I have a really hard time figuring out what words to google to find this thing I’m looking for; hoping you can help me.
I have smart bulbs, and I can control them great from HA. What I would like to also have is something that’s mounted on the wall that allows me to control those lights - like a dimmer switch. Only it’s not a real dimmer switch, because the power needs to be on all the time to the smart bulbs. I’d love to have one thing that replaces the original wall switch/dimmer, but why not also a tiny little wireless battery-powered “dimmer” that I can attach anywhere?
What is this thing I’m looking for called, and what are some good ones that work well with HA and are cost effective?
So, you’re looking for a dual button device. Many buttons allow for separate functions based on the number of taps and whether or not you hold the button. For clarity, with these, you’ll have to setup an automation to handle on/off/dimming of the smart bulb appropriately.
There’s some options here using ESPhome instead but YMMV.
Another option is to replace the physical switch with pretty much any Zooz switch. They all have an option to disable local control (meaning hitting the switch does not actually toggle power) and instead to use the switch/paddles as a button controller.
You can if the switch and load are specifically designed for it.
ZWave / look for direct association capability. In Zigbee it’s binding.
Inovellis blue device supports both binding and ‘smart bulb mode’ which should direct bind to any load including possibly the one not being turned off because smart bulb mode.