
@@SmartHomeSolver yo. why did you changed the thumb?? lol. you think youv got an viral video? nope. im not watching this vid either way.
@@SmartHomeSolver I have an automation idea for the flic. If you can’t afford a video doorbell, then stick a flic to your front door. To make it a video doorbell, you will have to have an outdoor smart security camera or an indoor one through glass. Then, create an alexa routine as flic have released their alexa skill to make your echo dot make a doorbell noises and say someone is at the front door when the flic is pressed. If you have an echo show, to get the live view, you will have to add a custom command to show the live view of the camera. I hope you find my tip helpful. Funcat.
Like the video... This is probably not in your space but I have one word to say.... Tasmota.
With a simple "PowerOnState 4" command you can ensure power is always supplied to the smart bulb, fans etc. I've Tasmotized all of my Tuya smart bulbs and switches so has ceased to be an issue.
Interesting! I'll have to look into Tasmota.
The very end was priceless!!! We can all relate to that. I too find the Flic buttons way overpriced for household use. That being said, you can put one paired to your phone in the car and set it up to send a quick text, like "I'm on the way home" by a simple press of the button. I do like that. I love the Samsung SmartThings buttons. Both my wife and I have one where we watch TV that is setup to toggle on/off our bar and counter lights, toggle on/off our kitchen ceiling lights, and toggle on/off the dining room lights from the same button. This can be handy when you've already chosen the brightness and color you want, and just don't want to try to get Alexa/Google to pay attention when there is TV noise and conversation going on in the area. Thanks.
Thanks Hugh! Those are great ideas for Flic and SmartThings buttons. It's definitely nice to not have to deal with a voice assistant changing the lights during a movie.
We have a gen1 flic button for my wife. It worked using the phone as the hub. That means the phone has to be there for it to work, but it did the trick, at that time.
That button is good too, if you don't mind keeping the app running on your phone. Some people would probably prefer that over Flic's new hub.
That shot of the lightbulb rocket was beautiful 🤩
Haha thanks! It was fun to make!
My gosund Wi-Fi light switches for $15 a piece. Can be fully automated. Can be turned on and off manually and still be controlled through the home wirelessly. They do need a constant power supply but most modern homes have. I think they're one of the most economical choices there is
Great video. I love your little funny scene at the end of every videos. :)
Thanks Trung! I appreciate you sticking around till the end!
Hi, thanks for the video. What about the Shelly i3? It’s not actually a switch. It’s a in wall solution. You can ‘control’ up to 3 switches with one device.
Great video as always! Id love to hear your thoughts on my smart switch / smart bulb issue. I have a Lutron Caseta dimmer switch & pico remote in my kitchen and just recently installed six Lexi BR30 Smart bulbs and didn't know that smart bulbs have issues working with dimmer switches. I was thinking of switching out the switch to a non-dimmer Caseta (I already tested and it works) and then control the dinner through the app but my family uses the dimmer a lot so I don't think that's gonna fly with the wife. lol Any idea on how I go about keeping a option to dim these for the rest of the family? I'm lost! Did i just spend $120+ on bulbs I can't use!?
Maybe I should replace my Caseta switch with a inovelli red or brilliant switch? Idk maybe just switch to Hue?
Thanks Chris! That's a difficult one but yeah I would move the Lutron to another room and either use the Inovelli Red or Brilliant.
Just the video I was looking for. I invested in SmartThings yesterday and was wondering what light switches to get. Now I know.
That's great to hear!
Thanks for the tips! Really helped me choose devices for my room. Keep it up!
Thanks Mahir!
Love the video!
Do you think Wyze will make a smart switch.
Thanks Brady! I haven't heard of any rumors of them working on one soon. I wouldn't be surprised if they did make one someday.
I've flashed my WiFI switches with Tasmota and can run automations with the switch and the bulbs using my Hubitat. It's not for those who aren't technically inclined as you have to install custom drivers in Hubitat for Tasmota, but it's worth it to me.
EDIT: Subscribed!
ditto here too... sonoff wifi wall switches, Tasmota flashed... gives you MANY options and configurations !!
these are setup with... a simple tap, for toggle of main lights.. a double tap simply toggles lamps in room, hold switch to fade lights up and down....
all self contained, but also controllable via homeassistant too :) (therefore in app, and automation etc)
so a triple tap switch all lights off in house...
Your channel definitely deserves my subs!
