I am purchasing a new house that will include a detached garage, which I plan to use as a “computer room”/office/“man cave”. This space is 15 feet wide by nearly 25 feet deep. The builder put a single, utility fluorescent light fixture for this space. I am planning on replacing this fluorescent light to six recessed lighting cans and putting in some smart lights that can be turned on/off, change colors/temperature and be dimmed either locally or remotely through my iPhone. The problem I am thinking of has to do with the light switch itself. If the light switch is off, there will not be any power to the light fixtures at all, meaning they cannot be turned on and off remotely. If the light switch is on, then it can be controlled remotely. I had one thought, in which I would just remove the switch altogether, tying the two wires together to be always on. While this should work, it would be nice to be able to physically switch the light off or on if I didn’t have my phone with me for whatever reason. Is there a type of light switch that will I can put in to replace the physical switch so that it will turn off a light that is on or turn on a light that is off? I’m thinking something like a 3-way light switch with only one switch. If someone that understands my dilemma knows where to point me, I’d appreciate it.
At the moment, I’m debating as to which type of smart light to install. I’ve contemplated the Philips Hue, the Philips Wiz, Sylvania’s Zigbee products, and a few other brands. At the moment, I have not invested into any particular technology; I have not purchased a Smartthings Hub, but contemplating it. One advantage with Philips Wiz is that I will not have to purchase a hub, but I’ve heard that it will not yet work properly with Home Assistant, where products like Smartthings Hub can integrate. The bottom line is I want to keep cost down but features up.
