I have many question;
When i buy Xiaomi Aqara Wall Switch and connect with conbee 2, can i control a normal Light bulb (not the ikea or philips hue ) or do i need really buy also a smart light bulb and connect that also with conbee 2 ?
My goal is to use a normal light bulb using a smart wall switch only to take on/off so i don’t buy extra smart light bulb. The status by Hass should be then updated when the light is off/on
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32863483802.html
I have the double wall switch version (with neutral) connected to my zigbee2mqtt usb dongle which works perfect for replacing my old switch. There is no need to replace the lights. Actually, combining these might become awkward and result in lights not being available due to them having no power.
This will simply act as a zigbee controlled relay switch that allows you to toggle on/off existing lights. It will also update the status in Hass.
Hope this helps.
Thats fine. But the Wall switch which you have cost to much. I found this one ? Is this not the same wall switch, what is different here?
Can i better buy this one and buy a Ikea bulb?
The $3.5 price is not for the switch, but only for the wall box. Switches are around $22 or higher in most online shops.
Regards.
Plus, keep in mind, there are two different versions of this Xiaomi switch. One of them is just a wireless button that sticks to the wall. It’s battery operated and doesn’t control anything attached to it. The other is more expensive and actually controls an attached light bulb (or whatever).
If you use the wireless button version, then you’ll want smart bulbs and you can ignore the existing switch (just make sure it’s turned on or wired to always be on). If you use the version that actually controls the load, you don’t need smart bulbs as the switch itself handles turning the connected bulb on/off.
Ahh i understand that.
I have another question: Really i do not need a smart wall switch when i have a smart light bulb, right? But i need then well a wall switch that never go off because when it is off via the wall switch i can’t turn on via Home Assistant. Which wall switch can i better buy in my situation?
Ahh thats so cool thank you fir that. But there are 3 versions which i can see.
Which one do i use in which scenario?
I believe 2, and 3 are the same, one with, and one without a neutral. I don’t use those switch types because they are not sized correctly for the United States and don’t fit in my existing wall boxes. So I’m not entirely certain of the differences beyond that.
Hello Guys,
I did some search on internet but what I need is not really a smartswitch such as Aqara.
I have Philips Hue bulb / Ikea Tradfri which are connected via MQTT and can control via HASS.
What I need is convert my normal switch when it is powered off by hand that’s never going powering off but well the bulb go off, so I can turn on via HASS menu. I need also do that vice versa…
What do I really need for my switch or can I simply connect some cables on the switch with together or something like that??? I am not an electrician. 
You could wire the light to be always on, however I think in some countries this is not allowed as far as I know and anyway if you have no clue about electricity, I highly recommend to NOT touch the wiring in your home!
I put a Hue Dimmer Switch next to each “normal” light switch and educated everyone to NOT use the “normal” light switch, except if the Hue Dimmer Switch doesn’t work (meaning probably HA is down) which fortunately never happened in the last three years, except for when I was migrating the system to another system.
You can use Aqara mini relay switches (https://es.banggood.com/Original-Aqara-2-Channels-Smart-Home-Wireless-Relay-Two-way-Control-Module-Controller-From-Xiaomi-Eco-System-p-1460573.html?rmmds=buy&cur_warehouse=CN).
They accept a normal (non smart) switch and control the bulb both ways, by using the switch and by using the Mi Home app. And you can integrate them in HA.
This should be solve my problem. But another question. Is Sonoff Mini with Tasmota firmware an alternative to this one. Sonoff mini costs 6 dollar.
Yes, sure, I forgot about SonOff mini. I have two of them, one Aqara and even another one I don’t remember. The SonOff should work fine, The only difference is (if I remember correctly) that with the Aqara the behavior of the non-smart switch is the standard one, I mean, push down, lights on, push up, lights off. With the SonOff the behavior changes according to the light. If it is on pushing the switch turns it off, if it is off, the switch turns it on, independently of the actual position of the switch.
This video explains it quite well: https://youtu.be/msah0zvyaaU
Regards.
This is really what i want. I am busy on internet 3 months long for this solution. Very thanks for that. Some questions about that.
Sorry, I didn’t explain myself very well. I bought three different models (Aqara, SonOff and nother one i don’t remember) because I wanted to place them inside the box behind the non-smart switch. I tested the SonOff mini with eWeLink app but in the end it didn’t fit in the box, so I don’t have it installed nor integrated in HA. I know you can even change the firmware to Tasmota or Espurna, but I haven’t.
To test it I just connected the N cable (fortunately there was one behind the switch) and changed the cables that were connected to the old switch to the Lin and Lout of the SonOff. And put new cables from the old switch to the SonOff. Everything worked as expected.
I think that without changing the firmware the Mini is not using MQTT, but I’m not sure, I didn’t test it.
Regards.
I have found a new video on youtube but and it should be possible at this manner with tasmota what i want. But the last question is really if it is possible to place the sonoff behind the switch at this manner. Then should be the problem solved. 
It is clear: it depends on the old switch and box depth. In my case I would need about 5 mm more 
The boxes in the video are surface mounted boxes, way deeper than standard european boxes…
Hey,
I have installed Sonoff mini behind the switch inside the wall. They also have a tiny wifi sensor that sticks out of Sonoff mini for wifi signal that you can leave hanging outside the traditional wall switch plate.
As someone mentioned above, it is connected with power all the time. If the traditional switch button is on by staying down and you turn it off on the app, the traditional light switch button will stay down while the lights being off. If we toggle the traditional switch button up then lights will turn on and the switch will stay in up position.
Yes, it could be confusing for laypersons at home who are not educated about this. I have not flashed it with Tasmota or anything else but what I have explained above it “as is” after opening the box.
Guys, the sonoff mini goes to far for me to config and can’t put him behind the switch. I am now really looking to have aqara wall switch with ZigBee option as this topic name it says. 
So, I have found this one on Aliexpress.
???
Hello Xanox, which one do i need to buy, there is 2 version of aqara. Fire wire VS Zero Line.
Zero line mean that have a N (with neutral line.) Do i need this version?