What’s your switch recommendation?

I’m in a pinch. While I am technically savvy, my better half is not. It has to work every time, or it will be ripped out… And I can’t spend $50 on every switch in the house…

Right now, I have a kasa wifi switch on the porch lights. It’s basic, but it works.

My better half has asked me to automate the lights in the basement so she can ask Alexa to turn them off for her when our kids inevitably forget. I’m excited and terrified at the prospect of diving in headlong and hitting a wall, so here I am.

I have decent and reliable wifi through the house (2 Asus ZenWifi routers in mesh) , and decent internet. We have many Alexa’s through the house.

Requirements:

  • Must work with Alexa - so Wifi, Matter, Zigbee. Not interested in adding another smart hub.
  • We have Android devices. Not sure that matters too much. Will have a Home Assistant dashboard setup for the lights.
  • I have HomeAssistant, but given the voice component, I’m fine driving the automation commands from either (or both) platforms. ** Question then… If I get a non wifi switch, will I need to pay for the Amazon integration to get them into HA because the Alexa is the hub???
  • The lights need to be voice controllable
  • To start with, need 7-9 single pole switches and four 3-way zones (two switches each). So, it’s a lot to start with, and I hope for it to grow.
  • All the lights are LEDs, but they very in quality… Hoping we don’t get flickering on the dimmer.
  • Want them to be on a dimmer, so we can set evening brightness, etc. some of the lights are reading lights near the TV, so…

Have seen a lot of different types of $20 ish smart dimmer switches. Kasa, Tapo, Shelly, …, … I’m struggling to pick the technology. On one side, worried about having too many things on wifi. On the other, I have one working switch that has hiccuped twice in the 2 years we’ve had it (an acceptable failure rate that was quickly fixed by pushing the switch button…)

Thank you all!!!

  • derjust@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    +1 for Zoozs with HA. It works reliable and the Alexa integration is a few cents in AWS cost a month if you are willing to tinker. There are guides out there that you follow once and forget about it.

    Zoozs covers a wide range of application including set switches and various dimmers for different scenarios. Plus you have multiple options for 3way, 4way, and virtual Nway with Zwave’s association.

    For me the combo HA plus Zwave leaves enough to tinker but is rock solid for other users.

    (And the platform is local and open: over time added Zigbee into HA as also a bunch of other integrations and exposed only those entities to Alexa that matter - also helps with Alexa triggering the right device)