First time adding bulbs and switches to SmartThings - Order?

First post here. Sorry for such a basic question, but I’m about to install my first light switches (GE) and bulbs (GoControl).

My question is, should I only install one device at a time, and then go to the hub and try to pair it? Or is it easy enough to just install, say, a gang of 3 switches, and then find them all in the hub? It seems like the latter would make it hard to tell which switch is which… But I don’t know how it works. Am I making it too hard?

Thanks,

Mark

Do them one at a time. Most devices when they are first powered will start in pairing mode. So… after you screw in the bulb, turn it on and have your phone out with the ST app ready to go. You’ll know which bulb it is in the ‘add a thing’ menu and you’ll be able to run a quick test that it’s working.

The same is true for the switches. I like to do one at a time, that way if I messed up the wiring I can fix it before moving to the next.

Note: this is my opinion… at the end of the day you can do it either way.

One more thing to add… noob to noob. The literature generally says to be within 15’ of the hub when adding a device, but in practice you don’t need to go to all the trouble of moving things around to get the hub close. Especially with switches, install the closest one first, this will ensure you have a strong mesh and wide coverage within your house.

If you do decide to pair multiple devices at once, don’t worry about knowing what is what. It is very easy to rename things after the fact.

Thanks so much, Justin!