Not quite sure if this question is in the right forum.
I am looking for a way to use Home Assistant to switch on or off a light that is connected to a physical dimmer. It is paramount for me and my partner that a “real” dimmer wheel stays in place. Preferably the physical dimmer controls the dimming. I want to able to still dim the light without HA. So HA should atleast be able to switch the light on or off, and, if possible, also do dimming.
Is there some kind of device that can work like that? Being it something from a manufacturer or home built (e.g. Esphome).
What does the current physical control look like? Is it a rotary control? Would you be OK with a push button to hold? If so, you can use a Shelly dimmer or similar (Sonoff, etc.) and connect such a button.
At the moment it is a rotary control. A very expensive one I must say. I think it cost around €80 a year ago. And I must say, it works better then any other dimmer I have installed before. In the kitchen the LED’s flicker sometimes with a cheaper dimmer. The pricier one does not have this.
In the living room a have a Shelly Dimmer with two normal switches to control the dimming, but I find it not nearly as good as a rotary style dimmer. Therefore I would prefer to have it working with an old fashioned dimmer.
I am not sure how that could work. The dimmer is switched on with a push of the rotary knob and then can be turned to the desired brightness level. If somehow the smart part could be integrated in the dimmer, then that could work somehow, I think.
Interesting! I was wondering for a while if such a site exists. Glad you pointed that out to me. I will definitely have a look. Something like this could be my solution.
You can buy a by-pass to make them no-neutral also.
They work OK.
I currently have two of them, the oldest being 2 year old I believe. Once did I have an issue with it. I believe it was the ZigBee network that had dropped it by some reason.
But just adding it again and it has worked fine since.
The dimmer I have is a Jung 1731dd. According to schematics in the manual a normal switch could also be connected to terminal 1. I tried this, but nothing is happening. However, when I disconnect the live or neutral wire from the dimmer (terminal 1 or N), something is happening: the light dims, then comes back on, off again, and then full brightness. I thought about swapping the switch to the N-terminal, but still nothing.
If this solution is not a working one, then it’s ok. But maybe someone can tell me what the idea of terminal 1 is and how this should be working.
Check out ecodim 07 dimmers. They will work remote or fully physical, with a push on and rotary dimmer. You can get them with covers or reuse your existing cover for most brands. I have a few and thy work very well. Smart LED dimmers and switches - EcoDim -
