Yes, for all the smart switches that I know of, including all the Z wave switches, Zigbee switches, and Wi-Fi switches that are compatible with SmartThings, if you turn it off at the switch, SmartThings can still turn it back on.
This is because the radio inside the switch remains powered even though the light at the switch controls goes off.
This has to do with the way the switch is wired when it is installed, and it is the reason that most of these switches require that there be a neutral wire at the switchbox. The neutral is used to Power the radio even when the current that goes from the switch to the light fixture has been turned off. This allows the switch to hear the next āonā command even when it appears to be off.
Itās also the reason why all the switches rest in the neutral position rather than being locked into āonā or āoff.ā for example, for most zwave rocker switches you press the top of the switch for on or the bottom of the switch for off, but as soon as youāve pressed it, it returns to resting in the neutral position.
As for smart switches versus smart bulbs, you will find many strong opinions in the forums both ways, but the short answer is that there are pros and cons to both. And many people, myself included, use some of each just depending on the exact use case for each one.
See the following thread: