Back on the hunt for dimmer switches after the AOne dimmers failed to meet family approval

Hey all,

I purchased one of the AOne dimmers and installed it as a test, thinking that they would be great for the rest of the house.

2 months in to using it, my wife and kids are complaining that when you turn it on/up/down/off there is a delay, and because the dial is a constant rotation it doesn't "feel right" (I know, tough crowd... :frowning: )

So I'm back to hunting for something that is HE compatible (Ideally ZWave/ZigBee), looks like a UK Light switch, doesn't introduce a delay between turning the dial and the lights changing, and feels "like a proper dimmer switch".

I'm starting to think that my only option is to go down the route of the Fibaro modules or similar.

We're going to have a lot of the house rewired soon, so there will be a chance to run neutrals into all the rooms that are being updated/rebuilt, but there's not going to be a chance to do that in all the rooms :frowning:

Help?

I have not seen any smart knobs like the aone apart from the fibaro wally but they are super expensive and more suited for europeans rather than us brits.

Yeah, that was my concern.

Someone has pointed out the Aeotec Nano Dimmer, so I'm now trying to find out if I can use it with a "standard" dimmer switch like Colours 2 way Single Chrome effect Dimmer switch | DIY at B&Q (for example)

You can not use dimmer switches on these modules.

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Thanks, I guess that answers that one then! :smiley:

There are other ways if you can live without a knob!!!

Thanks - I've had LightwaveRF for the last three years but I want to switch to something that looks more like a UK lightswitch and is easy to operate when family come over.

Turns out that the most demanding client I have is my own family! :smiley:

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My family sets lighting levels by either using a remote or by voice

Yeah, until last night they didn't even know you could do that... :roll_eyes:

Because it looks like a "standard" dimmer, then they want to use that functionality, so maybe I just replace it with a Fibaro/Aeotec module and use the switch for on/off and voice/HE rules to dim like you say...

Would they really object to having one pushbutton instead of a switch? Or a pair of buttons (up/down)?

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Probably not, and it's looking like that's my only option for now, so I'll look at the Aeotec/Fibaro dimmer modules and "standard" switches instead.

If I do find anything else, I'll come back and post it here :slight_smile:

I just tried my light switches from that link I gave you and it works. Never knew I could do that! lol

I just the momentary click switches by mini grid. They will probably moan that it's a bit stiff to push.

I prefer the fibaro over the aeotec. The dimming is a little smoother.

I would build a test rig on for them to try first before installing it and it will give you a chance to play with the settings too.

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If you prefer Zigbee, I also saw this recommendation in another thread:

By "test rig", you mean a simulated lighting circuit?

What would I need for that? A 3-pin mains plug going into the module and out to the bulb on the board, or would I need an RCD etc?

I have a plug with some cable wired into a module and a wall switch that I would be using and a table lamp with the plug removed. All wired up using wago conectors, wires, etc.

Cool, understood, thanks :slight_smile:

Thanks, the Sunricher stuff looks interesting too.

I don't know enough about the differences between Zigbee and ZWave to make a decision if I'm honest, I just need something that's going to work first time every time without polluting my WiFI network with chatter :smiley:

I use z-wave for all lights apart from the bathrooms which I'm ikea's tradfri (zigbee) due to our pull cords but they will be soon changed to z-wave.

I only use zigbee for sensors and button controllers (remotes) and wall plugs (to act as repeaters) as they are cheaper.

ZigBee I would go for sunricher z-wave I would go with Fibaro (your only be disappointed with the aeotec).
If you want something that will work for longer /faster and is newest then it's ZigBee sunricher. Reason I say this is the sunricher is ZigBee 3.0 where as the Fibaro dimmer 2 is z-wave plus 500 standard and the latest is 700 series.

The real benefit to zigbee in the case of lighting dimmers and switches is the group commands...
With 50 zwave devices you need 50 separate commands to turn them off at once, those same 50 off commands using zigbee group messaging is one...

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