Which smart light switches are the best?

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Жыл бұрын

When I moved into my new home I needed a solution to make my ceiling lights smart. In this video I show you the process I went through to chose the best smart switches for my home.
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Links:
Why I use Zigbee in my smart home: • Which smart light swit...
A beginners guide to smart switches: • Smart switches for beg...
Using Smart Relays in your home: • Using smart relays in ...
My comparison spreadsheet: www.homeautomationguy.io/blog...

Пікірлер: 565

@NebulaNeoca Жыл бұрын

FINALLY! someone reviewing EU style switches

@TexSweden Жыл бұрын

I use Shelly whenever I can, local control, use regular wall switches and regular bulbs. I have over 100 different wifi/zigbee devices around the house from all manufacturers and the only one that always works is the Shelly stuff. The relays are absolutely rock solid.

@peaslaker Жыл бұрын

I lucked in on the Candeo as my first selection. It is exactly as described . Completely familiar to any member of the family or to guests. Really good tactile feel. No dropouts.

@BMWMike Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this. Your requirements are more or less the same as mine. I was considering the Moes but you've opened my eyes to the Candeo. I think I'll end up getting those for the dimmable rooms.

@photorealm 10 ай бұрын

Very useful video. Anyone considering using automated lighting should see this first. Great job.

@bmxmellie1 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the grate info we are redoing the kitchen and living room and I now have a good understanding what switches to use

@nikoscoulson Жыл бұрын

Fantastic video and perfectly timed as I’m hunting around for the perfect switch to couple with motion sensors. Good luck with the rest of your smart home

@Mooba2 10 ай бұрын

I'm so glad I found this channel. We're currently building and I want easy smooth automation. I may be binging these videos

@sygad1 Жыл бұрын

that's a pretty decent review, thanks for making this, given me quite a head start on some of the decisions I need to make for myself

@pcboffin Жыл бұрын

Great to see more UK content on this sort of thing. I went with a Shelley relay at the light fitting when I first started, because it meant keeping the existing switches and 2 way functionality. It's been flawless, though it doesn't solve the dimming problem of course. The Candeo look to be a good solution, if costly. I know that Scolmore Click (A huge brand in the electricial industry) are getting into the market with zigbee options too, so there may be more good choices in the future finally.

@solidus784 6 ай бұрын

iolloi make a good quality dimmable module but you will need a retractive switch to control it.

@sagikazarmark 11 ай бұрын

I'm so glad I didn't have to go through this process myself. Based on your review I can confidently say Aquara is the best for my home. Thanks for making this video! I'd love to see more comparisons of various smart home devices.

@Garris_Shrike 3 ай бұрын

This review is awesome. Analyses all that really matters.

@redders6600 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for this great video - really enjoyed your testing process and clear evaluation criteria (which happily mostly aligned with mine). Keep it up!

@HomeAutomationGuy 6 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@andyanthka-lb3hj Жыл бұрын

Was asking the same thing a couple of months ago, I found out that Legrand/Bticino switches were the best option for me. They also meet all of your criteria except they don’t report the power consumption and don’t offer 3-4 gangs. I have mixed both wired (no neutral) and wireless switches. It offers look and feel consistency across my home. The dimming will probably never be as good as the candeo one! Good luck on your journey and thanks for sharing

@lsismeiro Жыл бұрын

Great video, I'm loving this series. I suggest in the end a video with your partner talking about the smart home and how improved both your lives. 😊

@SimonLYW Жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this video. It’ll be an incredible resource for someone starting out.

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@LeonJoosse Жыл бұрын

Really liked the video an the detail you put into it. Thumbs up, good work!

@jonglas 3 ай бұрын

Incredibly helpful, thanks.

@Biru_to 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for your video. The Aqara were exactly the kind of switch I was looking for, with their ability to decouple from my hue lights, but also offer the ability to use the same kinds of switches for lights I don't want or need to be smart themselves. Thank you! 👍

@HomeAutomationGuy 6 ай бұрын

You are welcome!

@patrickpaganini Жыл бұрын

Excellent video - look forward to the next one!

