Question

I want to replace all my light switches with Alexa / SmartThings enabled ones. Product suggestions? Single and double plates.  

Answer 1

Caseta is amazing

Answer 2

GE has some pretty nice switches. I used them the only thing is they did not support Scenes within SmartThings.  

Answer 3

I've installed plenty of GEs, Lutron Casetas and Inovellis - all are good products. My personal preference is for Inovelli.  

Answer 4

I've also installed all of them, like the Lutron best, as their range is way better than advertised, and maintain local control even if internet fails

Answer 5

I have 4 GE switches o bought on sale waiting to install, I think I will get Inovelli moving forward based on what I’ve read. Caseta gets great reviews but much mire expensive and you have to like the look of their switch.  

Answer 6

Lutron Caseta!  

Answer 7

I have some Leviton Wi-Fi switches. But now I wish I went with lutron some I have less devices on Wi-Fi

Answer 8

O am using sonoff ‘s t2usc1 & c2, my wife love them

Answer 9

I have TP-Link Kasa switches. I don’t have anything to compare them to because they’re all I’ve ever had, but they work well with no issues and if you’re not near your Alexa the app is great.  

Answer 10

Zoos or inovelli is my preference

Answer 11

Got a few Zooz and a few GEs. No problems with either. Will have a look at Innovelli

Answer 12

GE tried and tested with kids

Answer 13

I'm still running first generation WeMo they work great

Answer 14

Been trying a few different switches in the last few months. So far, the clear winner is Inovelli Red. Tons of features.  

Answer 15

Look at Caseta wireless from Lutron.  

Answer 16

I've done most of my house with Inovelli. No regrets.  

Answer 17

Caseta. And get the bridge PRO, not the regular one

Answer 18

Why people getting lutron and not zwave switches? Seems much more expensive for similar results

Comments

@balk I think bcc there’s better/easier/clearer control at the switch. Not worth the extra money to me, so I have Zooz and like them but my Guests can’t figure out how to turn the lights on off dim.  

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@sept6 I've never used them but my ge dimmers you press and hold down to dim down and up to dim up. You can double tap either direction for extra functionality. These inovelli have a crazy amount of functionality.  

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@balk yep, my zooz are the same. and my mother in law can’t figure them out. A house we stayed in our in the Hollywood Hills had lutron and it was flawless and super easy for all to use. personally thinking of switching to Feit Costco smart dimmers. super cheap and nice switch/dimmer layout

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@sept6 I meant the switches behave like regular switches but for the advanced user also do more. They aren't difficult to use

Answer 19

Stay away from WiFi if you don’t want to choke your home network.  

Comments

@kali55 I have 60 WiFi smart devices on my network and still have blazing speeds on my other 20 devices. Streaming is amazing. My only limitation is the ISP. Any data to back your claim up?  

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I had to remove some of the older WiFi plugs as these clearly impacted my WiFi network. The more devices you add they compete for accessing the router. If they are cheap or stop getting software updates you’re inviting trouble. The other aspect is security. Many Smart home WiFi devices weren’t built with security in mind. If you do online banking from the same network, you’re inviting trouble. Every smart home expert will tell you to separate your smart home WiFi network, use another SSID, use VLAN. I chose to use z-wave and zigbee instead and slowly get rid of the WiFi smart home stuff.  

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@kali55 I don’t disagree with that. As I said backbone is extremely important. I have multiple SSIDs, VLANd of course. All my WiFi devices are flashed with tasmota and fire walled behind the router so they cannot access the outside network or internet. No exceptions. I’m running home assistant and that is the only device that can talk to the outside network. I’d be willing to bet my network is 100x more secure than the standard zigbee to WiFi bridge that most 3rd party sellers have. Remember that device is only as secure as the developers make it. Once v2 comes out updates and security patches stop with v1.  

Answer 20

You might also consider just smart bulbs if the fixtures are open type that allow heat to exit. I mixed and match switches and bulbs, like ones from TP Link switches, and Wyze. com bulbs. That's just my rather unplanned way I did it. I'm sure others here would know better suggestions.  

Comments

@eduction10 Hale Wyze is supposed to be going to a paid subscription platform if I’m not mistaken.  

Answer 21

Z wave all the way, let ke know if you would like some assistance. :) would be happy to help.  

Answer 22

It’s very easy to go down the wrong route if not done properly.  

Comments

@deberadeberry which z-wave products do you recommend?  

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@williemaewillies it purely depends on budget and what you want to get out of them. There are cheaper products and more expensive products. I always compare it to buying a car; a corsa will get you from a-b but might not last you as long as a bmw, and might not be an easy as a ride. ha ha. More than happy to recommend some products, we specialise in affordable smart home solutions and can help with as much or as little as you like. Even if it is suppying you products or just advice.  

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@deberadeberry Hi, I’m leaving in a 220V country, what would be your recommendation in this case?  

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@birdiebirdlike w we give country are you in?  

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@deberadeberry Thailand  

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@birdiebirdlike ok, drop me a pm.  

