Matter Bulbs suck, I'm going back to Hue!

I had that kind of setup in our old house. In this house, there isn't a light that's not automated (except for our range hood and everything in the rental suite). Everything in our living space has manual control as well, but many do rely on Hubitat and the Lutron Smart Bridge Pro. Wouldn't have done it this way if both we're as rock solid as they are.

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I've zwave modules behind switches controlling standard LED fittings/lamps and motion sensors in each room. Are you using those modules in the same way or do you mean you're using them to control Hue bulbs?

I started with just a couple of lamps I wanted to automate. That quickly grew to including every light in the house, external ambient lighting and I've replaced the controller for my security lighting with Z wave modules too as I could do more with Hubitat rules than I could with the controller.

The reason for using standard lights connected to behind the switch modules, was that manual control will always be available even if the hub goes down. The Fibaro modules have been reliable and if one failed I'm only losing one light while I install a replacement; in fact I could remove the module from the wiring and reconnect the switch to the load in under 5 minutes. Being fully reliant on a hubs functionality whether Hubitat or Hue scares me a little. Perhaps I'll only use Hue in certain rooms where I need better dimming control that my current combination of Fibaro Dimmer and LED downlighter with integrated driver is failing to achieve.

Edit: It could be that all I actually need to do is find a better combination of behind switch Z Wave Dimmer and downlighter. Some of the downlighters are faster than others but none of them dim low enough to be of use when I get up during the night to use the bathroom.

I haven’t seen an LED that dims as low as Hue. I have rgbw lights in the hallway and bathroom that come on very low and very warm at night.

In all but one room I have LEDs with integrated drivers (complete unit non replaceable lamp) various models manufacturers. They should be best as they have a separate driver attached to them. However I’ve found I get better dimming performance from some Philips GU10s that only have a tiny driver in the lamp base.

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It changes your approach when you start into smart home in one house, buy a hodgepodge of devices over many years as you learn, and then completely remodel the house for sale with an all new smart home setup. This is where I took everything I had learned, and directed it very intentionally toward a home for anyone (not a smart home nerd like me).

This house is the culmination of those two different learning experiences. With few exceptons, I don't buy experimental locks, dimmers, lights, or button controllers anymore. Those were standardized with Yale, Insteon, Hue and Lutron Picos. There are two in-wall exceptions because of their exceptional capabilities and suitability in my particular use cases (Inovelli LZW36), but they are proven to be highly reliable for me. There is one iDevices HomeKit light switch (it was free) that almost met its end, but it was saved by HA where it is finally stable. I have an iDevices outlet in the garage, and while I have to keep it joined to the Apple TV HomeKit controller where it annoyingly :rage: loses communication frequently, I'm the only one that knows about its specific use case. Also was free, so I'm still putting up with its shenanigans.

Lots of experimental stuff still goes on behind the scenes in this house, but that doesn't go into daily use unless it's proven stable over time, or can be tested without my family noticing its existence.

I was reluctant to go down this path initially as well. Thought I would be better off with just smart dimmmers, but I learned just how limiting that could be and how many possiblies a Pico opens up. They are in every room in my house except one. Years ago @mike.maxwell told me about how he relied on Picos with smart relays behind them. I tried it in my own home with Hue (and Hue Bridge), Picos with Smart Bridge Pro and Hubitat. They have been 100% dependable. I have a spare Hubitat Hub, a spare Lutron Smart Bridge Pro, and a spare Insteon Hub if I need them, but never have. If I need a replacement Hue Bridge, I can get them quickly from Home Depot or Amazon, but never have needed to.

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Most rooms have dumb lights controlled by zwave modules behind normal wall switches (High WAF as they work even if Hubitat is down - which is almost never).

The exception is my outdoor lighting, which now uses Hue Colour globes or down lights. I use RM to turn off power to the outdoor lighting during the day and restore power as the sunlight fades. The Hue lighting rules are enabled by the "switch" turning on, and triggered by various sensors for normal lighting and date based rules for holiday lighting.

It was kind of a happy accident that I ended up with this solution - I used to have a dumb motion sensor for my front of house lighting, and I hated it (very inflexible). So I replaced it with a Hue Outdoor Motion sensor and that gave me a lot more flexibility with holiday lighting etc. This is my normal front porch lighting rule:

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It’s a little outside of this thread, but I’d love for you to expand on your home setup. I’ve basically settled with the same stuff: Hue Bridge, Lutron Divas/Claros/Picos, and Hubitat. I’ve got a few Matter 3-1 nightlights and a couple of Zigbee sensors that came with the house we purchased two years ago.

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Sounds like a great topic for @SmartHomePrimer to start, maybe in the Lounge...along the lines of combining Hue, Lutron, and Hubitat. Giving it a separate topic will allow more people to find it, learn, and share ideas.

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@danabw, why are you using logic on me? Only my wife can do that! :joy:

As for the OP, my recommendation is always use best in class if you can. For smart light bulbs, Philips Hue with the bridge meets that requirement. You cannot go wrong using them.

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Sure. We're in the lounge and this thread has already meandered, but it started as a rant thread anyway. :laughing:

Details are in my profile. Just click on my favicon, then click on it again and then click the Expand button.

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LOL...my wife is more direct, uses threats. "Do X or I won't put money in your ATM account..." :wink: Yes MAM! :smiley:

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MoF always gets her way! :sunglasses:

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I’ll put my hands up and claim responsibility for that. I’ve gleaned a lot of useful info in a short time so thanks for everyone’s responses :grinning:

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Exactly, I’m very happy for this topic to cover lighting solutions generally. :+1:

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I posted in the lounge intentionally to encourage general lighting discussion with some light banter*. :+1:

*unintentional pun FTW

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Everyone just relax... Oh. Hang on....:wink:

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Right - well just to drift the topic further. Although Lutron isn't easy to find in the UK and we can't use Caseta, there are a few hubs available on eBay in the UK. What is needed with regard the hub? The one I've seen is "LUTRON RA2 Main Smart Hub RRK-SEL-REP2-BL" and can be bought for £230 here in the UK. I've also looked on Amazon.com and it seems possible to ship without import duties from the US. I notice there's a Caseta hub that's only about USD70 - I'm guessing that can't be integrated directly with HE.

If I decide to migrate to Hue I'm considering Lutron Hub for Picos that will control Hue lights and hopefully those Picos could be set up via Hubitat to control other Hubitat connected Z wave devices such as curtain controllers. Is that feasible?

Personally, with that kind of money involved (Hue and/or Lutron)... I think it is worth testing out a couple of Hue options first, seeing what you think, then if you haven't gone hungry from low funds.... and can still pay for the electricity.... then consider Lutron.... :slight_smile: Basically, take it slow... All jokes aside...

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I've got my Hue Hub up and running and know I'll be happy with the dimming and response. A Hue remote is about the same cost as a 5 button Pico from the US (£20 vs USD20) but the Pico looks better. The Caseta hub is only USD79 and if it were compatible, the 75 device limit isn't of concern as it'll only be used for those Picos. Based on that the main cost will be Hue and not Lutron. But yeah I'm little quick to throw a wad of cash at it - John just loves to tinker!

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Hmmm... Can see the appeal.... For me the dials are a nice bit of kit..... And you already have a reliable, well supported platform... Not like you are going from some cheap plastic rubbish to something much better.... Not sure I would take on another eco-system for the chance of a slightly better feel or marginally better reliability... Just my 2c....

That said, not like I haven't outlaid similar cash for projects I haven't seen through.... So no judgement here on which way you go... :slight_smile:

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