@philtuc4489 Жыл бұрын

Hi Alan. I enjoyed that video. I have 7 candeo units, i have them paired with momentary/ retractive switches which makes it super easy for manual control. A couple of the candeo units are the back box version sat in the ceiling rose and only taking input from the momentary switches. I also fitted the candeo units into chrome casing like the momentary so it all looks more premium.

@surajalexander2977 Жыл бұрын

I found that it had 1 to 2 second delay when I try to turn it on. Works almost instantly if I try to turn it on through Philips hue but the physical toggle has a delay. Have you found this to be the case as well?

@limecows8470 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this. I've been struggling to find smart switches with my requirements. The aqara looks like what I need.

@gavintheurquhart Жыл бұрын

Thanks for another awesome video. You have inspired a lot of my setup. I’m already set up with switches and yes I love the Candeo. I love that you can retrofit them to an existing plate. I replaced a 3 gang in the kitchen over a period of a few weeks and nobody noticed. For my non-dimmables I’m Shelly relays all the way leaving the standard light switches in place.

@lawrencemanning Жыл бұрын

Do the Shelley’s click? I have a sonoff that has a pretty audible click; it’s surprisingly annoying. Also it just barely fits in the backbox.

@gavintheurquhart Жыл бұрын

@@lawrencemanning they definitely click. I have put in deeper back boxes to accommodate the relay. Also the upstairs lights all have the relays in the ceiling space where the wiring is as for some reason my house has neutral wires at the switches downstairs but not upstairs.

@RB-us6tf 5 ай бұрын

This is one of the best videos I've seen about smart home - well done, I really appreciate the detail! I'm waiting for a retrofit module with Thread Router capabilities to be released so that I can add it to my existing switches.

@HomeAutomationGuy 5 ай бұрын

Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words. I would love a Thread retrofit model too, but I didn't want to wait!

@RB-us6tf 5 ай бұрын

@@HomeAutomationGuy Yep, makes sense. I just now ordered the Sonoff MINIR4M (the one with matter) to play around. Though I’ll not stick with it since it relies on Wifi and most of my devices are no Thread.

@bogorad Жыл бұрын

Great video, very informative, as always! Thanks!

@anotherhurayra2024 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the nice review, very clear and to the point with explanations.

@HomeAutomationGuy 7 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@soundman127 Жыл бұрын

Looking forward to seeing this, I installed several Zemismart ZigBee and their hub. They work quite well, but not sure I should have chosen the touch versions.

@EdwinPWeston Жыл бұрын

Endpoint, Router. Not sure why I assumed every Zigbee device was a router, but now that I know where to find this information, my troubleshooting abilities just went to the next level. Thank you so much!

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

You are most welcome! Glad to hear you learned something, that's why I make these videos!

@user-wu6mc8es5w Ай бұрын

I've conducted tests on numerous smart switches and finally found the perfect fit for my home from a company called Bseed. Their Zigbee devices boast exceptional reliability and stability. While they may not be the most economical option, I prioritize quality above all else. In the Netherlands, it's been customary for quite some time to have sockets and switches with neutral wiring. Luckily, my house even had separate wiring for this purpose, with double boxes facilitating an easy setup. I believe the optimal approach is to utilize neutral wiring whenever possible; this ensures consistent performance from these devices. Bseed also offers models that don't require a neutral wire, but while they work fine, they lack routing capabilities. In such cases, using a bulb can serve as an alternative and even extend the signal range.😁😁😁

@blakadders Жыл бұрын

That's some good work, you covered all the bases

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Thanks blakadder! My smart home wouldn't be anywhere near as smart without all the amazing foundational work you do for us and the community!

@paulofthebailey Жыл бұрын

Excellent video. And it made me feel great about last week’s Candeo purchase! Reckon they’ll be getting a bit more of my money for other rooms now 😁

@sundara2557 8 ай бұрын

Your videos are helping me to improve my new home. 🎉🎉🎉

@HomeAutomationGuy 8 ай бұрын

I'm glad it's helpful!

