I have four can lights using Hue BR30s on a three-way switch in my living room. Would most of you recommend adding a smart switch to control these or use the Hue bridge for on/off function?
It really depends on your family’s habits. If there is an increased likelihood that physical switch will be turned off, then you need a smart switch. All of my Hues are on z-wave switches because my wife has an increased tactile sense. She must turn off the lights manually when she leaves the room…
all of my lights in my basement are on a 3 way switch, and the app takes time to bring up when you need to go and get something out of the freezer. so I added the hue dimmers, and it works perfectly. I can still use the app, I still have a physical switch, and the dimmer is more elegant than the hue tap.
As @SBDOBRESCU stated, it really comes down to tendencies by the users.
It took some time to train myself to use the Hue Tap in the hallway and avoid flipping that switch in the bathroom (especially since it is right next to the fan switch in there).
If you also have a lot of guests (whether yours or your children’s friends), you may want to go with a smart switch.
When you say smart switch do you mean a Z-wave flipper in the wall or some kind of button control separate from the wall switch?
As others have said, it just depends on your own household needs and preferences. Different things work for different people.
At our house, voice control via the Amazon echo has become the primary means of light control for everyone. So that solves most of the switch issues for us.
The following topic should also be of interest. (This is a clickable link.)
I meant flipper/toggle switch.
Bear in mind that if you turn off the source power to be bulbs, for example the fixture they are inserted into, then the bulbs won’t function at all. Hue bulbs, like all smart bulbs, need to always be powered in order to function. Unless you wire the fixture straight through to always be powered, connect your smart switch with no load and then run an app to use that switch to control the Hue lights you will lose control ofnthenoriginals until the next time the switch is turned on. Of course you can use the smart switch to control the times during which the lights have powers, like a power governor of some sort. But if your looking for the lights to always be accessible then a smart switch probably isn’t what you’re looking for.