Question

Looking for advice.  I’m brand new to all of this and pretty much starting from scratch.Looking for advice. I’m brand new to all of this and pretty much starting from scratch. All I’ve purchased so far is a Phillips Hue White starter kit which I haven’t even hooked up yet so I’ll probably have lot’s of questions. First thing I’m looking for are light switches, 2 would need a dimmer but the rest would not. I’d like to be able to set up in Apple Home kit using one of my AppleTV 4K as the hub if possible so that it would automatically turn on and off based on location once the first person arrives home or the last one leaves. I believe this is considered Geofencing correct? Do these also offer a manual override if the network is down? Looking for recommendations on which switch to get that’s reliable but doesn’t need to be the most expensive either. Thanks in advance for any advice, I’m pretty technically savvy but this is a whole new world for me. Next up will be a smart thermostat but I’ve got no common wire so I’ve gotta jump that hurdle first. I’ve got a Nest E now but doesn’t appear to be compatible with what I want to do.  

Answer 1

I won’t have a ton of answers for you as I don’t play with Hue and I really haven’t used geofencing you activate anything personally, but I will recommend Lutron Caseta for lighting control. I have two if their Smart Bridge Pros with about 120 or so Lutron switches and remotes and they work flawlessly all the time. I’m using the Apple TV as a hub for these. I also use Hubitat for control and Lutron works with both systems at the same time, giving me tons of options with things that may not necessarily be HomeKit capable. Good luck with your new project.  

Answer 2

I’m relatively new to it all also. I installed the Caseta Lutron switches downstairs. Some regular, some dim and also 3-way. I think they work great. Integrates with Alexa, and they look good. I think I’ll stay with this and make my way through the whole house