Using a smart switch AND a bulb?

I’m a bit confused on how this would work. If I wanted RGB LED Z-wave bulbs for automations, do I also need a Z-wave switch or similar? How would 3-way switches work? Is automating them difficult?

I’m looking at the Innovelli Red Series Dimmer switches and on/off switches for those that don’t need dimming. What would be a good solution for this? For example, I’d like to switch the bulbs to red at night or when my alarm goes off but also be able to use it as a standard light switch.

Never use a smart bulb with a dimmer switch or any smart switch.

A smart bulb is designed to be powered all the time. That’s what keeps its circuitry alive so it can receive signals to control it. The light may be off but it’s circuitry continues to be powered.

If you use a dimmer switch or smart switch to control the smart bulb, when off it ceases to supply the bulb with electricity and now the bulb can no longer be controlled. In addition, if you used the dimmer or smart switch to dim the smart bulb, you stand a good chance of damaging it because it was not designed to be powered that way. If you did that with your TV, it wouldn’t be happy either.

Dimmer switches and smart switches are designed to control traditional, non-smart LED or incandescent lights, not smart bulbs.

However, if you don’t connect the output of the smart switch to the bulb power and have a constant power supply to the bulb then you can use the smart switch state to control the bulb state. even tho they aren’t connected electrically together.

I use that right now for a ceiling fan light. I have two mqtt switches that go nowhere controlling the state of the light (that is always hard wired on with no switch in between).

I did something similar (but I think we can both agree this kind of electrical ‘adaptation’ is not something many people are prepared to do). I removed the wall switch to dining room sconces fitted with Hue bulbs. The wires were connected sans switch and then the J-box was sealed with a flush-fitting metal plate. The final, and all-important, addition was magnetically attaching a Hue Dimmer Switch onto the metal plate (looks very much like a standard wall-switch). So now there’s local, manual control available for the sconces but they can never be accidentally de-powered (short of turning off the breaker).

1 Like