Dimmer switches

[maudefindlay]

Apparently our dinner switches (in our main living areas and bedrooms) are not led specifically, so DH wants to switch one out to see if we like led bulbs better that way. That got me thinking that moving forward when we buy or replace things maybe we should get smart switches. Do you use smart switches? Pros/cons? We have Alexa devices in all bedrooms and our kitchen which opens to the living room. We don't have one in our basement family room and play area.

[definitelyO]

we don't have smart anything in our house - but we do have all LED lights. they're usually great - but sometimes flicker and we can't figure out why (electrician said it wasn't anything he did)

[expectantsteelerfan]

So we don't have smart switches, but we have smart bulbs in a few rooms. I think they are Philips hue ones. I'm pretty sure we got one that came free with something and put it in ds's room for fun, and he liked it so much that dd wanted one (it can change color), but now dh uses them to dim the lights in his office (he's a radiologist so needs really low light to read x-rays on his screens). You can control them using an app on devices, but we also use google home devices and can control them by voice using those. Along with changing the color, you can also change the brightness.  So you could maybe try them out to see if it's something you'd like/want/use before actually changing out your switches? Or price it out to see if the bulbs are price comparable to changing out the switches. I'm pretty sure we haven't had to replace the bulbs we've bought for any of those 3 rooms in the years since they've had them (and they are the primary lights in those rooms, though they do have bedside lamps as well).

[pierogigirl]

We have LED bulbs, but not smart switches. My only advice is to pay attention to the shade of bulb you like and then be sure all the bulbs you buy are the same color. I hate cool white - looks blue. I'm pretty sure we get natural white (DH knows the number) and those are the only bulbs we buy.

[cmeon]

Our smart wall switches are all Kasa, and we're very happy with them. They also seem to be a little more stable than our smart bulbs (a mix of brands), and were very easy to install- even the more complicated kitchen set (we have two that toggle) and triple bathroom (light, light, fan).

I like the Kasa app and use the dimming feature on it much more frequently than I'd use a wall dimmer- you'll likely be fine without, unless you use it for fans. We have a Bond to control our voice control our fans, btw!

[Susie]

We don't have smart switches, but we do have smart outlets.  We have both exterior and interior versions (Kasa brand).  I deploy them in different ways depending on the season.  I use them for Christmas lights, to have lights turn on at dusk in certain rooms, and to control lights in hard or annoying to reach places.

We also have LED dimmer switches in the kitchen and dining room.  I like these bulbs for it:  www.amazon.com/dp/B081D6GZFZ/?coliid=IXCQ7PQ4RR5MD&colid=U6S11E1U8HOE&psc=0&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

They get warmer as the light gets lower so they look more like incandescent bulbs.

[dr.girlfriend]

Jun 29, 2023 15:52:03 GMT -5 definitelyO said:

we don't have smart anything in our house - but we do have all LED lights. they're usually great - but sometimes flicker and we can't figure out why (electrician said it wasn't anything he did)

If you don't have LED bulbs that specifically say "dimmable LED" that can make them flicker.