@RichardBrunt Жыл бұрын

Also a big fan of the Candeo - it's the only smart switch I've found that doesn't look like a smart switch (at least for us in the UK), guests in our house don't even notice that it's any different!

@lawrencemanning Жыл бұрын

There are relay modules you can get, like ones made by sonoff, that have this same attribute. Though you need to have a reasonable amount of room in the backbox. The other nice thing is if you don’t want to convert all the bulbs or switches to smart the ones that are smart don’t look out of place.

@colincheng6674 Жыл бұрын

@@lawrencemanning I second this suggestion. I have added Sonoff zigbee relays which then allows dumb switches to become smart switches. The only downside is that I'm not convinced that the sonoff relays support dimming. Another caveat is that Sonoff makes the Zigbee Mini relay as well as the Mini-l which doesn't require a neutral wire. While the ZB mini acts as a router, the mini-l does not.

@oudoulj Жыл бұрын

Aweseome work ! I have a couple of Aqara H1 wireless 2-gang switches and they look and feel great. You can create automations in HA that will dim or bright the lights by double clicking or holding down the buttons but it's less intuitive that a dial for sure.

@gibboireland 6 ай бұрын

Very comprehensive, nice video!

@shaunryan2659 Жыл бұрын

Really useful video, thank you. Keep on Keepin' on!

@alanmoore2197 Жыл бұрын

I understand your rationale for choosing the 2 types of controls (switches & dimmers) and I generally agree with your criteria - but I'd add one: the selected controls should look consistent throughout the house (not necessarily exactly the same - but thematically matching). To me the very different look of the selected controls would be a no-no. Especially when mounted side by side - they just look far too different (the nature of the controls, the plate style, the visible fixing screws on one but not the other, rounded corners vs square). They look to be from two quite different eras.

@stefa168 Жыл бұрын

Indeed that's my issue with these kind of switches, and why I am using only zigbee relays that accept inputs directly from my normal switches and that sit inside the wall boxes. I've been upgrading my home switches this way without having to change the look or replacing them, especially because I have different switches and plaques styles in different rooms. The main goal I'm going after is "enhancing, not replacing". The switches and relays work even without a zigbee coordinator, so I'm not locked out of my lights just because my server is down or updating. Right now I had extremely good experiences both with NodON and Vimar relays.

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Yeh, that's a fair criticism.

@alanmoore2197 Жыл бұрын

@@stefa168 For switching yes - but unfortunately that doesn't get you dimming functionality.

@stefa168 Жыл бұрын

@Alan Moore yeah you're absolutely right

@Gantch515 Жыл бұрын

@@stefa168 , yeah, diy smart switch can make your normal switches into smart switches as well😀

@toly11041982 2 ай бұрын

Great videos and thank you so much for your help to us !! 🤗

@cumxum 9 ай бұрын

great research , thanks for all these tips

@dkickelbick Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot! It helped very much. All of your videos about the new house!

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

I am glad to hear it, thank you!

@varunaeeriyaulla Жыл бұрын

You missed one important thing. Most cheap smart switches do not remember the last power state after a power cut. The default state is usually ON. Imagine in the middle of the night, all your lights are flashing after a power cut recovery. 😅 I have a couple of Mose switches. They don't remember the last state. I had to create manual power state reminders for each switch gang to prevent this issue. It was a pain. Now I always buy Aqara switches. They remember the last power state and are reliable.

@walkertron 6 ай бұрын

Does anyone know if the Candeo C202 remembers power state?

@joeld9663 Ай бұрын

Did you get an answer to this ?

@TechMedDurra Жыл бұрын

Shelly has 4-gang ”switches”. It’s called i4. It’s just a controller though so you need to complement them with actual switches too. The switches can be mounted at the light instead of behind the buttons. If you don’t like Shelly’s own buttons you can use any other of your liking. Shelly does not require the cloud to speak to Home Assistant or to each other. Loved the video, though.

@rutgerdezeeuw Жыл бұрын

I agree, and the main benefit is that you can just use regular switches which make your house more attractive once your want to sell it.