There are plenty of options in the US and if you have a neutral line. I am in Hong Kong and I don't have neutral and the voltage is 240V. The best option I found is the Aeotec Wallmote.
You should look into Insteon! An Insteon fan controller paired with one of its smart keypads allows you to control both the fan (and fan speeds), its light, and other devices like a lamp if paired with other Insteon devices like the plug in modules or smart wall outlets; almost forgot but you need the Insteon Hub to make this work but it gives you much more functionality then just using the devices by themselves. They have a 6-button and 8-button keypad depending on how many devices you want to control, and if you want a portable solution they have mini remotes. I personally use the Insteon fan controller paired with an 8-button keypad and an on/off wall outlet in the room that controls the fan and its light, as well as my bedside lamp. I then have a portable mini remote next to my bed if I'm too lazy to walk to the switch. When I'm even more lazy, which is quite often, I just use Alexa voice to control the devices in my room, and the Insteon integration with Alexa works quite well and is easy to setup. Insteon is a really robust system with a lot of customization, and its dual mesh technology that uses RF and hard line to communicate is much more robust than Zigbee Zwave, wifi, etc. My only qualm is that the Insteon app isn't the cleanest and that Insteon is a bit pricey, but it's well worth it imo if you're looking to make your to make your entire place a smart house.
Great video! Switches are the biggest PIA for me too with Hue. Wish there was a better slimmer bolt on solution. Oh first world problems. Your wife was a great actor at the end, got a good laugh.
Was trying to find a WIFI switch here in EU just yesterday with no luck. Good info in this video!
I watched this video to learn something new about smart switches (great video by the way) but the finale... Oh man, i couldn't stop laughing. This is literally my everyday life with my wife! I cut this scene and posted on Facebook, i really hope you don't mind. She nearly died laughing when she saw it.
There is nothing stopping you from installing any smart switch and bypassing it (hotwiring the load). Then you just need to link the on/off/dim using a hub like Smart Things or Home Assistant. I have yet to try it, but I'm thinking about doing this with some TP-Link Kasa switches.
I was wondering if you could suggest something for how do I set alexa routine to turn off certain appliances during power cut when I'm using inverter as backup power for home. The backup power would last longer if I could do so.
Thanks
Thanks for the info. i'm thinking of buying INNR bulbs but need a remote. Does the Philips Hue switch work with INNR? Thanks
Hey Reed, what’s kind of filter strip are you using on your LED light strip in the corner of your office?
If you’re on SmartThings, there is a DTH you can download to use the hue dimmer remote as a 4-button device to control SmartThings bulbs without a hue bridge or even any other hue bulbs.
Combine with the Advanced Button Controller app, and you get the ability to have push and hold commands for each button.
It’s a little finicky sometimes, but I’ve been running it for about a year without needing to repair.
community.smartthings.com/t/alpha-hue-dimmer-switch-zha-beta-no-hue-bridge/62874/22
Hi Reed!!! @smarthomesolver i have the flic buttons, but i cannot connect them to home assistant, could you point me into a video or a tutorial? thanks a lot!! great channel by the way, thanks again for everything
The hue switch when connected to HomeKit you can select what each button does like activate a shortcut
Should add the C by GE switches to your next set of reviews. Their smart switch hardwires, replaces existing switch and retains smart function when off. The switch itself acts as the hub for other CbyGE devices. App can be quirky but I only use for initial setup. Didn't care for the look of the dimmer at first but it grew on me.
It is very easy to use any hard-wired smart switch to control just about any smart lights (especially if they are all within the same control app; but even if not then ifttt or similar cross platform apps should help make it happen). Here is how to make any smart switch work with smart light(s or other devices):
When you install the smart switch you need to wire the output wire (usually either black or red in USA- this is going to the light) to the always-hot source wire (usually black in USA); you still need to connect the hot and common and ground (hopefully) of the switch to the powered circuit so the switch gets power and communicates with its server or hub; but the rest of the circuit will always be on, the switch will not physically be turning the light, or anything, off. After powering up and pairing the switch, it is going to appear and work like a light in most cases (even if it looks like a switch in the app, it is not given the pre-programmed ability to digitally switch another smart device, the app thinks it is physically controlling a device but there's no device in reality- only a switch!)... However, this is easy to fix with a little bit of smart automaton programming!
You need to program it so that when this switch is turned on then turn that light or those lights or that scene on; and when this switch is off then turn these device(s) off; If you have alternate control other than the switch, like Alexa or Google voice control or other smart settings like a timer, then you'll also want to add additional programming so when the light is turned on (by another route than the switch) then the switch is turned on too; and same when the light is turned off then turn the switch off too).
