I have a need to put smart plugs on a few plug-in lamps in my home. But I am having the hardest time finding HA compatible hardware for this. The lamps must retain a physical switch in a convenient location when adding automation. (This is a core tenet of home automation that seems to be going to the wayside.)
What I absolutely do not want is a switch that just interfaces with HA and a plug that interfaces with HA. I hate the time it takes for a button press to actually turn the plug on or off. Even worse, having to dig out my phone, open an app, and navigate to the screen with the button vs. just hitting the switch on the wall with my hand as I walk by.
What I want is a plug (don’t care about power/energy monitoring) that works directly with HA (without the cloud), and a switch that works directly with the plug. The switch/button should be something like 433MHz or ZigBee, and only pairs to the plug itself.
As an example, the Sonoff iFan-03/04 does exactly what I want with its light switch on its remote control. But it’s a fan controller, so not suitable for my needs. Also its remote is stupidly small and ugly, and has a terrible design that’s difficult to use.
I’ve done some searching and have only found devices that either aren’t compatible with HA or have separate components that rely on a middle service for the switch to operate the plug. I need fast response time - no 1-2 second delay - and a switch that looks and works as much like a standard wall switch as possible.
I will be very grateful if anyone here has suggestions on how to solve this.
EDIT: I would be perfectly happy flashing a new firmware on any device that can handle it. I use Tasmota extensively in my installation.
I have never tried, but I’m pretty sure Shelly plug can be connected to any Shelly button without cloud or HA in the middle having the plug available on HA as well.
If you have a Tasmota smart plug and a Tasmota smart switch, you can configure the switch to directly control the plug instead of (or in addition to) toggling its internal relay. You do not need HA or even MQTT to do this. One simple way is to write a rule that calls the HTTP REST URL of the plug on/off/toggle command. Another option might be device groups, but I haven’t tried that.
Zigbee and Z-Wave also support bindings / direct associations, which allow a device to send an on/off command directly to another device without central hub involvement. I use several Z-Wave “scene controllers” and “smart bulb” switches to control a number of Z-Wave plugs using direct associations that work even when HA is offline.
Awesome! Thank you for the array of options to try out. I have some Shelly and plenty of Tasmota devices I can experiment with. And I’ll take a look at what zigbee can do with pairing as well.
I agree with your tenet that there should be a normal, locally-acting switch controlling a light.
Following that logic, how about a switch, wired normally to control a normal outlet, which the lamp is plugged into? Then, you can replace the switch with a Zigbee “smart” switch. It works normally, but also allows you to control it from HA.
I’ve done this with a Sonoff 01MINIZB in a couple of spots. The only down side is the switch acts as a toggle, so if you turn in on physically by flipping it “up”, then turn it off from HA, it will still be on the “up” position. Next time you go to flip it by hand, “up” will be off and “down” will be on. If that bothers you, toggle it very quickly and it will swap back. There is also a very small but perceptible delay, sort of like you’d get with the old-style compact florescent bulbs.
The outlets in my house aren’t switched, and changing the house wiring would be very expensive. I don’t mind replacing an outlet with a smart outlet if it gets me this functionality.
I’ve tried using the Shelly devices like that Sonoff. The weird switch behavior is odd and kinda breaks the experience. So for us, we’d rather use a “wireless” connection that just toggles. The switch doesn’t have to use the existing wires. It just needs to work without the automation system being on line.
OK, so Shelly has a better setup than Sonoff, for what I’m looking for. Shelly has BT buttons that pair directly to any of their later model devices that have BT in them. Otherwise they have a BT bridge dongle.
One problem is Shelly seems to only sell 4-button switch pads, which is annoying. A single or double would be better. I’m going to contact them and ask some questions about what can pair with their devices. If I can get any BLE button to pair, I’ll be able to use any button I can find.
These might work as a smart plug option:
And maybe these for a ceiling light:
Anyone tried pairing a non-Shelly BLE device to a Shelly device that can act as a BT gateway?
I was looking at those, but they are not nice wall switches.
I am getting a bit frustrated with the industry about buttons and switches. It seems like manufacturers think all we want are key fob-like buttons. Those are OK if you want to carry something in your pocket all the time. But for actual in-home hardware, we need things that look, mount and operate more like the existing dumb switches.
Interesting point. I have a buddy dropping by who has some devices I want to experiment with. He has more unused Shelly hardware than a distribution warehouse.
And I wonder if Tasmota holds up to ESPHome in regard to pairing BT devices like that. Sounds like another test to add to my list. I have devices from both of those, so I’ll see what I can do and report back with my findings.
Ya, we are looking for a more refined user experience. I really need buttons or switches that look like they belong for the long term, and can remain there when we sell the house.
I just found out a moment ago from my buddy that the Shelly Plus Wall Dimmer can be controlled by a BLE button AND can act like a BLE button. And it doesn’t have to switch something itself, as long as you can give it a neutral wire. (It needs a load to work with no neutral). It would never need a battery, because it runs from mains power. So, that’s heading my way this eve for testing as well.
I actually have a few different use cases, beyond just lamps. I’m not a big fan of cord switches anyway. But I’m also trying to solve for ceiling lights, where I might not have a real switch to replace, but rather adding one because our house has a pretty lame layout in some places with regard to light switch placement.
Many people use traditional dumb switches connected to Shelly (me included). Keep your existing switch or pick one that you like and connect it to any shelly device that has input. You need power though.
Like Karosm, I do this too with Shelly relays. As long as the box has power, you are off to the races. Any smart outlet that has an API endpoint (like the Shellys do), you can control. All local; no internet. Heck, you don’t even need HA to make it work. You can configure the relay directly from the Shelly app or its internal webpage.
