Light Switches, and scene switches options (240v)?

[JDRoberts]

I’m not quite sure what you’re asking. But it looks like four different questions.

1. what options do people use to control lighting if they have a typical EU set up with 240 V and a UK frequency hub?

if you have a neutral wire at the switchbox, there are quite a few options, including some nice zwave switches from DeVolo/Popp and TKB. Vesternet has a good selection, just look under Z wave and Z wave plus.

Vesternet: Smart Home Automation - Z-Wave & Zigbee Products

If you don’t have a neutral wire at the switchbox, the most popular method is probably to use one of the in wall micros. There are models from some manufacturers including Fibaro which will not require a neutral wire. In other cases, the micro is put at the fitting at the ceiling rose where there will usually be a neutral wire. In both of these approaches, there are many different switches that you can use at the wall switch once the micro is in place. They definitely don’t require toggles. Momentary switches are the most popular, and there are many different styles of these:

All of these options and more are discussed in the UK lighting FAQ:

FAQ: Philips Hue and Other Smart Bulbs - What sort of light switches to use with them? (Long FAQ)

Thinking on a big move to Hue lights, the real question is - what switches to use with them? If they’re all automatable via ST and other devices, do I really want to put them all on controllable switches too? There’s the advantage that I can arrange to ensure those switches are on so that the the Hue bulbs would be too…but it also leaves open the ability for folks to just turn them off and leave them off. Hmm. Thoughts?

2. what are good battery operated buttons/switches that can be used with SmartThings?

There are a couple of dozen of these, including the ones you mentioned like Logi Pop, Flic, and more. You’ll find these listed in the buttons and remotes FAQ. That thread includes both mains powered and battery options and both handheld and wall mount, so read the descriptions carefully. Each post in that FAQ just has a picture of the device, a brief description, and a link to a discussion thread. Please put follow-up questions on any specific device in the discussion thread, not in the FAQ thread. Or come back to this thread and ask questions here.

FAQ: Full list of buttons and remotes confirmed to work with SmartThings [Not all devices listed work with the 2020 Platform]

I’d like to know which buttons and remotes are currently supported or might be supported in the future. Ideally, I’d like to find something similar to the following: http://www.evolvecontrols.com/devices/control-devices/glass-series Though alternatively just a simple nice-looking button which actually works unlike this Aeon according to Amazon reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Panel-Button-Switch-AL-001/dp/B00GL6B4GG/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1421468320&sr=1-3&keywords=aeon+button There is an Aeon Key Fob as well, but it doesn’t seem to be very durable or stylish: What else is available?

3. can anything be done about capturing lightwave RF status when someone manually flips the switch?

Lightwave RF has just announced a second generation of switches which are due for release next month and will have status reporting. These are going to be compatible with HomeKit. They will not be directly compatible with smart things, but since lightwave RF already has an IFTTT channel there may be some options there, but we’ll just have to wait and see exactly what gets released.

LightwaveRF to add HomeKit integration October 2017, may improve SmartThings integration as well

Not a lot of details yet, but Lightwave RF says they are releasing a new generation two, including a “Link Plus” gateway device, which will have HomeKit compatibility. Of course that doesn’t help with SmartThings, since SmartThings doesn’t work with HomeKit. However, the new generation two is also going to have the ability for the switches to report status back to the gateway. As long as they add that to their existing IFTTT channel/service, that would then allow lightwave RF switches and sockets to be used as the “if” in an applet, not just the “that.” And that would then give pretty good indirect integration without needing an additional server. The downside is that IFTTT can introduce some additional lag. This varies from house to house. At my house it’s a fairly consistent eight …

4. what other options are available for controlling smart bulbs besides voice and the app?

See the following FAQ for more ideas:

FAQ: Philips Hue and Other Smart Bulbs - What sort of light switches to use with them? (Long FAQ)

Thinking on a big move to Hue lights, the real question is - what switches to use with them? If they’re all automatable via ST and other devices, do I really want to put them all on controllable switches too? There’s the advantage that I can arrange to ensure those switches are on so that the the Hue bulbs would be too…but it also leaves open the ability for folks to just turn them off and leave them off. Hmm. Thoughts?

I hope that helps. Also, I have moved this thread to projects so you can get individualized answers and suggestions on your project in general.