@dan-in-asia Жыл бұрын

I was just about to say the same. One of the biggest advantages is that you can use any non smart lightswitch, so you have thousands of options available. Using them in my new smart home.

@SayWhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat Жыл бұрын

SInce when shelly have Zigbee stuff? wifi stuff is STUPID

@Gaatyeo Жыл бұрын

Thanks for recommendation of the candeo - such easy install

@milicsantiago Жыл бұрын

Really a great video. Also what a mesh network!! Chapeau!

@vlavrynovych 4 ай бұрын

Nice! I agree with all of comments for all the products. I wish I see this video before I bought Lonsonho and Moes. Aqara is super cool for most of the cases, but I wanted them to be a routers. Thanks for sharing your experience

@HomeAutomationGuy 4 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@Gerwin- Жыл бұрын

Great video, would love more like this!

@MichelPster Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot! this'll help me make my choices. Subbed due to this! keep it going mate!

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Awesome, thank you!

@fr0d0scious Жыл бұрын

Good video thank you. I got the Moes 3 gang.. and I totally agree with you about the cheapness of the build. I hate pressing them and have most scenes triggered elsewhere.. by a remote button pad, motion and presence sensors and voice controls. I'm still searching for a better switch

@19micky79 Жыл бұрын

Btw… the Aqara D1 is also available as three-gang. Thank you for the amazing review! I was also skeptic about the Moes three-gang touch and you expressed exactly my concerns

@pllevi Жыл бұрын

After making the same journey into buying several different switches I decided to pick up Aqara D1 (with neutral and wireless) series switches even if they do not fit into round European boxes. I purchased square boxes and mounted them in place of round ones. I have mixture of three, two, one, and wireless switches. They created stable zigbee network across three floors. I use z2m and only gripe I have is that depending on number of channels some options are available and some not (disconnecting or reversing LED indicators, mains voltage reporting, energy usage [Wh], and instant power [W]). It may be limitation of firmware or z2m but, unfortunately, I did not have time to investigate. I have over 30 of those switches and none of them experienced any issue. Aqara D1 is in my opinion best choice so far in 2023. They work great and they have look&feel of good quality wall switch. I don't know why H1 do not have triple button. H1 are also more expensive and unavailable on Aliexpress for some reason ...

@19micky79 Жыл бұрын

@@pllevi thank you for all this info. Yes, the H1 doesn’t have three buttons, but you can look for Aqara Opple with 6 buttons

@kennethojeke5119 Жыл бұрын

Nice video, have you consider adding surge protector device in your installations?

@aberdeenal3234 Жыл бұрын

Great video again - looking forward to the next one

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@snaxalig Жыл бұрын

I had the same question and found myself buying devices from the Plejd assortment. They are good looking, really smart and very easy to use and control in any scenario. You should try’em out.

@NaderHajHasan Жыл бұрын

Great effort Alan.

@Reza1984_ Жыл бұрын

Awesome video, thanks for sharing

@sabroyles21 8 ай бұрын

Been getting a lot of good info from your channel, I wanted to send a thanks!

@HomeAutomationGuy 8 ай бұрын

That is amazing! Thank you so much for your support! ❤️

@ZeeWatcher1000 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant video. Thank you.

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@kristod76 2 ай бұрын

Great video. As always.

@junblud Жыл бұрын

I'd love to see your take on the NS Panel!! I want to use them in my house for lighting, heating and blind control

@MartinPivka Жыл бұрын

Aqara H1 is also my switch of choice. Tried couple of them and this one has definitely the best build quality and feel. The click is super satisfying and reassuring. It also supports single, double or triple click as well as separate hold and release. I'm using the battery versions because of the shallow switch boxes but so far I can't really complain. Other really solid switch is the one from IKEA (small dimmer switch). Very nice click, good response and build quality. And for the scenes I'm using Aqara OPPLE switches. They cost 15EUR each for 6 gang version which has 30 possible actions configurable! Build quality is not that great as IKEA, but still very nice.