In my living room, I have four recessed lights in the ceiling each with a smart bulb, and I wanted more than just on and off ability without needing to open an app or talk to alexa; So I took things a step further using the BrilliantSmart app (which is almost identical to the Tuya/ Smartlife app but Brilliantsmart should not be losing ifttt access any time soon- It works with all the SmartLife devices as well- but you can do this with most of the apps on the web as they are all built on the same base code and have similar features):
I built five different control scenes- scene 0 is all off, 1 turns on the rear two at 15% (movie mode), 2 turns all 4 on at 25%, 3 turns all of them to 50%, 4 turns all of them to 75%, and 5 sets all the lights to full 100%. The trick to making it work is just a little bit of automaton programming. The following steps are programmed into each of the five scenes:
Step 1) Turn off the switch as soon as it's pressed (technically the switch is always off and only turned on very briefly when you press it)
Step 2) Set each scene to do what it is intended to do to the lights and/or other controllable devices (including instruction to turn each light on or off as necessary- Even if the light was on in the previous scene, set it to turn on again just in case the scene is pulled out of order from a voice command).
Step 3) Set a Scene Control to "disable all 5 scenes - except the next scene in the order", which becomes enabled awaiting the next switch press (and remember to set scene 5 to activate scene 0 so the program restarts after the last scene runs!)- This scene control ensures that a switch press only activates the next scene in the loop! By using voice or other automaton, any scene can actively be called at any time, even if it is set to inactive mode- because the inactive mode just deactivates the trigger action (switch) from activating the scene- so I can still ask alexa to put the living room in movie mode, no matter what mode the switch was previously ready to do next; and then the next time the switch is pressed it will just call scene 3!
Similar programming could be used to build 3 or 4 way switch systems, with simple on/off smart switches not designed for 3 way use- but it's probably cheaper nowadays to buy a single 3-way switch if you have the wiring in place already where you want your multi-way switches to be installed.
Happy automating!
Great video! I've been on Smartthings for about 4 years and I've been looking for a good in-wall remote ever since. I never understood why I couldn't find one like they have with Insteon. I have the GoControl, which is great but ugly and only two buttons. I also have the Smartthings button which is horrible, it eats through batteries and is super-unreliable. The best I've come across is the Aeon Minimote, which is no longer made and hard to find now at an inflated price. I have this velcro'd to a custom routed wood wall plate in my mud room. Press one button on the way out the door and all the lights turn off (Smartthings scene)! I really wish some company would come out with an 8-ish button remote like what is available on Insteon though! I have also setup scene control on some of my Zooz switches and it works really well! I wish I'd gone with more Zooz than GE/Jasco/Enbrighten because of this feature. Reid - if you ever want someone to help test for you just let me know :) !
Why aren’t we talking about Shelly 2.5 relays? Require minor electrical work and a bit of head scratching on how to wire it but works with your normal light switches and has a wide range of features. There is a great plugin for Home assistant too. You can also use it to make any fixture or outlet smart. Also the Lurton Aurora is fantastic for hue lights.
I'd love to use something like Brilliant or the inovelli switches. Unfortunately, my old house suffers from the no neutral wire problem. :(
We can help you there Christopher! Our Red Series Dimmer Switches can be wired without using a neutral wire! Perfect for our customers with older homes. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
@@Inovelli Good to know.. Thanks! I'll have to look into those.
@@christopherp3474 Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions! I'm always scouring the internet looking for more Smart Home community members -Brianna | Marketing Manager
You need to try the Lutron Aurora. It works with the hie hub so you don't need any additional setup.
Great vid, I am deep in the rabbit hole with GE z-wave otherwise I would go to Innovelli. Unfortunately, when I started they had an outage in production. Next house maybe.
I hope we can convince you to make the switch now that we've grown a bit more and have gotten a lot more experience with deadlines under our belt ;) -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Inovelli , sure if you want to 1-for-1 trade my GE, I would consider switching over. I have about 20 installed with 10 to go. I like having all the same brand, makes things easier.
@@TheJamesJones haha totally understandable situation you have there. Having a uniform look for smart products seems to be the easiest way to incorporate a full system. Always great to talk to a fellow Smart Home user though! Good luck with the rest of your install. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Thanks James! Yeah I understand and the GE Z-Wave switches are a solid option as well.
