Hello All,
First time poster and future Hubitat customer (eagerly awaiting restock)
Quick bit of advice needed. While I await for Hubitat to be back in stock I am looking to retrofit all the light switches in my home. Its an Irish home (no neutral) mostly 1 and 2 gang with 2 x 3 gangs. Would I be on a good course to consider Zemismart Zigbee products only?
There is also Aqara zigbee not sure what to invest in. Your independent advice would be most welcome.
I'd like to be able to invest in products that I can easily get more of as my setup expands rather than fly by night switchs that I can no longer get in future.
I use Aeotec Nano devices which work without a neutral. I've been very pleased with them. They also work with separate control circuit/voltage from the main load although I have no need for that.
While my house has "modern" wiring, with a neutral, I have one circuit where the neutral is not available in the switchbox. I'm using a Nano dimmer there and it works as expected.
Aurora Aone do some nice devices specific to the UK market. Of course there are also the Xiaomi products which you can get without Neutral and seem to work well(see previous posts in UK part of the forum). I have tried neither of these products but hear good things about them.
I use a mix of fibaro & aeotec with momentary wall switches. All modules fitted in the ceiling cavity i.e. behind the ceiling rose. My back boxes in the wall are far to shallow!!
Another possibility is using smart bulbs and replacing the switches with Pico remotes. Of course that would require adding a Lutron bridge into the mix. I’ve added a few two button Picos into the mix and have been very happy with them.
Oh, I forgot to add, in the ceiling you have the neutral wire, so no need for the extra £10-£15 Fibaro bypass thingy if your using LED bulbs (power too low). Also you can have any light fitting you want! (WAF factor).
I know you're eager to get started but this is a brand I don't recognise. I would recommend either going with a known brand that people recommend or awaiting your hub arrival and then just trying with a couple of these Zemismart to check they work as you need.
As Kevin said. I have drawers full of old kit. Spent a small fortune. Currently migrating from Home assistant and having to purchase new zigbee devices (used deconz before). Get supported devices for hubitat, it save you money, time and hair.
Zemismart stuff is rebranded Tuya. I use zemismart blind motors & curtains.
Like @djashones, I also use mostly Fibaro and Aeotec dimmers or switches. If you want them installed in your switch boxes without neutral, you need the dimmers. If you can get them into the ceiling or ceiling rose to access neutral, you can go for switches. I'd actually recommend installing the dimmers, even if you might not have dimmable bulbs installed. The dimmers can be configured to act as on/off switches, but if you decided to switch to dimmable bulbs in the future, you can also do so without have to re-install anything. Two disadvantage to the dimmers, though: 1. Lower power rating and 2. Only available in single options (I think) whereas you can get the switches in double options
I really like the functionality of these devices, and I wish I could find Zigbee equivalents, but so far I haven't found any. At least none that are certified for Australia. So, in my house, I've ended up with Z-Wave pretty much throughout for dimmers/switches, and then Zigbee for sensors and smart plugs. I definitely recommend Zigbee for motion sensors, and I think most people agree that they seem to respond faster than the Z-Wave options (although the newest Z-Wave devices are supposedly better).
As a couple others mentioned, it's probably worth going for the trusted brands, especially for mains-powered devices that will be living inside your switch boxes or ceiling space. I'm not familiar with the Zemismart products, but they look to me like fairly cheap, rebranded devices. As tempting as it is to go for the budget options, there are some things I'd rather spend extra money on.
I only use zigbee mostly for sensors, button controllers and wall plugs so they can act as repeaters. Everything else is z-wave. Z-wave for sensors, buttons & wall plugs is just too expensive at the moment.
Sunricher they are the ZigBee 3.0 equivalent and are supported. Sunricher is who makes them but there is loads of white label companies who sell them under a different name. That's what I would be using now.
@GALLA_4 as a sparkly I would do something like @djashones is saying, if you don't have a neutral is always better to have one. So in your case that means you only have a single twin and earth cable at your switch which can still be used with a dumb retractable switch (look for click mini grid stuff for that) then install the module behind the ceiling rose. Your best bet if possible is to install a fast fix box (round or square depending on space) behind the fitting and install all the stuff in there, then the switch will connect to that and it will work with or without the hub (definitely a plus).
i've gone smart bulbs as had already started down that route and I'd have to replace all the backboxes to get any of the aftermarket units in place behind a switch. and also no neutrals and i'm no electrician so I just kept going with the zigbee bulbs and works great.
they are the ZigBee 3.0 equivalent and are supported. Sunricher is who makes them but there is loads of white label companies who sell them under a different name. That's what I would be using now.
