#Smart bulb vs smart switch install

Now that weвЂ™ve worked out our wiring, and understand the difference in UK vs. There are also some issues with retro-fitting these modules to a 2-wire system like ours, requiring additional short jumper wires between two of the poles to make sure that the module understands it is on a 2-wire system, and if you want to use it with a rocker switch you often need to re-configure the module as they are intended for use with the US/EU style switches.ДЇinally, most modules will not work with UK dimmer switches either, so whilst they are great for quick retrofits in houses with 3-wire systems and US/EU switches, they start to struggle if you need to keep the way anyone interacts with the lights the same as a standard UK setup. The module can also receive signals from the central controller and act accordingly, however the physical state of the switch does not change, and therefore with a UK rocker switch you can easily end up in a state where the switch looks like the light should be off, but the module has turned the light on. When the switch state changes, the module acts accordingly and sends a signal to the central controller (more about those in a later blog post!) to register the state and trigger any rules that might exist. The in-wall modules are designed to sit behind and be connected to an existing light switch. In-wall modulesДЄ brief interlude here to talk about вЂњin-wall modulesвЂќ vs. This is in contrast to the US and EU-style switches that are frequently вЂњpush for on, push again for offвЂќ, and again, if we start to explore the various вЂњin-wallвЂќ modules out there we find that they cater for the other markets more than they cater for the UK. Dimmer switch - A dial controls the brightness of the attached bulbs.Rocker Switch - The standard switch where you push the bottom of the rocker to turn it on and the top of the rocker to turn it off.The second issue is that UK light switches tend to come in two types: This effectively limits us to a very few options when it comes to making our switches smart, as most of the rest of the world operates on the вЂњ3-wireвЂќ system, and the market caters far more to them than it does to us! Our house (like most houses built in the UK) has a вЂњ2-wireвЂќ setup, which means we donвЂ™t have a neutral wire at the switch itself and instead rely on a вЂњswitched liveвЂќ. Vesternet have an excellent guide to the differences between the two wiring systems that are most often in place, and IвЂ™d strongly suggest you read it before you make any purchases. The first issue weвЂ™ll come across when faced with a purchasing decision is to understand the wiring that we have in our houses. If you want colour changing bulbs then retro fit the bulbs instead and blank off the switch plates! NOTE: You cannot control RGBW Bulbs from these kinds of switches. Smart switches seem to solve a lot of these issues, so letвЂ™s start with the various options and how they might fit into our 1980вЂ™s built house.

#Smart bulb vs smart switch install

In the previous article we saw how smart bulbs are often a cheap and easy way to get into smart home automation, but that asking everyone who visits (in-laws, parents, babysitters, etc) to install an app to control them or remember the voice commands isnвЂ™t always easy.