Switch cover for Hue dimmer?

Wiki Ideas and Suggestions
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I just bought a Philips Hue dimmer, to my surprise and dismay it comes with an odd size wall plate. I can’t use it to replace the existing wall switch. And I can’t find a way to easily place on top of the existing switch neither.

I’d like to see how people in this forum put up their hue dimmer. From the pictures I found online, people simply glue the dimmer plate next to an existing switch, not replacing it…

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Although you see arguments both ways, there is a minor concern about fire safety when placing a battery operated device exactly over a switch box unless it was designed for that purpose, which the Phillips was not.

Consequently most people do one of four things:

One) as you mentioned, simply mount the Hue dimmer switch on the wall near the original switch. A nice variation of this is to replace the existing single gang switch with the double gang plate and put the Hue dimmer switch on top of that. This is my own personal favorite. This picture is not my house, but it’s something I want to do some day:

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  1. Buy one of the inexpensive switch covers available now and then put the Hue dimmer switch on top of that. Samotech makes a nice line at under $10. There are also a number of these now available on Etsy from individual creators with more choice for size and format.

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  1. put a blanking plate over the original switch and then mount the dimmer switch on top of that, but then the original switch is no longer usable.

  2. put a wooden box over the top of the existing switch which can be lifted up if you need emergency access to it, and then put the new dimmer switch on top of that. Or use 3-D printing to print a plastic box of the right dimensions.

Any of these can work, it’s really just a matter of aesthetic preference.

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I’ve also been looking for a clean way to mount the Hue dimmer into a 2 gang fixture before ordering one. In my situation, I have a single gang Lutron Diva toggle switch with a single gang, screwless Lutron Claro plate. I would like to order a 2 gang Claro plate and simply stick the remote in the second gang of the Decora plate… but the Philips remote is simply too big for the standard decora openings. I really don’t know why they did this…

But here are a couple more options I found in case anyone else is looking…

  1. The Lutron connected bulb remote is actually standard decora sized and can be paired directly with the Hue hub and bulbs. It will turn on, off, and dim whichever hue bulbs you wish, however it does not give you scene options like the Hue remote will (it simply uses whatever scene was last set on the bulbs). If you can sacrifice scene selection, this is probably the cleanest looking option in a multi-gang setup. Here’s a good tutorial on how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpeq31kWqyU
  2. For a single gang box, you should be able to mount the philips remote+wallplate over your existing junction box. You can either drill holes into the faceplate (like this guy: http://www.instructables.com/id/Philips-Hue-Dimmer-Outlet-Cover/), or you can mount a metal plate to your existing box and use tape or take advantage of the magnets in the Hue faceplate (similar to this guy: http://imgur.com/a/w8uQT)
  3. For 2-gang with the Hue remote, @JDRoberts example above is great, though a bit less clean than I was going for. You could also get a 2-gang decora cover (similar to above), and replace the side for the Philips remote with one of those blank decora inserts, and then stick the remote up to it with double-sided tape, or put some magnets behind it for a removable remote.
  4. Make your own wall-plate, either by modifying a multi-gang, or cutting one out of your own material. (here’s a pretty nice 3D printed bracket to accompany one: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1976384)
  5. Just stick the philips remote next to (but maybe not right against) your existing switch.
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Looks like flip type switch only. I have all Decora style, have to change the switch in order to use it

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Stay tuned…

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I removed the physical light switch and wired it to always be on. Then I installed a metal blank cover, added a grounding clip to it, then the hue magnets stick right on there very strongly.

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I found it useful to be able easily power cycle the bulbs if necessary. Hardwiring the light switch to be on only makes it difficult to do.

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ah interesting, I haven’t had to power cycle them yet.

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This is what I have come up with. The first version has no screws and is stick on, this stick on version was a request from a customer. The inner walls also do not go all the way down to and around the rocker switch.

The second version does have the screws that are not as good looking, but is more functional. Also the inner wall does go down to and surrounds the rocker switch.

I do not have any on Ebay yet, but will if there is demand.

[Album] Decora style stealth covers
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Have a few on Ebay, but don’t hesitate to message me directly if you are interested.

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Thanks, this looks like an interesting product. May I ask what material do you use to print these plates? ABS of some sort?

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It is printed out of PLA

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In my case I have a 2 gang box, but I was using only one switch. The second one was not in use because I had a ligth fixture in the middle of the dinning room, which I bang my head over and over… long story short, I have Hue Lights now and I covered the two gang box and screwed the Hue Swtich on top. I guess you could still do this with one gang and screw a two gang cover on top too:

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Since my wife liked it, must be good! :slight_smile:

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I just found this forum after having already made my own. My solution was to make a spacer that installs directly over the existing switch hole, using its own screws, without the need for any additional hardware or modifications. Also, trying to make it as inexpensive as possible, using as little extra plastic. In case there is a desire for it, I made it available on Shapeways.
https://www.shapeways.com/product/5UPXCNZ88/spacer-plate-for-philips-hue-switch-us
HuePlate-Shapeways

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Has there been any demand?

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Yes, I have them for sale on Ebay and Etsy.

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Here’s my setup. Have in single, double and triple also.

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Joe, do you have these available for sale or the 3D printable designs you can share?

Thanks!