Hello, all… I have a question before I install a smart switch.
I currently have Phillips Hue and SmartThings. I have a standard light switch on the wall that controls an electrical outlet. I have to lamps with Hue bulbs plugged into that outlet, along with other things also plugged into those outlets. What I want to do is replace the standard light switch with a z-wave dimmer. I want to ensure that the power to the outlets is always on (as if the light switch is always on). The switch control only the Hue bulbs… on/off/dim… but anything else in those outlets should always stay on.
Is this how it works automatically? Or is this something that doesn’t work? I’m just still trying to catch up on how all this works.
If I understand your question, you can do it if you change the wall switch so that it is no longer a load control switch and doesn’t control the outlets at all. All it will do is send a message to the smartthings hub which will then send a message to the bulbs.
A popular switch for this purpose is the go control/Linear WT00z accessory switch which is not intended to control a load. Although it says it will work only was zwave bulbs, since you are using SmartThings, it will also work with zig be bulbs or hue bulbs connected to the hue bridge because the switch passes message to the hub and the hub passes the message to the bulb.
See the FAQ on switches to use with smart bulbs and it goes into the details more ( this is a clickable link)
This is helpful, but I’m still not sure what to do with the wiring within the existing switch in this scenario. I want the outlets to remain powered, so the existing switch must be stuck in the “on” position when it’s removed. This is just a hair out of my comfort zone.
