—
After making the decision to upgrade to smart lighting, you need to select your preferred approach. There are numerous options available for taking more precise control over interior lighting around the home.
Determining which works best for you is a case of establishing your priorities and considering your objectives for your new smart lighting system.
As with all home improvements, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of approaching the installation of smart lighting technology. The system you go with can be as modest or extensive as you like, whatever suits your requirements.
Prior to getting started, ask yourself the following questions to help narrow down the options available:
- How many lights are there currently around the home?
- What types of lights and light bulbs do I have installed?
- Does my home have a neutral wire?
- How many of my lights do I want to upgrade?
- Should I upgrade them gradually or all at once?
- Will I be integrating any other smart devices or controllers?
- Do I know what the installation process entails?
- Will I need to hire an electrician to help me out?
In answering the questions above, you will find it much easier to choose between the three main types of smart lighting devices currently available. Smart bulbs, plugs and switches all have their points of appeal, though differ significantly in terms of features, functionalities and scope for expansion.
Smart Light Bulb
A smart light bulb is just that; a single bulb that connects wirelessly to a mobile device, either using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. A mobile app installed on the device can then be used to control a variety of features, including both the colour and intensity of the light.
One of the biggest benefits of smart light bulbs is the fact that they are very easy to set up and operate. They are compatible with most existing lighting fixtures and can be simply screwed into place.
They can be comparatively expensive if looking to exchange all of the bulbs around your home with smart bulbs; controlling multiple bulbs can be inconvenient, as they must be controlled independently – i.e. they cannot be controlled simultaneously from one central smart switch.
Some lighting fixtures such as built-in LED lights are not compatible with smart light bulbs. Taking control of these lights would therefore only be possible with a smart switch.
Smart Plug
A smart plug is the simplest option available, this provides the option of turning a light on or off remotely. Some smart plugs offer additional features like energy consumption tracking but most simply enable you to switch your lights on and off.
This can be an extremely quick and convenient way of bringing smart lighting technology into the home. Simply connect the smart plug to a socket, connect a lamp and install the accompanying app on your smartphone.
The main limitation of a smart plug is that you cannot use it to control a standard ceiling light, or most built-in lighting fixtures. It is only suitable for those you can plug into the device and connect to the mains.
Smart Light Switch
Combining the best of all worlds, a smart light switch lets you take total control over as many lighting fixtures as you like from a central control point. A smart switch can be used to replace any standard light switch around the home, before being connected with a mobile app to access its various features.
With a smart light switch, you can remotely control all aspects of your home’s lighting from any location using your smartphone. You can create schedules and routines, pre-set your preferred levels of illumination and more. It is even possible to hook your smart switch up with a voice assistant like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, after which you can control your home’s lighting with simple voice commands.
The only downside with smart lighting is the additional work involved in the installation process. In addition, there are some smart light switches that are dependent on a neutral wire. If your home does not have a neutral wire, you will need to ensure that the switch you choose does not need one.
In Summary
What is important to remember when switching to smart lighting is that you do not need to limit yourself to one product type.
In some rooms of the home, it may be far more practical and economical to replace the main central light with a smart bulb. Elsewhere, the basic on/off functionality of a smart switch could be enough to boost convenience and enhance home security.
If looking to take more precise control over your home’s lighting in the most convenient way, a smart light switch is unbeatable. Particularly given how a smart switch that uses a popular protocol (such as ZigBee or Z-Wave) can be integrated with a wide variety of other smart devices around the home.
Why Choose the Zigbee Remote Switch with EVVR?
EVVR’s Zigbee remote switch has been designed to make it as effortlessly as possible to get the most out of your Zigbee mesh network. Our innovative In-Wall Relay Switch (IRS) converts any standard light switch into a smart light switch, which you can then use with other Zigbee devices.
To learn more about the EVVR’s Zigbee remote switch, visit our product description page or contact us today.
—
