Learning a lot through reading, however I do struggle with the hardware implementation part. I’m replacing several ceiling fans and adding dimming recessed lighting in my home. I’d like to get all of it to work via HA. I don’t understand how I can add “smart” switches and not have them impacted by people manually turning them on and off.
I am in the process of adding zigbee2mqtt to my setup (currently using a Hue hub), so I’d prefer to use zigbee as much as possible to avoid the cloud. I currently have dumb switches for everything.
What are my options to allow for people to use the dumb switches but also have it integrated into HA? If there is additional info that is needed, please let me know and I’ll do my best to give you that information. Thank you for your support and help.
There’s no issue with people manually operating a smart switch.
A so-called “smart” switch listens for commands to control it and reports its state. However, if someone turns the switch on or off manually (meaning they physically operate the switch), the switch will announce its new status to whatever system is listening (like Home Assistant). Therefore its state is always known even if it is operated manually.
Compare that to the scenario where smart bulbs are used on a circuit controlled by a non-smart switch. I believe that situation applies to your case. The switch must always remain on in order to supply power to the electronics within the smart bulbs. The smart bulbs are controlled remotely, not locally via the non-smart switch. If someone turns off the switch, it cuts power to the electronics within the smart bulbs and now they can’t be controlled remotely (until someone turns the non-smart switch back on).
You can’t integrate “dumb switches” into Home Assistant. As explained above, if smart bulbs are on the circuit controlled by a non-smart switch, that switch must always remain on so that Home Assistant can communicate with the smart bulbs.
If you want to allow users to be able to control the smart bulbs locally, then install a remote control (I use the Philips Hue Dimmer Switch) at the room’s entrance (where people normally expect to find the room’s light switch). Most of the rooms in my home have smart switches but two have smart bulbs. In those two rooms I have wall-mounted a Philips Hue Dimmer Switch to provide convenient, local control of the smart bulbs. Disable access to the existing non-smart switch by taping it in the on position, concealing it (ideally using the method suggested by Stiltjack) or even removing it entirely and hard-wiring its connection (if local electrical standards permit it).
I personally prefer Zooz Z-Wave devices and their store, thesmartesthouse.com. Zooz customer support is the best I have ever used if there are any issues.
The only issue I have found so far is with their ZSE-11 multisensor. Their readings of temperature, humidity, & light level appear to be low in my experience. They are planning on a firmware update, I believe.
I think you have another misconception about smart switches.
Smart switches are never fully turned off. the electronics are always on. That’s why you need a neutral at the switch itself so that the electronics can be powered.
The toggle on the front only sends a electrical signal signal to the electronics of the switch to turn on/off the switch output the same way that HA would send a RF signal to tell the switch to turn on/off its output.
the position of the toggle has literally no relationship to the output of the switch. up or down mean nothing. It’s the change of state of the toggle that triggers the internal electronics.
That’s true if you buy the smart switch as a unit.
But you can also buy a smart switch that is an add-on to your regular switch (shelly 1, sonoff, aeotec zwave microswitch, etc). then you can have a “regular” looking switch and still have the benefit of having a smart switch.
then the position of the toggle is independent of the switch state.
I personally never liked the look of those switches. I’d rather have a regular switch for aesthetic reasons and use the add-on hardware.
I like and use the TP-Link smart switches, but only for two exterior lighting circuits. The TP-Link switches are the Decora/paddle style, and didn’t match our traditional toggle light switches. I found cover plates with a single Decora/paddle cutout and the remainder as normal. Still not the best look, however.
In my neck of the North American woods, toggle switches have not been used in new construction for over 30 years. Decora-style rockers are the norm. Are toggles a regional preference somewhere or are we talking about older homes built 40+ years ago?
Mine in 93 in US and has toggle throughout and 4 step rotary for the ceiling fans. I want the rotary gone as they just look cheap to me, but the toggle I’m okay with.
If you ask ten people here which switches they use, you will get eleven answers.
Around here, I don’t use ANYTHING that requires an expensive third party hub. But if you really need dimming, you are probably limited to Z-wave or the Hue system and related hubs. I think some Zigbee lights also have dimming, but my only experience with Zigbee lights are the Ikea Tradfri lights. I removed them because they had a mind of their own and would turn on in the middle of the night.
I am down to one Z-wave switch as over the past couple of years two have failed. Most of my wall switches have a Shelly One or a Sonoff Mini in the (junction) box and they are controlled over WiFi. They are still dumb switches- and far cheaper than any Z-wave or Sonoff device. There are a few lights in my home that aren’t controlled by HA, but only because I can’t think of a name for them that won’t confuse Alexa. Any table lamp or fan has a Sonoff Basic in the power line, and a 433 mHz “button” nearby to allow “manual” control. It’s a kludge, but it’s easier than adding a device inside the lamp.
My issue with Wi-Fi control is the devices are 2.4GHz only and the Wi-Fi channels here are crowded leading to issues in addition to microwave oven interference, etc.
Funnily enough, microwave oven interference affects my non Wi-Fi smart switches.
They are UPB so they communicate via the powerline. They’re immune to RF interference and most powerline electrical noise but not when the microwave oven turns on and floods the mains with crap.
I’ve been meaning to get a powerline filter for the microwave oven … for several years now. The odds are low for the transmission of a UPB command at the exact moment the oven is working. But when it happens, the idea of buying that filter comes back.
Zigbee uses the same frequencies as Wi-Fi but is narrow band.