@jolieolie Жыл бұрын

F c

@wilson87j Жыл бұрын

I'm in the process of buying a new home and your new series for creating the perfect smart home is inspiring! Question about the candeo- can you pop off the plastic dimmable button caps and use a different cap from say a traditional dimmer? Looking for GF approval factor!

@rcampbell4967 3 ай бұрын

Very thorough review! Still wrapping my head around a rack server for a smarthome, but ok. In the US, GE, Leveton, and Lutron are market leaders and readily available at big box stores.

@warlordattack 7 ай бұрын

phenomenal video thank you 👍👍

@HomeAutomationGuy 7 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

@tmbiggs5343 Жыл бұрын

I am very much enjoying the videos. I am construction my new retirement home and am facing all the same decisions. I did tell my electrician that there needs to be a neutral wire at every switch box so that will solve some of my possible issues. I am US based so my options are different. I too specifically want to avoid wifi switches. Perhaps those sonoff panels mighty be cool. thanks

@alaaldeenabdelkader5428 Жыл бұрын

Great video. What is your recommendation for the smart curtain motors? Ones which can move heavy curtains

@KrastyoKrastev Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this. Awesome channel! I need / want some Aqara switches now

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Glad it was useful!

@KM-hj7nz Жыл бұрын

Great video Alan 👍 do give the varilight v-pro smart wifi switches a look. I use them without issues and have installed them for family , may not meet your extensive requirements but they do 3 and 4 gang versions as well and come packed with great features. Also able to handle many types of dimmable led lights, trailing/leading edge and dimmable led drivers without issues. No neutral wire required.

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip!

@user-sw1oe6pg5k 4 ай бұрын

Hi, I’m from the U.S. and your Narration is FREAKIN’ & FRIGGIN AWESOME!!!… (You made me laugh multiple time’s, so i Subscribed AND Liked!!!)… When you used the “Word or Phrase” Friggin’ or Freakin’ THAT did it for me!!!… (Thought i was the ONLY one that ever used those (2) “Verbiage’s”) 😊

@ConorLalor Жыл бұрын

I have a couple of the Candeo switches. I like that they look and act like a traditional dimmer. But I do find them a bit "sticky" when turning them on and off. They're also not great at reporting their on/off state. Don't know why, but they're the only ZigBee devices I have with that issue. (Another issue with smart GU10 bulbs, is they're usually taller than standard GU10 bulbs - which can be a problem with many fixtures. I learnt this the hard way.)

@markkychan88 Жыл бұрын

very useful video thank you. any of these particularly future proof with possible support for matter in the future? got a new house I'm planning to add in smart lights and automation, some wall switches are not where I want them to be so was thinking of how to sort individual scenarios out with smart devices. thank you doe any help!

@leewalker9851 11 ай бұрын

Amazing video!!! Thank you so much for your efforts. I’ve been looking at this exact subject for the past few weeks and it is such a shame that aqara switches can not dim. One brand I’ve been researching is lightwaverf, they seem quite good as well, though a little pricey

@andreasmoyseos5980 4 ай бұрын

Hi Lee, I'm looking into Lightwave - any chance you tried them and can share your experience? Thanks!

@radul476 Жыл бұрын

This is beyond useful. I'm so happy you are doing these kind of videos. I'm planning to try out building a smart home using home assistant, and I just don't know where to start. Your videos are helping me understand many things as I'm completely new to this thing. If you would do a similar video to light bulbs and bands, sensors, power sockets would be awesome! Ty! Also does the 2 gang candeo consume 0.8 W of power?

@AngeloR674 Жыл бұрын

What you dont mention is that you need to check your amps on your switches..not every smart switch is compatible with every house.Most homes do have neutral wire bundles in the wall! Dont confuse people on here!

@radul476 Жыл бұрын

@@AngeloR674 i just assumed that if the 1 gang switch consumes 0.4 W, than the 2 gang consumes 0.8. I have no electrical background. I see no harm in asking. I thought this was a friendly environment. If people get easily confused by what I said they are also probably not familiar with electrical stuff, and my question will do more good than harm, if it gets a reasonal answer.

