Smart Light Switches?

[Matt_Perva]

All,
What is the preferred choice for dimmers/regular switches. My switches in my home are light almond color and I have done some quick searches on Amazon and all I have been able to find are paddle switches in Light Almond, but no toggle switches.

Is there another website to purchase switches, do toggle switches not commonly come in Light Almond?

Thanks for the help

[JDRoberts]

@Matt_Perva

All,
What is the preferred choice for dimmers/regular switches. My switches in my home are light almond color and I have done some quick searches on Amazon and all I have been able to find are paddle switches in Light Almond, but no toggle switches.

Is there another website to purchase switches, do toggle switches not commonly come in Light Almond?

Thanks for the help

(I have moved your thread to projects so that you can get answers specific to your own situation)

There’s no one right answer on switches, as different models have different features and people have different preferences. For example, to some people the LED color makes a big difference and so they will only choose models that all have green LEDs or all have blue LEDs. For other people, support for double-tap is a much more important feature.

The following thread discusses the different features of different brands:

Bulbs, switches and sensors, oh my....what to buy (device class features FAQ)

So, I’m pretty new to this internet of things world. Originally bought 2 OSRAM tunable LED bulbs with the Wemo Hub and a WEMO insight switch, now I’ve “upgraded” the hub to the SmartThings hub, and looking at ditching the WEMO insight switch for the SmartThings plug, just so I have have support now and not have to wait or deal with adding custom code to the IDE. I’m on Amazon and etc pretty much every day trying to decide what I want to play around with next, or what’s better, etc. I’m here to see what your opinons/preferences are for plugs bulbs sensors: motion, open/close and temp It’s a confusing world out there…Just for bulbs I’m finding LIFX, WEMO, OSRAM, GE Link, Phillips Hue, Cree. For plugs I’m finding WEMO, SmartThings, Aeon Labs, GE…etc It’s hard to decide which is the way…

Regarding toggle switches, only one brand, GE/Jasco, makes network switches that are toggle rather than a rocker. The reason is that all of the network switches return to the center position after you press them. They don’t stay up for on or down for off. That means that on a toggle, The switch is sticking straight out most of the time, which a lot of people don’t like the look of. The neutral position is less obvious on a rocker.

[JDRoberts]

As far as where to buy, this forum has a deals category where members post individual sales they see.

It also includes a list of home automation retailers which is a good place to start. If you like the GE switches, often the easiest place to buy them is at Lowes or Home Depot, where you can often find sales.

FAQ: List of Home Automation Retailers

Auction and second source sites Sure, you can just look on eBay or BuyDig, but personally I prefer to buy from a place with a decent returns policy and a fair reputation. Too many reports of people buying from eBay and getting a different model than what they ordered (sometimes in the wrong box). Also note that some manufacturers (Aeotech is one) believe that everything sold on eBay is used and will not honor warranties for items purchased through this channel. You can buy Chinese made items from AliBaba express. I myself don’t use this as a source – – too many issues with the product description, or even counterfeits. But a lot of people do. Remember that for Zigbee, you want devices which are certified for Zigbee Home Automation 1.2 (ZHA 1.2). There are many Chinese zigbee devices wh…

[JDRoberts]

GE/Jasco originally released the toggle switch in both white and dark almond. The almond was model 12731. But it didn’t sell well, and I believe it’s been discontinued. You can see if one of the specialty retailers still has some in stock. It may be darker than what you want though.

Their rocker switch has an “Ivory” face plate option which is about the same as a light Almond if you want to go with those.

[Matt_Perva]

Thanks! I think my misunderstanding of how they operate is the issue. Knowing now that they’ll always go to the center position, a toggle switch does seem pointless. Thanks again for the information!

[desertblade (Ben W)]

I like the “go back to center” feature. I hate when 3-way switches are out of sync. I do think the Decora Paddles look better in center position than the toggles.

[Matt_Perva]

Thanks, I am trying to gather the most information as I can before I begin purchasing switches so that I can purchase 1 brand and 1 style throughout the house.