Quick question: does it make sense to add a smart switch to lights that are already smart? I have them set to turn off automatically in the evening, but sometimes I still need light and then I have none 😅
Is it okay to use AliExpress switches and lights too tough?
#Question about lights
maiden jasper
grim smelt
In general, you don't want a smart bulb running off a smart switch. You shouldn't run smart bulbs on a dimmers, and smart switches are dimmers. Plus for mesh network systems like zigbee or thread, powering off the bulb will disrupt the mesh and make communication to other stuff have problems. Bulbs can take a while to reconnect after they're powered on, too.
Some smart switches have a smart bulb mode (sometimes called "detached" mode) which allows you to use the switch to trigger automations or turn smart bulbs on/off but without actually cutting power.
maiden jasper
Some smart switches have a smart bulb mode (sometimes called "detached" mode) wh...
That sounds great do you have one that you can recommend? Is there any other way than using a smart switch if I want to turn off the smart lights manually?
Is it generally okay to buy AliExpress smart home things?
grim smelt
sorry, i don't have any specific recommendations. If you want someone else to help, you should say what country you're in since different products work in different countries
aliexpress stuff is "buyer beware". Some stuff is ok, some is bad, and it's hard to tell which unless you do some other research.
maiden jasper
I am from Germany.
Currently, I have six smart light bulbs across two rooms (three bulbs per room). I have an automation that turns all lights off at 9:00 PM, since that’s usually when I go to sleep.
However, if I go to bed later (for example at 10:00 PM) and manually turn the lights on again, they won’t turn on automatically the next morning because they were left in the “off” state.
Additionally, I’m considering replacing my current bulbs because they’re not bright enough. I’m unsure whether I should switch to:
dumb bulbs with smart switches, or
smarter bulbs with proper dimming and better brightness control.
I’d appreciate any recommendations or best practices for handling this kind of setup and automation more effectively.
leaden ice
You should ask in the Automation channel for help with the first problem. Hard to say on the bulb front as every LED bulb I’ve bought, smart or not, has been bright enough. But I personally like Ikea’s stuff.
As a general suggestion, you should definitely look at presence sensors. Depending on the room you might find simple PIRs with an adequate timeout are suitable for light control. Also using scenes to record the last state is a powerful tool. In my lounge I have an automation that records the last state of the main and side lights on exit and restores the state when someone returns. It’s more complicated than just turning the lights on and off but works well for us.
Hmm thinking about this I need to find out how to improve that automation further. Would be nice to reset the saved state for the morning, that way the lights can come on brighter instead of muted like they were in the evening . Thanks for that (indirect) inspiration.
maiden jasper
You should ask in the Automation channel for help with the first problem. Hard t...
Oh the presence detector is a great idea i think
maybe i can do it liuke this that if it detecs presense it turns the lights off and after a certain time or no presene it turns them off
Maybe this?