Hi all,
Any smartswitches that people would recommend which are available in the UK?
A lot of the ones i’m seeing seem to be for the US market.
Thank you
I am still looking for a smart wired light switch solution myself that I am happy with although my criteria will likely be different and tougher than yours. However here are some thoughts.
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Sadly Lutron Caseta is still not available in Europe.
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LightWaveRF is in many peoples opinion is ugly and has limitations - for example you cannot mix dimmers and switches side by side, HomeKit options are also limited.
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TheDen currently still does not support any integration options and like LightWaveRF cannot mix switches and dimmers.
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Aurora Aone only do dimmers and also don’t support HomeKit.
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M-Elec is an Australian firm who make a set of micro modules under the Stitchy name that use Zigbee. These modules could be placed behind light switches or in the ceiling. Being Zigbee they can be connected to a Philips Hue bridge which of course can be linked to Smarttthings. Uniquely they claim HomeKit compatibility via the Philips Hue bridge. Normally standard Zigbee devices do not inherit HomeKit compatibility but they clearly claim this capability. The presumption is that they are officially ‘Friends of Hue’ certified although I could not find this officially stated. This makes them for me an extremely promising option except for the fact they are not sold in Europe. They are however technically suitable for Europe as they support 220V and Zigbee is a global standard.
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Other than the above there are various Z-Wave micro modules like Fibaro, Aeotec, etc. and there is also Insteon micro modules via the Insteon hub. Insteon have announced they intend to release a new hub which will combine standard and HomeKit support but there is sadly disturbing indications this new hub may not be released to Europe.
Insteon, Z-Wave and M-Elec would all use standard momentary wall switches and could all be combined in various combinations of dimmers and switches.
One I nearly forgot, there is a make of Zigbee micro module rebadged by numerous companies which also can be linked to Philips Hue or directly to Smartthings and again would use a momentary wall switch however this make is not Friends of Hue and hence absolutely not HomeKit compatible. It is however available in Europe.
I use the fibaro, with a momentary switch. I find it satisfies all my requirements. I. E works as a normal switch, but has the option of smart control.
It all comes down to whether you have a neutral wire at the light box. If so, there are quite a few “3 wire” zwave options that will work well with SmartThings.
If you don’t, I think most people either use LightwaveRF (personally, I like that look, so aesthetic judgement is always individual) or one of the micros like Fibaro or Aeotec, as was mentioned.
Aurora is a newer choice, but has an official integration, so definitely worth consideration.
You can read more details and discussion on all these options in the U.K. Lighting FAQ. 