Answer 23

I don’t trust any service that is run off a proprietary cloud. So many do free hosting then when it’s no longer lucrative, they shut the service down leaving you with dumb devices. Look for something that can be hosted locally - that could be zwave or WiFi devices flashed with tasmota. I have WiFi personally because of cost reasons and haven’t noticed any sort of slowdown on my network but a good backbone in your house is critical

Comments

@sudor48 I would never recommend wifi switches. Unless you have a robust wifi system which most people don't it just eats bandwidth and slows networks down. Also what happens when the wifi goes down and there's an emergency and you can't turn all your lights on? Also there hasn't been a good reliable wifi system from a company that might shut down or stop innovating in the coming future. Invest in Lutron caseta or Ra2.  

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@americana Smith I think you’re confusing the two. If my switches don’t see the internet or even the network, they still work as a dumb switch. I’ve also done speed tests on my network and I think each switch uses perhaps a kB of data a month? I have flashed mine with tasmota so they aren’t pinging to the Chinese cloud services but even when they weren’t flashed, they still worked without internet.  

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@americana Smith I’m more interested in less consumer grade firmware because of the worry of network security and device support. I don’t trust anything on a 3rd party cloud service. If it has an app, it’s 3rd party and can stop working any day of the week. That’s a recipe for disaster.  

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@sudor48 I'm just as worried about security as the next guy but google already has all our information and location and information on how we live. Not very worried about them collecting information on when I turn on and off my lights. Plus everything is going cloud based with an app that integrates with Google/Apple/Amazon so if you want to stay up to date with technology your gunna have to give up some security to use these company's platforms. I do use a VPN on my router thoe. I don't know much about flashing devices but I have used a raspberry pie for basic custom automation. Also as much as I think the app and voice assistant is a great feature I work on designing and building (new or retro) lighting systems that make sense to use and is aesthetically appealing in your home with engraved keypads instead of local dimmers and so the app and voice assistant integration is usually just a bonus feature to the customer.  

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@americana Smith for me it’s about tinkering and having a custom solution that fits my needs. While I agree that these big companies have our info - don’t love that but I’m more worried about the service collapsing and having a bunch of useless proprietary devices since a company decided to shut things down. Again I get that obsolescence is how you make your money. Just not how I want to spend mine.  

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Fair enough. It can be an expensive investment. But you can still use lutrons caseta line of smart lighting products for consumer based pricing which does not run off wifi and is much more reliable. And if your so worried about security then don't use the hub and app.  

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@sudor48 I also don't see Lutron dropping their lighting products anytime soon. Lutron pretty much invented the dimmer and have been innovating for decades and show no sign of slowing down

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@americana Smith if you don’t connect the smart switch to the device that makes them smart. then it’s a dumb switch. Right? Again I get that WiFi isn’t the best option when it comes to out of the box network security but for price and capability it can’t be beat. I don’t feel that zwave has any added benefit if a switch 1/2 the cost does the same thing. I also get the support for a single product because of a name. That’s fine and all. But I’m not one to blindly back a product just due to its namesake.  

Answer 24

Lutron caseta or Ra2 if you have the budget. Lutron and control4 are the only automated lighting systems I would ever recommend and install

Comments

Don't waste your time and money with cheap products. Lutron basically invented the dimmer and has been innovating for decades!  

Answer 25

I love our Lutron set up. In bathrooms, garage, closets and common areas went with with motion sensing switches. They don’t come on when there is enough light already.  

Comments

@famished566 this is what my electrician recommended

Answer 26

How do you guys handle double/triple toggle light switches? do you just switch the wall plates to the paddle ones and not the toggles -- then install? -- the GE toggle switches look cheap.  

Comments

@famished566 ^?  

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Just install one 3-way smart switch at the switch that has the power running to it first. The others just stay the same. I used tp link 3-way switches and its the same for 3-way or 4-way setups.  

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I did switch out the other toggle switches to paddle switches to keep the same look though.  

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@hoodmanblind lutron, you choose each switch individually - are you in the US? That makes a difference!  

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@hoodmanblind I have three way paddles from Treatlife. They’re cheap 4/$80 and work very well.  

Answer 27

Aurora AOne

Answer 28

Inovelli switches are fantastic. Inovelli

Answer 29

Zwave+, stay away from WiFi or BT.  

Comments

@lemur why should someone stay away from WiFi? I have been having very good luck with my WiFi.  

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Mark, because he mentioned Smartthings and doing all switches. With home automation WiFi protocol is subpar because it doesn’t run local. Zwave+ and Smartthings run local meaning that all automations will still work even if the internet goes down. Just want OP to doit right the 1st time. Keep on keeping in though. Also, it doesn’t bog down your internet.  

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@lemur check out tasmota. It completely removes all those concerns you mentioned.  

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@lemur as a side note zigbee operates on 2. 4 frequency band just like WiFi does. So technically it does degrade your WiFi.  

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Mark, never mentioned zigbee and im a SmartThings user so ZW+ was my best option without the need to flash anything so im passing it on to OP. Only zigbee I Have is for my cabinet lights but I also have a Mesh wifi system so I don't worry about degrade of my wifi.  

Answer 30

Get the GE or Honeywell z wave switches, those are the absolute best

Answer 31

I went all in With Inovelli and local controller!  

Comments

Great choice!  

Answer 32

Well I've now put in both ge and inovelli. You will need ge if you want any add on or fan switch. Also inovelli with all their extra features require a bit more on the set up portion.