Proper way to use both a smart wall switch and smart bulb to control same ceiling light fixture (multi-part question)

Don’t use those specific Devices together. When you read the users guide for your smart bulbs you will see that the bulbs are intended to always be on power. It is the bulb which should decide for itself how much current to draw. If you regularly cut the current to these bulbs when you turn them on again over time the inrush current can damage the radio in the bulb, reducing the life of your already very expensive smart bulbs. Plus the problem you mention of not being able to use them from the network when the current is off.

It’s all right if there’s an occasional unexpected power outage, but you should not have these bulbs controlled by any switch, smart or dumb, which regularly cuts the current to them completely.

However, you can still have physical switches that operate these bulbs. You just have to make sure that the switch is not actually controlling the current. Instead the switch will send a message to the SmartThings hub, the Hub will send a message to the bulb, and the bulb will act accordingly. This way the bulb is always ready to answer the next request, whether it comes because the switch was pressed or because an automation is run. And you protect the radio inside the bulb. :sunglasses::level_slider::bulb:

See the following FAQ (this is a clickable link). It will explain how you can use physical switches with smart bulbs.

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