Has anyone found and/or used any flush mount smart lights. My wife wants some recessed lights in our living room but we don’t have the recessed cans installed. I hate to install the big cans in the ceiling and then put in smart LED lights that then have to convert to a bulb type screw in connection. I’m looking to skip the can and just wire directly.
I’ve only found the SYLVANIA SMART+ ZigBee Adjustable White Surface Light Fixture but can’t find pidture showing installed product or even specs like how thick, diameter or mounting/wireing options. In the past I had a hard time keeping OSRAM smart bulbs connected to my ST hub so I’ve retisant to buy into these at $50 each since my wife wants 6 of them.
Do you really want smart lights for this application. Ceiling lights, can or otherwise, are typically switched. Perhaps you should consider conventional lights like @dudo33 recommended and use a smart switch. That would probably keep the cost down as I’m guessing the non-smart lights are considerably less expensive.
People commonly choose smart bulbs for can lights in one of three situations:
they rent and are not allowed to change any of the wiring
they want the color changing features, or at least the color temperature changing features, of smart lights
they have a large room like a basement or a great room where everything operates off of the same switch but they want to set up separate lighting zones without rewiring
Otherwise, yes, dumb lights with a smart switch will generally be more cost-effective. So choice is good.
(BTW, none of those are Can lights, but they are all flushmount. With can lights, you would normally see the ring around the can and the surface of the bulb right at the surface of the ceiling with the mechanism going up into the ceiling.
These are also called “recessed downlights.” There has to be enough room in the ceiling for the mechanism, so sometimes you end up lowering the ceiling by three or 4 inches if you use these.
The recessed downlights are noticeably less expensive, even the Hue models are only about $35 each. But it’s a very different look and, again, there has to be enough room inside the ceiling for the mechanism.
I’m rebuilding my kitchen and downstairs bathroom. Installing Hue color lights all around. While I will have switches as per code, I will be utilizing cheap smartphones as the main user interface/switch point.
I got three Alcatel TracFones a few months ago at Walmart for $15 each. I’m configuring one using screen label widgets, and creating scenes for each room. I will then triplicate the first phone, so they will all be identical. So it won’t matter which phone ends up where. You can always swipe to the Kitchen screen, and there you will find perhaps four Hue widgets that set the most common scenes. One for cooking, one to dim the kitchen lights while we eat in the dining room, one for midnight snacks, etc.
And of course the Smartthings component, where perhaps the “midnight snack” scene would be motion triggered between dusk and dawn.
Interesting aside: it has become cheaper to purchase an entire android smart phone than to purchase a replacement battery for that phone when its first battery gives out. lol
I ended up installing the cans in the ceiling and using the OSRAM Sylvania SYLVANIA SMART+ ZigBee Full Color RT 5/6 Recessed Lighting Kit. I couldn’t find any surface mount dimmable RGB bulbs. I found a can at Lowes designed for retrofit that was easy to install. It turned out great and with the retrofit cans it wasn’t difficult to install. Integrated easily into my Smartthings scenes and routines and (I use Google Assistant) I can tell it white temp., color, and/or the dim level with voice command. My wife loves the look which is the most important factor.
Cool thanks, I dont even need RGB but I cant find anything thats smart at fits a standard box at that size. I could just do larger lights or some other fixture with bulbs but prefer the recessed look.
I found these, I think they would work if installed in an individual light box? Turn the existing lights into smart ones, what do you think? https://www.insteon.com/dimmer-in-linelinc
My wife and I are customizing a new townhouse. By the time we purchased/started the process, the ceiling lighting had already been installed with these flush mount LED lights. It was too late to change them and standard switches had already been installed also.
I have tried to compare spec sheets for the lighting we currently have with this Eaton solution referenced above, but it isn’t clear to me if these will be compatible with the existing lighting.
Is anyone willing to take a look and share your opinion?
I realize swapping out the switches is an option, but these lights are all over the house, so I don’t love the idea of having different types of switches throughout the house. Secondly, I just think the LED diode style of light is just ugly.
