What’s your switch recommendation?
I’m in a pinch. While I am technically savvy, my better half is not. It has to work every time, or it will be ripped out… And I can’t spend $50 on every switch in the house…
Right now, I have a kasa wifi switch on the porch lights. It’s basic, but it works.
My better half has asked me to automate the lights in the basement so she can ask Alexa to turn them off for her when our kids inevitably forget. I’m excited and terrified at the prospect of diving in headlong and hitting a wall, so here I am.
I have decent and reliable wifi through the house (2 Asus ZenWifi routers in mesh) , and decent internet. We have many Alexa’s through the house.
Requirements:
- Must work with Alexa - so Wifi, Matter, Zigbee. Not interested in adding another smart hub.
- We have Android devices. Not sure that matters too much. Will have a Home Assistant dashboard setup for the lights.
- I have HomeAssistant, but given the voice component, I’m fine driving the automation commands from either (or both) platforms. ** Question then… If I get a non wifi switch, will I need to pay for the Amazon integration to get them into HA because the Alexa is the hub???
- The lights need to be voice controllable
- To start with, need 7-9 single pole switches and four 3-way zones (two switches each). So, it’s a lot to start with, and I hope for it to grow.
- All the lights are LEDs, but they very in quality… Hoping we don’t get flickering on the dimmer.
- Want them to be on a dimmer, so we can set evening brightness, etc. some of the lights are reading lights near the TV, so…
Have seen a lot of different types of $20 ish smart dimmer switches. Kasa, Tapo, Shelly, …, … I’m struggling to pick the technology. On one side, worried about having too many things on wifi. On the other, I have one working switch that has hiccuped twice in the 2 years we’ve had it (an acceptable failure rate that was quickly fixed by pushing the switch button…)
Thank you all!!!
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Read the specs on this and see if it will work for you. I’ve got about 35 Zooz switches and they’re solid.
You’ll need a z-wave stick. I have the Zooz long range stick and it works well.
+1 for Zoozs with HA. It works reliable and the Alexa integration is a few cents in AWS cost a month if you are willing to tinker. There are guides out there that you follow once and forget about it.
Zoozs covers a wide range of application including set switches and various dimmers for different scenarios. Plus you have multiple options for 3way, 4way, and virtual Nway with Zwave’s association.
For me the combo HA plus Zwave leaves enough to tinker but is rock solid for other users.
(And the platform is local and open: over time added Zigbee into HA as also a bunch of other integrations and exposed only those entities to Alexa that matter - also helps with Alexa triggering the right device)
+1 for Zooz
I appreciate the motivation your wife has regarding the kids forgetting to turn stuff off. Same issue here, but grandkids. 🥴
I’ve been considering adding an mmWave presence detector in rooms in which they often leave lights on. But so far I haven’t found a Z-Wave solution and don’t want to add Zibgee to my setup.
There are some inexpensive ESPHome versions out there if you’re ok with wifi instead.
+1 for Zooz
I appreciate the motivation your wife has regarding the kids forgetting to turn stuff off. Same issue here, but grandkids. 🥴
I’ve been considering adding an mmWave presence detector in rooms in which they often leave lights on. But so far I haven’t found a Z-Wave solution and don’t want to add Zibgee to my setup.
He would need more than a Z-Wave stick. He doesn’t want a hub device past his Alexa devices, so it needs to be WiFi or Zigbee. No way to directly control Z-Wave with Amazon Echos.
You want reliable? Forget WiFi.
If you’re committed to Zigbee, the Inovelli Blue series are very nice. They are a bit pricier, but you get an extra scene button you can configure in HA, as well as the light bar that can be used for alerts and notifications.
If you can add a Zwave radio (USB dongle) to your HA install, you could go with Zooz. Also very nice, but less expensive than Inovelli. Zooz has options for scene controllers and plugs as well.
I have 40ish kasa switches. Including many running 3 way…
Nice part is if you buy the 2 pack of 3 way switches you can do two different sets of lights. You only need one switch per 3 way setup. ( this saved me, as my builder put in stupid amounts.)
HS210 for 3 way HS 200 for fans HS 220 for lights/ Dimmers.
Check to see if you have a neutral available in each box before ordering a bunch of switches based on other criteria.
Also, you said all lights are LEDs but are they all dimmable?
For smart switches the only thing I have installed is Kasa switches. I’ve got a mix of Kasa switches and smart bulbs and if I had it to do over again I’d skip the smart bulbs everywhere possible and replace almost every switch with Kasa.
Eventually I probably will get there as I slowly replace.
Kasa has been great
The amazing Tapo TP Link 1st Matter switch on Amazon. No affiliate. Currently on discount for 16$
I have been rocking these. Zero issue. Works flawlessly with Home Assistant, and I have Google home as a second controller
I have to say that I am also using Google WiFi, which was built with matter in mind, so that could be why I never have issues. Easy to install requires a ground wire
Edit: I dont see why Alexa setup would require an extra fee with matter. Matter needs IPV6 enabled on router. There is a version of that light with a dimmer for about 5 dollars more
Major thing that’s holding me back here are the 3way zones. Tapo doesn’t make a 3 way switch like this. Thoughts?
The zooz z-wave switches are the only ones I’ve seen that let you wire them into an existing 3 or even 4-way circuit with a single smart switch (leaving the other dumb switches in place). Other smart switches replace the master on the circuit and then you put what are effectively remotes (or actual remotes in the case of Lutron Caseta) to replace the non-master switch.
Second the recommendation for Lutron Caseta if reliability is your #1 concern. Absolutely rock solid, but it involves another hub and the switches are pricey. Don’t have any zigbee switch recommendations unfortunately. Sorry.
Have used Feit (from Costco) with great success. Paid $19.99 for a three-pack with three -way dimmers. Of course they work as ‘singular’ units as well. Better built than KASA.
Kasa has been really great. They respond very fast too specially when you pair them with motion sensors.