@@TheJamesJones I get wanting to have all the same switches but you are missing out on all the extended feature of the Inovelli switches that the GE just lack for the same price in most cases. GE switches are actually Jasco re-branded switches and I use to like them but once I saw all the features you get from Inovelli, like power monitoring, notification options, No neutral required. and all the cool stuff built into their firmware you will look at GE switches like Basic switches with no feature. Just my two cents but I really like them!
I have Nanoleaf essential bulbs with thread tech and I would LOVE a light switch that I can use manually without turning off the power to the bulbs. I have apple home pod minis as my hub, I wish there was an easy solution that didn’t cost a ton.
You forgot the Lutron Aurora. Work for Hue bulbs. No hub required and doesn’t need to be mounted to a switch. One press for On, hold for Off or rotate the knob for Brightness :)
Hey Matt thanks for pointing that out. I probably should have at least mentioned it with the Hue options. Hue smart lights have so many great options.
smart light switches, can't wait for that video, i've been debating running cat6 to all my light switches for some time now
Yes an interesting problem. I had several TP Link bulbs, so at one point I replaced a bunch of switches with TP link switches as well. Maybe a little pricy but they all have the same app, work fine from webcore and Alexa, and just works like a switch for the Neanderthals.
9 times out of ten I think we just ask Alexa for lights anyway. My wife walks with a cane and for her voice control is a game changer; she can carry something into the kitchen and still turn the kitchen light on.
Perfect timing - I'm looking for a battery powered switch to activate Kasa outlets (tied to lamps) - suggestions?
LOL and she promptly beat you about the head with reference manual you made for the switch! LMAO you cannot win Reid great video
Any smart paddle switches that don’t require wiring available in the UK apart from Hue?
I have the same questions as you. I bought a smart outdoor outlet to plug in my string lights and I just want a switch on the wall to control it, but that's not how any smart switch works apparently. Looks like I'll have to get a SmartThings button and attach it to the wall somehow.
I have Philips wink smart color down lights. They work great but I'm trying to figure out what's the best switch to go with those. The TP link smart dimmer switch doesn't have constant power I don't think. Any ideas? Also, is there another hub that is similar to smart things that are cheaper?
Awesome 🤩🤩🤩...BTW . I'm convering my house into smart house .. therefore I've spend more than 2000 usd in smart devises .. Please tell me you opinion in below list Because your opinion is very important to me
1- TP link smart plug
2 - TP link smart light switch
3- Yeelight strip
4 - eufy doorbell
5 - eufy 360 indoor Camera
6- Smartthings hub and sensors
and for the AC i think Nest is very expensive so Im looking for cheaper solution
Great stuff as always 👍! Do you have a recommendation for some smart light switches for older homes without the neutral wire? My kitchen light switch is really inconveniently located, but it's old school wiring with just the two wires. I'd love a solid solution so I can turn this on/off from my phone or Google Assistant.. Thanks!
We can help you here Mike! Our Red Series Dimmer Switch can be wired without using the neutral wire! We should be back in stock at the end of August. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Thanks Mike! Yes like Inovelli mentioned that the Red Series does work without neutral wires. There are also a few others as well that I will be comparing in that video coming up.
Wow, that's great! Thank you both for the info! I'll look into the details for the Red Series product and look forward to your upcoming video, Reed. Thanks again!
I use Lutron Caseta switches. They are good, don't need a neutral, but they can get expensive.
And they need a hub.
Great video, I currently use Kasa light switches and they work great so far.
Iv soldered 2 wires to my hue buttons, and use my fancy chrome UK momentary switches to control them, look stock but i can now also just flick the switch
Try using ikea switches linked to smarthings hub , and ikea sensors, power outlets you can do all the thinks that buttons do and more works for me
I was planning on buying some ikea smart devices soon so I'll definitely try that out. Thanks Jeff!
Inovelli is what I'm using now, and you forgot to mention the button opposite the notification LED. That button can also be programmed to control your smart house.
Thanks for the support, and you're spot on there! The config button can be used as a "favorites" button for an additional configurable scene, or at least that's what I use it as! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Glad you're liking Inovelli. I couldn't get into every detail of that switch since I covered several others here, but there are really cool options like that button you mentioned.
Thanks Reed - This has been a nightmare in my house! Great video 👌🏻
I will appreciate if you will answer to the following problem. I have Alexa echo dot 4th generation. in my house I have wiz,xiaomi,sonoff lamps. I want to buy the philips smart button, Philips dimmer switch and the Philips tap dial. Do you know if these devices will work correctly with all the functions?!
