Just started getting into the SmartThings scene. I currently only have 2 GE Link Bulbs in lamps in the Bedroom and a Lowes Iris Z-Wave switch to control the ceiling light in the bedroom and I am hooked.
I want to continue on into the rest of the house but I was curious about one thing. Would it be best to get dimming Z-Wave light switches and LED compatible bulbs to perform functions such as, when in night mode and the light switch is turned on only turn on the lights to 10% power. Or would the same functionality be possible with a regular Z-Wave light switch and have the GE Link Bulbs installed in the sockets?
If this would work the only downside I can see would not being able to increase the brightness of the bulb from the wall like you could with a dimming switch, only with the smartthings app.
Is there a reason to have smart bulbs behind smart switches?
If you can do in wall switches, that would be the route I would pick. The bulbs are nice in places you can’t (or don’t want to) replace/install a switch.
The only reason I was thinking of having with was cost. We currently don’t have any dimming lights in our house and most switches (living room, kitchen, dining room, hallway) are all 3 way. When upgrading me and the wife thought the ability to dim would be a nice feature to have. However the smart switches that are compatible with LED dimming are (from the best I can find) $49 for each side. I thought instead using the GE Link bulbs might be a more cost effective route.
Now that I am saying this it dawns on me the most cost effective might not be the best way if it limits the range of things I would be able to do with my system.
Cost is definitely a good reason. That’s why I don’t have switches and do have bulbs. When I read your initial post, I thought you were talking about putting the GE Link bulbs in places that would also be controlled via a z-wave switch. That was where it didn’t make much sense to me.
The only downside to the smart bulbs is that a conventional power switch renders them inaccessible from software. As an example, we had a house guest that turned off a floor lamp that had a hue bulb in it. He didn’t realize it would turn itself off so, naturally turned it off at the lamp. The next morning my partner came down in the dark and was confused as to why the light didn’t turn on when she walked into the room.
I’ve got a bunch of 3-way switches I’ll eventually need to replace and since it will mean replacing the wall plates also, it will be mean that I have to do them all at once or live without wall plates for a while. But, it’s the best of both worlds since you get both conventional and software control. I’m just dreading starting that process…
The switch covers wouldn’t have helped since he turned it off at the floor lamp, but for those situations where preventing physical switch access is viable they work great.
I’m using AEON micro dimmer modules, they are inexpensive in bulk from here…, can work in three way situations, without a “slave” my setup here… , and dim LED’s just fine.
I have them and they actually look really nice.