Why do you get perfect dimming with Hue bulbs and it’s such a nightmare to find a smart dimmer and light combo? Whether it’s recessed down lights or regular LED bulbs, it seems like such a never ending struggle to get a good combination of Z-Wave, Zigbee, or WiFi dimmers to dim from low to high without either the light or switch buzzing or flickering, or just limited to a very small dimming range. Surely the dimming of the LED isn’t the issue as any Hue bulb I’ve tried has dimmed perfectly. Yet I’ve gone through countless combinations of dimmers and lights and have never really found anything that matches the smoothness and range of Hue. What are your thoughts?
I like the way Hue dims (and behaves in general), too. So...I use both Hue lights and in-wall dimmers, but the in-wall dimmers have local control disabled and so are basically just hardwired remote controls/button devices (with some extra features, which is why I got them--the Inovelli LZW31-SN that I also use the LED bar on to show location mode and "notifications" for things like open doors). Automations on Hubitat then handle turning on/off, dimming, etc. based on the button events.
Probably not exactly what you're asking and certainly not the cheapest option (most people would recommend either smart bulbs or smart switches), but...an option. 
What combinations are you using? I have a variety of LED bulbs working with Z-wave dimmers. I have found that the cheaper bulbs can be a problem. I have also had challenges with some of the Aeotec dimmers. In my experience the brand of dimmer has a lot to do with the smoothness and responsiveness.
I do like how the Inovelli has the option to work with smart bulbs and disable certain functionality so they can be used like a regular non smart bulb. Appreciate your use case!
Oh man I’ve used a bunch. For recessed lights I mainly have Feit from Costco both 4” and 5-6” retrofits. I’ve also purchased Cree and Philips WarmGlow recessed for testing purposes, and I do really like Phillips WarmGlow feature with dimming. I’ve also used Hue bulbs, GE LED Edison and standard A19, Cree A19 LED, Sunco LED Edison and Philips A19 LED. Also still have major issues with my undercabinet lights from Lowe’s, Green Earth I believe they are. They state they’re dimmable but I have yet to find a smart dimmer to work with them. I’ve tested all the dimmers below with no solution yet.
For dimmers I’ve tested Leviton DZ6HD, Inovelli Red, GE Z-Wave and I believe HomeSeer or Zooz Z-Wave (it’s been a while and I was trying everything I could find).
For recessed lights my current best combination has been the Leviton dimmer with the feit recessed lights. Typically these work well with no humming and good dimming, however in my kitchen I have 9 6” recessed lights on a 3-way dimmer with companion switch and I do hear a faint buzz from the lights as well as the dimmer in my electrical box. Not sure if it has anything to do with the fact it’s a 5-gang box with 4 z wave dimmers in it, or it’s one of the biggest loads in a dimmer with the (9) 6” LED’s, or that it’s a 3-way with any combination of those prior details, who knows. But in my bedroom with (4) of the same feit 4” recessed LED’s it works fine? That’s part of my frustration with these combinations. Sometimes they feel like working, other times they tell you to piss off haha. But hue is flawless for me when I use them in bedside lamps or at my previous house when I used them in a select few recessed light fixtures with traditional trim rings.
I’m trying to figure out my next steps to continue fitting out my house with smart dimmers and switches, or bulbs, but can’t figure out what direction to go at the moment do to all the constant issues with lighting combinations. It also doesn’t help that Matter got delayed until 2022 so my plans of picking up the newer Inovelli blue series zigbee/CHIP/Matter dimmers is on hold for longer than I’d like to wait. I’m curious if those will solve a lot of the issues with dimming technology.
Wow! That is quite the variety.
I have used a lot of different dimmers, most being Z-wave based. I have noticed buzzing from some dimmers and some bulbs. I have finally focused on Eaton RF96XX devices. The dimmer is RF9640. For me, they work best overall.
RF9640-NDW | Eaton Z-Wave plus dimmer switch | Eaton
With this dimmer I have been able to use EcoSmart bulbs from Home Depot. These generally work well.
The only location that has any hum is the master bath vanity. It has five of these.
For candelabra style I use these.
One of our chandeliers has six of these and there is no observable hum at any dim level.
I use these fixtures in the eaves on my house.
Yes, I know hum wouldn't matter as much out side. My point is I have six of these on one dimmer and keep them at about 25% most of the time. There isn't any hum at all from these or the dimmer.
I also have a couple of places I have used Hue bulbs. To improve their functionality, I have the fixtures direct wired, so they aren't accidentally shut off. I installed smart switches I can use, though rules, to turn them on/off.
I hope this helps.
I've never had dimming work in a way that pleases me, not even the olden pre-internet days. So I create a handful of scenes with different dim levels, and switch between them. If I desperately need something in between on occasion I just open my Hue app and use the slider.
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I use Lutron Caseta dimmers throughout the house. I use LED bulbs in all my light fixtures. Make sure the bulbs are dimmable, some LED bulbs are not. If the fixture requires multiple bulbs, the bulbs need to be identical. Otherwise, they may not dim uniformly.
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LED bulbs are on at least their 4th generation. They still don't all work well. Nor are they even always consistent within brands. Likewise, dimmer technology is still progressing. Lutron has a compatibility tool on its website as their dimmers don't all (even the higher-end ones) work well or the same with all bulbs.
And the state of the lighting industry continues to change. There are more and more LED fixtures and low voltage lighting in the market that require reverse phase dimmers (sometimes called ELV). And most dimmers are forward phase (sometimes called MLV), so not compatible at all.
One thing that the end user can do to raise the probability of success is to use neutral wires on dimmers. Unfortunately, sometimes the only way to figure compatibility out is by trial and error.
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Yes this was what I was leaning towards with my question, the technology behind what’s in a hue bulb and what’s in a smart dimmer / “dumb” LED bulb that causes the discrepancy.
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