@SnowyPe Жыл бұрын

Great informative video..Thanks

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@DiscountITsolution 8 ай бұрын

Awesome video! My wife told me I could make ours a smart home but her older parents must be able to come in and operate things without any extra effort. I finally found the leviton z wave dimmer switches, R51-DZ6HD-1RZ. Only drawback is it requires a neutral line in the switch box and some older houses use a switch loop in the US.

@HomeAutomationGuy 8 ай бұрын

Great to hear! A lot of houses in the UK also don't have a Neutral wire - we feel your pain!

@joeld9663 Ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this this video is exactly what I needed. I'm now trying to see if I can buy rhe candeo ones and import them to Australia. I wonder on power outage if they turn back on at full brightness? Also I assume you can override in home assistant as you showed and then the dimmer would just override if it's moved ? Thanks

@HomeAutomationGuy Ай бұрын

You can definitely override the brightness settings using Home Assistant, my lights turn on at predefined brightness levels depending on the time of day via home assistant scenes and automations.

@steveaga4136 6 ай бұрын

I am just getting into smartening up my home and had some what similar requirements particularly for the minimum use of wifi in order to keep things local ( I expect us all to be disconnected from The grid for various reasons in the future) and I agree about the zigbee focus, one of the things you didn’t try and I am waiting on the delivery of some units to test are kinetic based rf switches from in my case Quinetic. As they can connect to the quinetic hub to give WiFi and therefore home assistant integration they serve for me the purpose of not having to channel out walls in areas where I want new two and three gang switches, the ability to not have anyone mess up the automated side of things by using a wall switch but giving Luddites the ability to seek out the familiar wall boxes to make light is a very nice to have conceptually, infact if this works I will put all the main power cut protected lights on to kinetic switches to ensure safe passage around the property in black out periods. Interested in any feedback from anyone already tried the quinetic also

@Akash.Chopra Жыл бұрын

Great info, thank you! I use smart switches everywhere, *_except_* my home theater room. Any smart switch I've installed adds noticeable noise through my speakers, so I had to go with individual smart bulbs. Everytime someone turns off and on the dumb switch real fast, all my pairings get erased 😢.

@RicardoSantos-zh5uz Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your work and insights. Really appreciated. Can you still control the lights manually if your ZigBee network goes down (wifi router failure or even HA outage)?

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Yep. You can still control them by pressing the physical button

@Steve-dv4lv 5 ай бұрын

Amazing ! Thanks !

@rolandtemmerman1100 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the interesting video, which is not sponsored and therefore also guards against a "Fehlkauf", a misbuy. In an existing installation, Home automation is adding functionality while maintaining what everyone already knew, without causing surprises or problems they cannot solve themselves. I therefore use Shelly relays (decoupled) with Esphome - Home Assistant as a switch mounted behind the existing pushbuttons from the European suppliers so that the WAF remains guaranteed (Schneider, Legrand, Busch-Jaeger, Gira, Berker, BTicino, etc.). The switches all retain the appearance they always had and no one is surprised. What I have added is an NSPanel from Sonoff (integrated into HA) which I use more than my housemates who find that toy unnecessary despite the nice look.

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

You are most welcome! I like your setup, it is great to keep things how they are without surprises. I just really didn't want to keep my old light switches and I wanted a strong Zigbee mesh. The sensible person inside me agrees with your housemates that the NSPanel is a toy. But the smart home nerd inside me can't wait to set it up and play with it!

@oktaymyumyunov4621 Жыл бұрын

Great comparison. Does some video of this kind exist for ZigBee wall sockets with power monitoring?

@TEverlith Жыл бұрын

Thanks for another great comparison video! Please, do an NS panel video, it seems that the NS panel hardware and software have recently gone through some changes that make it simpler to get into HA.....?

@irelandshane1984 10 ай бұрын

Recently found this channel, really liking it 👍 Was hoping to see a review of Sonoff switches/NS Panel 😏

@skrachi1986 8 ай бұрын

I love this review and it also highlights the issue with the UK based smart home options. Because I didn't want a mix match of different switches around my house, I ended up getting Lightwaverf switches and sockets. I know its not an option for you since it uses a hub, but if you already usea Broadlink RM4 Pro, you can integrate them there in HA.

