Planning New Build (75 Spots): Pure Hue vs. Hue/Shelly Hybrid - Seeking Advice on Reliability and Mesh Stability

Hardware
1

Hi everyone,

I am currently planning the lighting for a new house (approx. 75 GU10 spots in total). Since a full KNX/Bus system is not within our budget, I am planning a “Smart Retrofit” approach for our new build.

The Foundation: Deep wall boxes everywhere and standard star-wiring as a fallback, but the goal is to use smart controls from day one. I am planning to eventually integrate everything into Home Assistant to bridge the different ecosystems.

I am currently torn between two strategies:

Strategy 1: The “Full Hue” Approach

  • Hardware: 75x Philips Hue GU10 spots.
  • Control: No physical toggle switches. All wall boxes will be covered with Hue controllers (Tap Dial/Dimmer Switches).
  • Motion: Extensive use of wireless Hue Motion Sensors for flexibility (placing them exactly where they are needed after moving in).
  • Question: How does the Zigbee mesh handle 75 devices? Should I split this across two Hue Bridges or use one Bridge Pro? Any latency issues to expect with Home Assistant?

Strategy 2: The “Hue/Shelly Hybrid”

  • Hue Zones (Living, Dining, Kitchen, Hallways): Approx. 35 spots for ambiance and adaptive lighting. Using Hue motion sensors for convenience.
  • Shelly Zones (Offices, Bedrooms, Utility): Standard “dumb” LEDs controlled by Shelly Dimmer 2 or Shelly Pro modules.
  • Control: Physical buttons with Shelly behind them in these rooms.
  • Integration: Using Home Assistant to bring both worlds together (e.g., using a Hue sensor to trigger a Shelly relay).

My specific questions for you:

  1. Mesh Stability: For those with 70+ Hue devices, is the reliability solid enough for a primary home lighting system?
  2. The “Switchless” House: Is anyone running a new build purely on Hue wireless switches? Do you regret not having hard-wired smart switches (like Shelly) in every room?
  3. Motion Sensors: We love the freedom of wireless sensors. Is there any significant downside to skipping wired PIR sensors in a new build if Hue/Shelly sensors are used instead?

In general my wish would be Hue is the perfect fit but looking forward what is your oppinion about :slight_smile:

I’m looking forward to your technical insights!

2

I encourage you to check prices for a full KNX installation and compare. 75 Spots will also be very pricey with hue. What might be an option is DALI-2 as a Bus system for just lights. It integrates well with HA. And you can use one DALI Controller for multiple lights given that you control them always together. Lunatone makes great DALI-2 compatible drivers and if you need RGB you can get 24V bulbs that you can use.

Hue is a good system but if you can hardwire it it’s always better.

Also consider that bus wiring is usually much cheaper then conventional since you need less cables overall.

And for KNX they are many cheap switches and presence detectors. It’s quite common here to combine KNX and DALI-2 for the best value and functionality.