I have LIFX mini Color bulbs in my room, there all in lamps so I don’t need a switch that covers up the main lights switch. I just would like a smart button that doesn’t require a hub. It would be great if it could also change Color/brightness. Any reccomendations
We love our inovelli switches, you should also look at RGBgenie for any multicolored bulbs or lightstrips
I'll look into it, thanks!
@@SmartHomeSolver the owner, Sean is a great resource. I'd be happy to connect the two of you
Thanks for the support! -Brianna | Marketing Manager
Hi Reed, I have the Sonoff TXT2EU1C wired to Yeelight Ceiling light but if I turn off the wall switch I loose the connection with the light, can't use the app if the smart wall switch is off 😞 anyway to fix this? thanks
Old house had Lutron Radio RA. Anything as nice as that out now at a much lower price?
It would be really nice to know which ones work with hubitat. Specially the buttons, that usually doesn’t work with hubs that are different than the manufacture.
This is just what I've been trying to find a solution for. Can you connect the hue dimmer to a zigbee bulb and have that same bulb connected to smartthings at the same time?
Ever considered that a Shelly 1 or Shelly 2,5 could solve your control problems too with your Fan? Does require you do work with electricity wires tho..
Great video! Ive know about inovelli switches for a while and to be honest its probably the best bang for your buck as far as zwave switches go. You cant really get a zwave wall* switch for under 30 bucks anyways on amazon.
Thank you! That means a lot to us. We are currently out of stock of Red Series Switches, but we'll be back in stock in August! If you have any questions feel free to reach out. -Brianna | Marketing Manager
I use Hue. ...just go to ETSY and order a handmade plate that replaces the plate in your home and adds a place for the HUE switch. This is the best!
That's a great tip, thanks!
Have you tried the Ikea Zigbee buttons?
I'd like to see you do a video about the current state of smart home devices in general - What you hate the most, what you wish would change and why nothing really seems 'smart'
Great suggestion, thanks! I'll note that for the future.
As always, nice vid Reed.
Thanks Fabio!
IMO the Sonoff mini is the way too go if you have a neutral wire. Sure, you have to do some wiring, but it’s very easy and you get to keep your original light switches for the « non tech » folks in your house ;).
I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the suggestion!
Dude great videos don't stop, unless it involves family, I do wish that you made videos more frequently but I'm not telling you to because there are more things to do than YT, stay safe Reed
Thanks! I am actually planning on making videos more frequently. I have some plans in the works so hopefully in the next few weeks you will see more videos. I appreciate the feedback and stay safe as well!
@@SmartHomeSolver no problem can't wait for more vids
I own and love the gocontrol remote. If it was a little slimmer it would be perfect.
Gocontrol works great, and yes I agree on the design!
Always a pleasure to get new video from your channel, always détails and perfect video, thanks
Thanks Audy! I appreciate you saying that!
Amazon sell plate covers for the hue switch that cover your existing switch and are very neat. They're about 6 7 euro so what 9 dollars but neatest I've seen. Now I dont know if they do them for us switches but id be suprised if they didn't
Thanks for your well made videos, as always.
What just bugs me is that almost none of this is working locally. Only the flic and lifx. But what about hue?
I sometimes just want to throw out all my echo devices when the shit is not working correctly. And yes it does happen. On last Christmas for example the echo servers were partially overloaded and sometimes when I download stuff my devices get a bad internet connection.
In situations like these I am always grateful for my hue dimming switches, they are directly connected to the bulbs.
Do you conect the pilips hue lights tho the smart tings hub??
Yes you can but the best way to do it is connect the hue hub with the smartthings hub. They work very well together though.
@@SmartHomeSolver cool thanks😀👍
Quality info and another great vid! Thanks Reed!
Thank you, I appreciate that!
How do you handle your lyfx lights losing connection permanently with just a brown out (which happens often here)? Do you have any tricks? I have 70 lights and it is a barw to fix every week or so. Thank you
Thanks for the great comparison! It seems that almost a year later and still that space is basically not even as fleshed out as dumb switches. Is there any single gang double dimmer (not fan + light) switch (preferably wifi). There are non smart ones by Lutron and Legrand, but no smart switches I can find and I was wondering if that is a thing.
What was the device you used for the ceiling fan?
Can I use philips hue dimmer switch to control my non philips wifi smart bulbs?