Smart Switch with Smart Bulb

Hey Everyone… I am new here and just starting to get into the whole automation scene. Bought my first GE Zigbee switch to control my dining room chandelier and it has worked perfectly so far and tested out a few automations all with success.

Now my question is, and I know I have seen this touched upon a few times, is if I can use a smart switch with smart bulbs. I know the smart bulbs need constant power going to them, but I have kids who I am sure are going to switch things off no matter how many times I tell them and I simply don’t like the aesthetics of the switch child prevention covers or even the smart switch covers. I like a clean installed look, my OCD will act up if not, LOL.

So my thought is can I use the smart switch with the power always on and have an automation detect when the power is shutoff so it turns it right back on again. Any drawbacks to this? Will the bulb even work to being with?

Is there another option to cover the switches with some type of mount for a cheap kindle or something like that to use as a control dashboard?

Thanks in advance for any help.

It’s a very good question, and one that gets asked several times a month. So we have not one but two community FAQs about it. :wink: Those should answer your basic questions.

Start with the short FAQ, and then if you want more details on the various problems and issues, look at the long FAQ. ( The topic titles are clickable links)

Although the topic title may mention Hue, it applies to any brand of smart bulb.

And

After you read those, if you still have any questions, you can add them here. But please read the FAQs first. :sunglasses:

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