Smart Downlights after Renovating Property

Lmrtimn on 04/10/2020 - 13:14
Last edited 04/10/2020 - 13:36

We are doing a living room and kitchen renovation and as a result our ceiling is going to get replaced due to us knocking out multiple walls. Currently, we have 9 Hue B22/E27 lights in there, however the builder suggested getting down lights instead since we are already knocking out the ceiling.
We are so used to smart lights so we want to keep the rooms using smart home systems, has anyone had experience with setting up a new home with smart down lights? All the IKEA ones are just the GU10 bulbs but from what I’ve read they’re better for retrofitting to existing down lights, not for a new install.

I really like the Hue set up (already have 12 globes from previous OzBargain deals) but the Hue Garnea is $70 per light and since we’re looking at around 16 down lights that won’t be feasible.

I can easily reuse my other 9 Hue B22/E27 in other areas of the house so that’s no necessarily an issue.

Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome!

EDIT: Would something like this work as we have no fittings yet and it can connect to the Hue Bridge through ZigBee?
https://urneeds.com.au/13w-90mm-smart-zigbee-tri-clour-led-d…

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • websterp on 04/10/2020 - 13:24
    +1

    You can get ZigBee downlights that are hue compatible. They aren't Philips so you don't have to pay the Philips hue tax but would work with your hue hub.

    • mrtimn on 04/10/2020 - 13:32

      Would it work to just purchase say these:
      https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/361311168013
      Then use the IKEA GU10s for $20 each?

      • stratbargain on 04/10/2020 - 18:09

        That's what I'm planning on doing. That way you can always replace the globes/smart component down the track.

  • keo on 04/10/2020 - 13:56
    +1

    If you want to stay with hue hub and not pay the price this is what I have.

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/13W-Echo-Plus-SmartThings-Nue-Hu…

    I'm sure you can get them a bit cheaper if you're buying 12 of them. So far reliability has been about 98%, had to power cycle it a few times as they just stop responding.

    Ikea gu10 are pretty dim compared to this one and I much prefer the look of the newer integrated led downlights. Price would also be similar by the time you buy the holder and then the bulbs.

    If you want full colour I have both genio and arlec downlights and they work the same, about 98% reliability but they will not sync with hue. They do work well with tuya smartlife.

    For 12 globes if you only want switch on/off no dimming or colours put in good standard led donwlights and get a smart zigbee or wifi light switch to control them all at once. Just make sure you get electrician to wire in neutral wire while he's there for best compability with light switches.

    • kbo5000 on 04/10/2020 - 14:14
      +1

      Can get Z-wave and wifi in-wall dimmers too. I plan on getting a few of these installed, as I have waaay too many downlights to justify replacing them all with smart lights

      • keo on 04/10/2020 - 14:29

        I stay away from z-wave now that zigbee and wifi are so much more common. Zigbee and wifi are so much easier to source and you don't have to worry about zwave country specific frequencies. Also if you are getting wifi make sure you have a very strong wifi connection/router otherwise reliability goes down considerably.

        I have also given up on dimmers after dealing with leds that are advertised as dimmable but turn into a flashing disco shows which is inconvenient if you had to wait a month for them to be shipped from china. Trying to find compatible dimmers and globes is painful if you're installing multiple ones. If you want dimming I think spending the extra for smart globes is worth it because not only can you dim but also colour and/or white temperature.

      • mrtimn on 04/10/2020 - 14:31

        Can any of them dim individual bulbs via smart home? I don’t really care about having separate gangs on the switch, but it is convenient to dim half the room and leave the other half on full

  • EnergicAU on 04/10/2020 - 15:17
    +1

    I went through this process and ended up buying a mix of 90mm hue garneas and hue ambiance downlights. Ended up with over 40 as I did the whole house including bathrooms bedroom etc.

    The 90mm hue garneas have been good and works seamlessly. I've also got a smart things hub setup to get cross platform compatibility.

    If you have neutral wiring I would look at smart switches as a cheaper option.

    I'll note that the downlights are a lot dimmer than the downlights (garnea) so you won't use it in kitchens etc

    • mrtimn on 04/10/2020 - 15:34

      Thanks, how did you go about switches for them too? Do you have a hue switch next to the regular switch?

  • EnergicAU on 04/10/2020 - 16:26
    +1

    I ended up doing a few things.

    My hallway and guest bathroom as well as ensuite are all connected with a motion sensor so they turn on when there is motion. Outdoor is also the same as I have outdoor hue lights at the front/rear garage too.

    For the kitchen living room and dining room, for now I just have the 3 switches on my fridge and they turn on the respective zones.

    I have Google nest hubs around the house to control individual rooms/lights and zones as well as nest minis in the guest rooms but it I'll assume these will be used "old fashioned".

  • cshbicos on 04/10/2020 - 21:00
    +1

    I was in a similar position, but my downlights also needed to be IC-4 rated… Amazingly it was super hard to find that from the big brands. So I ended up going with Mercator Smart Optica. So far (4 months in) they work well with my openhab installation (I assume they might work all right with any other zigbee hub too). The beauty of openhab is that I was also able to include my Zwave and wifi devices into one beautifully interconnected house but I wouldn't necessarily recommend that unless you enjoy spending a lot of time fiddling with this on a very technical level.

  • 2careless on 06/10/2020 - 07:02
    +1

    First, whatever light you get, should have a electrical compliance certificate for Australian use.

    I installed 40+ ZigBee downlights at my house when I renovated last year. I picked those Nue/3A lights. I am progressively replacing them with Philips Hue Garnea. Issues are:
    1. Some failed within 3 months and exhausted my spares.
    2. When switched off some still emitted very dimmed light, very spooky.
    3. Some emitted low hissing noise when dimmed.
    4. Colours were inconsistent.

    So far the Garneas have none of these issues. I bought some during last FY sale for $49.95 each and I hope to get all replaced during the coming sales.

    • mrtimn on 06/10/2020 - 08:01

      That’s really helpful, did you find the garnea’s bright enough? I worry they don’t have as high lumens.

      • 2careless on 06/10/2020 - 12:54

        I don't find the Garnea's not bright enough. The only question is whether 4 colour temperatures are sufficient. So far it's ok.
        My original Zigbee downlights are all those 12W RGB 3A/Nue ones and yes they are a touch brighter, but not by much to my eyes.

        As for the switch - if I had a chance to do it again (we did a full house rewiring), I would route all the switches into a cabinet at each floor to control them en masse, and to only put remote switches like the Hue dimmer switches in the rooms. Since you're replacing the ceilings for these rooms, the sparky may be able to route the switches to a cabinet?

        BTW the Hue dimmer switches are not battery hungry. I have 15 of them and have only replaced one battery.

        • Bruskey on 13/10/2020 - 18:11

          It seams so dificult to get information about the Hue downlights. Are you able to confirm that the Garnea can only do 4 colour temps and thats it? Can it not be adjusted to any colour temp across the range like you can with the globes? What other options are there for Hue downlights?

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