Lots of people use switch locks to keep critical switches on, like those controlling freezers, air conditioners, or aquarium equipment, without having children in the house. There are many different styles available. Here’s the one we use:
As for the GE bulbs, I’m glad they’re working well for you. I hope that continues. But they do have a known firmware defect, which is why they aren’t on the official “works with SmartThings” list. Some (not all) have a tendency to drop off the network where other brands don’t. A lot of people don’t care, considering it just a mild inconvenience and worth the savings.
Understood, different things work for different people.
The following topic discusses what kinds of options different people use with smart bulbs. It might be of interest.
As far as smart switches with dumb bulbs, there are still a number of options to consider.
Micro relays. As others have suggested, you can use a micro relay somewhere else on the circuit, typically at the ceiling fixture. Although you can use most dumb switches with them, people generally prefer to replace the switch with a momentary button as it will work more intuitively. A lot of choices for these.
if you want to use incandescent bulbs, Both Ge and cooper make smart switches that do not require a neutral. They don’t work with LEDs, though.
Lutron Caseta has a nice switch which does not require a neutral and does work with LEDs. However, it is not directly compatible with SmartThings. It does have an IFTTT channel, which gives you indirect integration, although there may be some noticeable lag. So it just depends on the exact use case. For lights which will primarily come on on a schedule, the lag may not matter. Or you might just keep that as an entirely separate system from SmartThings. It would be nice if someday SmartThings added full Lutron integration but I wouldn’t count on it. Even so, it is a solution chosen by some people in older houses without neutrals.
And on a separate note, there are not as yet any smart things compatible switches that have a built-in motion sensor. However, it’s very easy to use a separate motion sensor to trigger either a smart wall switch or a smart bulb. In fact, with a separate motion sensor it’s often easier to place it to catch just the right motion since the wall switch is almost by definition on the edge of the room. Many community members use motion sensors to trigger lighting with SmartThings.
I decided to integrate motion sensors into most of my automation and eliminate the need for wall switches when possible. This seems easier than wiring in new wall switches for some areas.
Other areas I am trying to use Z-wave primary and secondary switched to control the lights. This technically makes the GE Link bulbs pointless as the wall switch can thus control the entire circuit.