@HomeAutomationGuy 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing

@hamza817 4 ай бұрын

This was precisely what I was looking for. It's a great detail - thanks. It's a shame we don't have the Aqara triple rocker in the EU; I need a 3-gang solution.

@Develish31 7 ай бұрын

Great review.

@kazza0206 Жыл бұрын

Great informative video, thank you! I am also buying my first home right now and very new to Home Assistant. I was just wondering whether you still get all the manufacturer software updates if you connect a smart device straight to Home Assistant without using their own hub. Thanks!

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Using Zigbee2mqtt I'm able to apply software updates to my Hue and IKEA devices.

@kazza0206 6 ай бұрын

Sorry another question! We're about to set up the Aqara wall switches. Do you have any 2 way lights and if so, are you able to set up 2 way systems without using the Aqara hub? Thanks!!

@algrainger Жыл бұрын

Excellent, through video. Also just bought a house in London so incredibly helpful, not come across Candeo before, are they new? Will reliability be an issue? The aqura ones are indeed excellent, can confirm they pass the family test.

@KrisNoble Жыл бұрын

My Candeo dimmer has been fine for a over a year now. My first unit was faulty but they were really helpful and the second one is solid. Obviously anecdotal but I'll definitely use them again. I think the actual units are white label though since ZHA reports it as "HK-DIM-A" which brings up a few different brand names on Google.

@PatrickOReilly Жыл бұрын

Very thorough video. Just went through a similar process myself and found Aqara to be very versatile, even reporting room temperature to within 1°C. My only criticism would be the decoupled switches can't bind directly to lights.

@varunaeeriyaulla Жыл бұрын

Actually, it shows the device/switch temperature.

@markjhorsley Жыл бұрын

I went with a H1 for a front outside light - great bit of kit, only ballache was replacing the back box

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Yeh, that is definitely a ballache. But now they're big for ever - FUTURE PROOFING!

@Badg0r Жыл бұрын

Man!!!! I wish my office / cave / own room looked organized like this. It's all over the place.

@Timpilgrim Жыл бұрын

I've been using Candeo - definitely the best I've tried (albeit from a limited pool!) You can also fit the Candeo modules into a fancier faceplate - I've got some fancy looking smart light switches now!

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

I'm using the Home Assistant Sky Connect zigbee coordinator. I tested the Sonoff relays in a previous video and didn't like the clicking noise that they made, and they don't fit too well in a standard UK back box.

@roygift Ай бұрын

Hey Alan - just wanted to say I love your videos and the effort you put into the production and editing. One year on did you discover any new switches apart from those reviewed here? Any regrets so far?

@HomeAutomationGuy Ай бұрын

So far they're still going great! I've not had any of them fail, despite what others have said about their reliability. I have no regrets, but I still wish they "looked nicer"

@nprez83 Жыл бұрын

Great video. A few folks have mentioned but there is the option of using Localtuya or the newer Tuya Local integrations to control your Tuya wifi devices locally. They are still connected and sending updates to the cloud, so this is by no means a security measure, rather a way to improve the responsiveness of devices. I have several Treadlife wifi switches and several lights bulbs that I connect using Localtuya and it works great.

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@Daniel15au Жыл бұрын

I'd personally avoid wifi switches since Zigbee exists and is better suited for this use case.

@johnbayfield7979 Жыл бұрын

I am really enjoying your videos, I have watched most of them and have picked up a lot of good advice and tips from them. Being in the UK and going through the process of building my own house and making it smart as I am going along it is really useful to watch your progress. NSPanel a defnite yes, I bought two of them when they came out with the future purpose of using them with Home Assistant so I would be very interested in what you come up with. I also noticed in your video you have a Heatmiser control system in your house heating. Have you tried connecting that to Home Assistant yet. I have read it can be done but haven't tackled it yet as the physical building of my house takes up most of my free time. Your thoughts on connecting it to Home Assistant? I have an 8 Zone heating system so Home Assistant monitoring would be an ideal solution. Thank you again for your time and effort, I look forward to everyone of your posts.

