Basement Remodel - Switches and Devices?

[taylorrmeyer]

Hello,

Im curious on your guys opinion fot devices I should use for a fresh basement remodel. (Switches and lights)

I will be doing the electrical myself, so retrofit of existing boxes will not be required. (Drywall does not exist currently)

No budget really, I plan to to all out.. Hardwired switches preferred, but am open to other suggestions.

In a nutshell, imagine someone gave you a blank check how would you do it?

P. S. Current system is a Hodge podge of hue and random zigbee devices, so I'm not locked into anything.

[JB10]

Do you want color changing lights or just one color temperature? If you want color, I’d stick with Hue and add either Zooz, Inovelli, or the Hue Wall Module for switches.

If you do not want color changing abilities, I personally use Lutron, but you could also go with Zooz, Inovelli, or some other brand that does Zigbee or Zwave switches.

[taylorrmeyer]

Yes Id like to have different color scenes. Thanks for the input!

[CuriousB]

I added HA to our new house earlier this year. It was a 10 year old house but had no HA going on.

I used Zooz Zwave products throughout. ZEN32's as scene controller in key areas, ZEN77 for dimmed fixtures and even 3/4 way way dimming (setup ZEN77s as slave virtual dimmers to the primary one), ZEN71/ZEN76 switches, a couple ZEN52s for existing switches, and a couple of ZEN04 for some table lamps. I am very happy with how things turned out.

Since you are doing new construction then I highly recommend neutral wire at every box. Its code in many districts now but even if it isn't in your area, do it anyway. I'd go with the largest boxes I would get for switch locations. I'd recommend deep 4"x4
boxes (>= 30 cu in) for single switch locations, That may seem overkill but put a mud ring on front of it to adapt it to a single switch. You'll appreciate the extra space given the size of smart switches.

[velvetfoot]

3 (+?) way switch arrangement-compatibility with chosen switches, neutral reqt, etc.
Maintain functionality if no hub.
Paddle (Decora style) switches are way more common than toggles.
You might want to think about long range z-wave.
In any event, if there's nothing down there now, maybe you could do some testing to see how the signal is down there; some devices come with built-in meter (ie, led).

[taylorrmeyer]

Signal should not be an issue. My full server rack along with any hubs and access points will be in the basement.

[lairdknox]

I went with Zigbee lights and Inovelli switches. You can set the Inovelli switches to disable local control mode. Then you can handle the on/off presses at the hub, as well as multiple taps. (One tap turns on the lights, two taps sets a night scene, three taps sets a theater scene, etc.) On top of that you can bind the switches to the lights so that they still work if the hub fails.

It is a bit overkill but for me it allows for the most control options and full color.

[dcaton1220]

If budget is not a concern, Hue and Inovelli. Only problem with Inovelli is that they're often out of stock.

IMO, worth waiting for though and you can always use cheap dumb switches in the meantime.