#Selecting In Ceiling Lights

62 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

rich saffron
#

I want som RGB in Ceiling Lights that have control over intensity and able to be controlled via HA. I wouldl ike it be decently bright and its to light up a bedroom

hexed axle
#

I use Phillips Hue for this purpose. You’ll need their hub too. It is all very simple to set up with HA. The bulbs are more expensive than others but they have a good reputation for longevity. They appear to have a higher brightness than other bulbs but I have not measured this directly.

rich saffron
hexed axle
#

I don’t know. I started using them before I discovered HA. The Phillips Hue hub is pretty inexpensive and often heavily discounted or free if you are buying bulbs. Black Friday sale going on now.

versed plover
#

No you don't. The Hue lights are zigbee so you just need a zigbee controller.

#

Wiz is another option (same parent company as Hue) that works over wifi and is pretty painless with HA.

rich saffron
#

One of the main upgrades is less dependence on Wi-Fi

#

Bc rn if my Wi-Fi goes out most of my devices can’t be controlled

swift dagger
#

for rgb lights, at the moment the only reasonable options are lights that require some type of remote control.

#

note that modern philips hue and wiz lights, along with some other options like nanoleaf, offer a backup option of being able to control the lights via bluetooth from your phone.

#

zigbee lights also have the potential to use binding with a remote which should allow them to be managed by the remote even if the zigbee controller (e.g. a zigbee stick connected to your ha box) isn't online.

rich saffron
#

Is that a new thing I have to buy?

#

Or I could control it with an app on my phone (preferred)

swift dagger
#

in general, you could use your phone to control any smart lights via the home assistant app.

rich saffron
swift dagger
#

no, because your phone has to connect to home assistant.

#

a zigbee remote is a hardware device that can be on the same zigbee network as the lights, allowing it to work independently of wifi. it can either be set up to send commands to home assistant, and then home assistant tells the lights what to do; or it can be configured to send commands directly to the lights over zigbee without going through home assistant.

rich saffron
#

Can It communicate to ha when Wi-Fi is out?

#

Bc if not I’m guessing all my devices need to have zigbee so it can communicate directly

swift dagger
#

it depends on your networking setup - if home assistant has a usb zigbee stick, then devices can talk to home assistant and ha can send them commands independently of your wifi

rich saffron
#

I’m planning on getting a raspberry pi and installing HA to that

#

Should I add a zigbee stick to my cart?

swift dagger
#

decide what kind of lights you want to go with first. If you end up deciding that zigbee lights like hue are the way to go, then sure.

#

rgb smart bulbs should not be run off a dimmer switch.

rich saffron
#

My switches are zigbee already

rich saffron
#

It’s Inoveli ones

swift dagger
#

if the switches have a proper smart bulb mode and are zigbee, then you should definitely get zigbee lights.

#

and a zbt-1 or similar so your home assistant can talk zigbee (otherwise it couldn't use the smart switches either)

rich saffron
#

Are the Philips hue one zigbee?

#

What’s a zbt-1?

#

Give me 15m I’ll be back

swift dagger
#

philips hue are zigbee, yes. ZBT-1 is the name of the Home Assistant branded usb zigbee coordinator hardware. There's other options available; mine is from SMLight.

fiery totem
#

inovellis work great with my hue lights - when using zigbee bindings fyi

swift dagger
#

The SMLight SLZB-06M is commonly recommended since it allows you to use wired ethernet to move the zigbee coordinator to a central location in your house away from the home assistant box, where it can get a good signal to control your devices.

#

but the USB ones are simple to set up, and mean your zigbee stuff is independent from your home network. whatever works for you.

fiery totem
#

Even with the SMLight SLZB-06M they are "independent from the home network" they are just POE. If they don't have a POE switch then that won't work.

#

well let me correct myself, they allow over wifi. thats not ideal for me - def a great coordinator though if you have poe

swift dagger
#

yeah, i wouldn't recommend using one over wifi. and they work even without poe, since you can power them with usb (e.g. a phone charger) while connected to normal ethernet.

fiery totem
#

yeah I would just use them as a usb device vs passing them through my network.

Another one to consider is the sonoff dongle - thats what I use and pass it through proxmox my haos install

has worked well for me. But it sounds like if you already have inovelli zigbee switches you have that figured out

swift dagger
#

it sounds like the inovelli switches are on order, but they didn't have a zigbee coordinator ordered, which would end up being a problem :)

fiery totem
#

ah - context is key. Yea OP any dongle will work, just avoid brand specific ones as they sometimes don't talk well with others despite being zigbee.

rich saffron
fiery totem
#

hope you enjoy the setup. Like I said I love my inovelli switches

rich saffron
#

i would still be able to dim my lights right?

#

like with smart bulb mode

versed plover
rich saffron
#

its anoyying

fiery totem
rich saffron
#

Can i make the switch dim by holding the switch at the bottom and then brighten when holding the top of the switch

#

idk if they have that control

versed plover
#

yes

fiery totem
#

yup, literally how I have mine setup

rich saffron
fiery totem
#

In one, I use it for my fan. In another, I use it for philips hue light strips. You can use it as a zigbee button