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

I have my Heatmiser connected in to Home Assistant using the bridge, and the HomeKit integration. So far (About 6 weeks of usage) it has worked brilliantly. A full video on it will be coming soon. Like you, I'm so busy getting the house sorted out (Both smart home stuff, and normal boring house stuff like getting the boiler serviced) that it's hard to do everything at once! Glad you're here coming along the journey - I'm sure we'll both learn all sorts of new things!

@klaneos666 8 ай бұрын

Great video! Looking for a review of the sonoff switch modules and the Mercator Ikuu range of Zigbee switches.

@djdobro Жыл бұрын

Same situation as you. I bought a two way dimmable moes module and experienced the same inconsistency as you showed. Shame as they even have 4gang version, no dimming though, which could have been a an awesome thing. The aqara ones look great as long as you don't need to put two next to each other. They are slightly bigger than standard EU switches so you can't fit two together. As others have pouted out, sometimes a behind the plate module is better, as style of switches is important. Our house will have gray walls so dark switches with sharp corners would be prefered.

@zeffchen 5 ай бұрын

Great video! For part around 11:24 where you were addressing simulation of 2-way switches. There isn't enough information online (even on Aqara's website) that can confirm 2-way mode would also work on a pair of H1 wall switch (non-neutral). The only method that people have mentioned is using 1 H1 wall switch as relay and another H1 Wireless switch to trigger the wall swtich on-off. Can I confirm that indeed this would work for a pair of H1 wall switch (non-neutral)?

@kear3922 5 ай бұрын

Thanks great video for the UK switches, one question do I need a hub for the Aqara or can I just wire up and use the new generation Alexa? (not sure but think it has built in Zegbee)

@0wnage718 Жыл бұрын

Great video! I have been using lightwave smart switches and sockets for years now and they have been faultless, I know they aren’t Zigbee and they are a little expensive but when I compare them to all the others available these come out on top every time. Pick some up and give them your honest opinion, the other good thing is they’re a uk based firm from good old Birmingham!

@HomeAutomationGuy Жыл бұрын

I briefly lived in a fancy apartment a few years ago that had Lightwave switches and they were pretty good. But I read that they don't play that nicely with Home Assistant in a locally connected way, so I didn't look at them further for my new house. I may be wrong about that though, as I've not tested them personally with HA

@dam0363 Жыл бұрын

I use Aqara neutral switches throughout my home but my main difference was also Zigbee RGB downlights or GU10 bulbs throughout, about 75 in total. The main plus side of this is complete control of every bulb by not having the switches wired in as dumb switches, i.e. they don’t completely kill the power to the bulb. I have mini switches around the home that activate scenes or i can double tap the aqaras to do something else. Pairing is a real pain but that should be rare once initially setup

@bazh6041 6 ай бұрын

Hi, I hope you don't mind me replying to this old(ish) comment..... I'm just nearing the end of a full-home referb and I've come to the time to choose lighting options. Like you, we are going to have GU10 spotlights throughout, probably a similar number to you, and I am keen to have them all as smart bulbs so I can control different scenes/setups anywhere in the house. I've been pulling my hair out trying to find a tidy solution for the switches that keeps the hard- power on while allowing soft- switching of the relevant lights. Dimming would be nice but I can live without it - 90% of use will probably be by voice anyway. What I desperately don't want is battery powered switches sitting on faceplates over dumb switches though. It seems like such an inelegant solution and before finding the Aqara in this vid I couldn't believe there wasn't a better alternative. I am replying to ask if you woudn't mind answering a few Qs? a) Are you still happy with the Aqara solution? Which GU10s are you using and would you recommend them? Same question with the mini switches? Are you using this all with Home Assistant or native apps? (I am unfamiliar with HomeAssistant, but tech savvy so I will soon learn if it is the best way to go). Any other tips? Thanks so much in advance for your time!!!