Smart Lighting Suggestions

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  [Deactivated] on 19/04/2020 - 10:42

  +2

  Hue.

  Biggest forum based community and support. Most important aspect of many tech purchase.

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  dg1991 on 19/04/2020 - 11:06

  +3

  Hi There,

  Not sure if this will help you (may help others) but i went the route of getting smart switches. So essentially the downlights in my home are all standard (dumb), but the switches are smart. I can control them with my phone, and with google home in my case. It's great, I don't have to get out of bed to turn the bedroom lights off!

  I ended up buying Brilliant Smart Switches, but there are plenty of different brands. M Switches do need a neutral wire, if its a newish home it is likely to have a neutral. Legally do need a sparky to install it, but its cheaper to replace a switch that does multiple lights than replace multiple lights themselves.

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  JimmyF on 19/04/2020 - 11:26

  +3

  'Smart' wall switches are much better in the long run. That way you have 'access' to using cheaper non smart lights in the future when the light fails etc.

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    [Deactivated] on 19/04/2020 - 11:44

    If all you're after is to control it with the phone and are willing to forego scalability, go for the smart switch. I contemplated it but I went with bulbs.

    I saw the potential for non-traditional light setup. With smart bulbs, you are no longer confined to just on and off in preset configurations. (The possiblities are actually far more than you're able to comprehend atm. Unlearning traditional circuit layout is surprisingly hard.)

    With the exception of bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets, my lights are all automated via sensors and/or time. I am also working on an IFTTT with a light sensor so instead of having an afternoon and night setting, the lights will be adaptive to ambient light levels.

    All this is doable, in fact, already done on multiple projects across multiple forums.

    With a smart switch, you end up with just another switch… that you can also toggle with your phone.

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      JimmyF on 19/04/2020 - 11:50

      If all you're after is to control it with the phone and are willing to forego scalability, go for the smart switch.

      Most smart switch apps have senses and 'controls' around them, lots of switches are dimmers as well. The Brilliant Smart switches listed above are just tuya devices, ie the platform that powers most smart light bulbs.

      Sure smart switches are colour changing etc.

      With a smart switch, you end up with just another switch… that you can also toggle with your phone.

      If you're using IFTTT you can do everything you listed above at a switch level using other devices or just use the tuya platform, you can add tuya movement sensors to enable lights etc all controlled from one app.

      The point was think outside the square, smart lights are great, but so are smart switches. I have smart lights and honestly in the next place, which isn't too far away. I'll be going mostly smart switches etc.

      If you use a platform like tuya, you can have both mixed and matched working together.

      If you use a hue platform you're locked in mostly to them and boy its costly.

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        [Deactivated] on 19/04/2020 - 12:55

        +1

        If you're using IFTTT you can do everything you listed above at a switch level using other devices or just use the tuya platform, you can add tuya movement sensors to enable lights etc all controlled from one app.

        It's not possible as in my system, certain lights (ie. Only downlights, skirting, benchtops, or a combination of) come on in a given scenario. Yes, if we were discussing theoretical possibility, you can achieve the same with a smart switch, you just need a lot of them thus defeating the idea of minimal intervention.

        We can both achieve the same result but with a smart switch, you are limited in the changes and options at the switch level, I am limited at the individual light source.

        The smart switch has physical groupings. The smart bulbs do not.

        The pros of the smart switch is potentially cheaper. (Exceptions as per my example of increasing number of switches).

        The pros of the smart light is more flexibility, scalability and customisation.

        (Also, the native Hue app still has the best "away from home" reliability which I use a lot.)

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          JimmyF on 19/04/2020 - 14:12

          @[Deactivated]: There are many pros and cons, for one smart switches also 'work' like a normal switch, so anyone can use them, visitors for example.

          Unlike smart lights, that need to use an app or voice command to control them.

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            [Deactivated] on 19/04/2020 - 17:24

            @JimmyF: That's a fair point and quite relevant.

            I found a solution to it (both short and long term.

            The short term was a bit of sticky tape. Visitors stopped touching the switch and automatically moved their hand to the hue switch.

            Long term, I grouped the physical switch into a specialised wall plate that gets covered by a Hue dimmer switch plate. Looks just like a normal wall cover plate but with clicky buttons.

            I haven't had any guest confused since.

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  caitsith01 on 19/04/2020 - 14:06

  I have a decent number of Lifx bulbs.

  Pros:

  • colour is amazing
  • brightness is good
  • once you get wifi working, they are very responsive
  • don't need a third party hub/router
  • seem to last well
  • app is fairly good
  • Google integration
  • IFTTT integration

  Cons:

  • ridiculously expensive
  • wifi setup is awful and inconsistent - app seems to be straight up broken at times and it can be really hard to get an initial connection going
  • some of the scheduling/effects stuff is flaky as hell

  If the bulbs were closer to $30 a hit and wifi actually worked well they would be absolutely superb. As it is, they are just 'ok'.

  If you want amazing colours and light shows, Lifx are the best IMHO. If you just want on/off via an app and that sort of thing then Lifx is total overkill.

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  sauce2k6 on 19/04/2020 - 14:10

  sorry to comment in your post but anyone know roughly the cost of getting a smart switch installed if I already have the smart switch? Got 2 already just need a sparky to come out and install them

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    [Deactivated] on 20/04/2020 - 10:47

    In a new building with earth cables running throughout, I would pay $50 for a call out (more if rural) and would be happy to pay $60/hr and to pay a minimum of one hour. They should be able to do at least four switches an hour.

    (The job involves switching off mains, removing the wall plate, unscrewing three fasteners, taking the wire and shoving it into the new switch, fasten the wires, fasten the plates. It's an idiot's job.)

    So in your case, $110.

    If you do not have earth cables to your switch, the cost will be significantly more than throwing the switch away and buying smart bulbs.

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      sauce2k6 on 20/04/2020 - 16:57

      The building I am in is old like 30-40 years and in rural area lol.

      Thanks for the info though at least I know what I need to do going forward and roughly the costs to install the smart plug.

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        [Deactivated] on 20/04/2020 - 17:20

        Just go bulbs. Rural and tradies, especially for small jobs, is going to cost you a bloody fortune.

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  Zazer on 19/04/2020 - 16:38

  Can someone recommend the best value colour changing bulbs? Keen to get some downlight ones without spending too much :/

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    rvsure on 24/04/2020 - 14:37

    I recently got these Kogan smart downlights at $99 for 4 pack. Haven't got then installed but tested them and they work well with Google home and Alexa.

    https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-smarterhome-smart-led-dow…

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  Oofy Doofy on 13/05/2020 - 18:19

  Brilliant or Arlec smart globes? I have one of each…but the brilliant has a wider Kelvin selection and it's a few bucks cheaper per bulb… If they both are confirmed working with the smart life app, then I guess the cheaper Brilliant will do the job.