First of all, welcome to ST!!
Typically z-wave switches and dimmers are a better option than smart bulbs, especially if a single switch operates multiple bulbs. The bulbs can be great for outdoor lights or household lamps that don’t have a dedicated switch and would normally be operated at the lamp. I’m a little atypical as I’m using 15 of them in my basement so I can zone off sections as all overhead are on a single switch.
- For the GE bulbs, try this thread which has an updated device type (around post 50 there are step-by-step instructions for getting the updated code into your ST setup). It adds dim rate options, and will dim down to 1%. Should give you much better performance for them.
Updated : GE Link Bulbs - FINALLY getting ON status after manually turning on!
-You’re exactly right about always needing an app to dim. As mentioned above, they have their uses. The Linear WD500Z is the recommended z-wave dimmer wall switch on here. I have used them to control a single LED up to 16 LEDs with no issues. They don’t buzz and dim smoothly, but they do require a neutral wire in the switch box.
-You can dim directly from the Linear dimmer switch (or any of the availabe ones). Press and hold the top to dim up, hold the bottom to dim down. Real easy.
Hope this helps! Try the seach as a lot of this has been addressed in various GE Link Bulb threads. You’ll probably stumble onto a ton of good info.