Hey all. Wife acceptance is slowly decreasing for this product when it comes to my hue dimmer switches. They almost always drop from my mesh and I just don’t have the time to keep investigating the reason.
What other accessory switches are you using for your smart bulbs?
My only requirements are
Understood; however without data/experimentation, it is impossible to suggest a product that is guaranteed not to drop off. With the exception of Lutron Pico remotes - a choice you’ve indicated to be unacceptable.
Are your smart bulbs also Hue (or on a Hue Bridge network, at least)? If so, assuming it's capable of handling your needs, you could just leave the Hue Dimmer paired to those and control the lights that way. I do this with all of mine. I briefly tried one or two of mine on Hubitat for the extra power but moved them back to Hue because they also kept dropping off or having the battery die (maybe just the latter and I attributed it to the former; I can't remember). Lots of us seem to be unlucky that way. I know you said you don't want something else, but if you already have that "else" (and, again, it meets your needs), it might give you the best WAF.
My favorite button devices on Hubitat are Lutron Picos, but they would definitely fail your "need another bridge" test (but if it helps, they're cheaper than almost anything else--so the cost of the Bridge may pay for itself eventually--and super reliable, just like my Hue devices are on Hue). I see you have another recommendation for those abov, which goes to show how much those of us who have them like them. Alas.
If none of that works: I have to say I'm a fan of the new Zooz ZEN34 remotes. They are battery operated (like a Hue Dimmer) but Z-Wave and can pair directly to Hubitat. They also look about like a "real" paddle switch and can fit in a standard decorator plate in the US (unlike Hue). They're also on sale for a pretty good price ($17 USD) on Zooz's store, The Smartest House, for the holiday. Unfortunately, they haven't really been around enough for me to comment on long-term reliability, but so far, so good for me in the places I've tried them. Still love the Picos though. 
The SmartThings Button was also a favorite of mine but probably won't be available again until Aeotec starts making them (if they decide to), and their price may not be as attractive as they were before. They also look nothing like a switch, just a button. The Lutron Aurora is pretty neat too, but I only use this on Hue (Hubitat also has a driver, but I like the rock-solid reliability I get by leaving that out since it meets my needs as-is).
Zen34?
Many of my lights are hue but the switches do more than just on off which is why I am not using them in the hue app. I’ve tried all of the various lab apps and nothing can do exactly what I need. I need the flexibility of hubitat. I agree that these dimmers work most of the time connected directly to the hue bridge, but it’s just not flexible enough for me.
Thanks, that's the one I meant!
If you want the most reliable remote, go with the Lutron Pico. It does require a hub, but my Lutron Caseta devices, including the Pico remotes, are the most reliable home automation devices I have.
This is very odd. Mine have never dropped off even once by themselves in 2 years. Are these the ones you are referring to?https://www.philips-hue.com/en-au/p/hue-dimmer-switch/8718696752029
Are you also using the Philips Dimmer Button Controller driver?
I have a Zooz Zen 34 and it works really well. It looks nearly identical to a decora style switch. Unless someone looked really close they would never notice it wasn't. Because it responds to press, hold, and release it can be setup for intuitive dimming pretty easily. It's never lost it's connection although it will very occasionally not respond the first time it's pressed.
I also use a few Sonoff buttons. Their chief advantage is their low price. They are pretty reliable but look nothing like a traditional switch. They have just one button; single tap, double tap and hold, but no release. I have never been able to figure out a way to use them for dimming in any intuitive way.
I also use the Lutron Aurora dimmers for a lot of my Hue bulbs connected to the Hue hub. They work great and are very reliable but not cheap. I tried once connecting one directly to Hubitat but could never get it to work as smoothly as it did on the Hue hub. If someone has figured out how to do that. maybe it could be an option.
I also have a GoControl switch.It is ugly as hell in my opinion but it does work very well. I have mine in the garage so It's bulky appearance isn't an issue. Not sure I would want one in the house though.
I also use some of the Pico's. And like others have said, they are rock solid and reliable virtually 100% of the time. I understand not wanting to get another hub though.
Yes
I am using the philips hue dimmer driver supplied by hubitat.
I’ve heard the same many times. Unfortunately I’ve got sooooo many hubs now, I don’t want to add another. I’ve considered getting rid of my hue bulbs so I can connect directly to hubitat also.
I have a few of these I am currently testing out with a community driver. I had to make sure I joined all of them. As close to the hub as possible until the driver was installed. If I didn’t I got weird errors and had to remove/add the device again.
Are all of your lamps on the bridge? What was creating your Hubitat ZigBee backbone? Did you have other powered ZigBee devices?
I have at least 8 Philips Hue Dimmer Switches throughout my house. I find them fully reliable, and never had an issue with them. Mine are directly linked to HE.
You may have a mesh or Zigbee network issue.
Have you considered repeaters or repeating bulbs and / or plugs?
Some are on the hue bridge others are not.
I have zigbee plugs acting as repeaters in every room.
I have zigbee plugs in every room acting as repeaters.
Then I can only recommend re-pairing the dimmer from it’s final location.
I appreciate the suggestion. I’ve been dealing with this issue off and on for the better part of a couple of years so I’m not really looking to trouble shoot this any further. I’ve decided to try other devices instead.
Out of curiosity, which specific one? Brand/model?
Perhaps one question could be how many zigbee devices do you have. It is possible you have a unbalanceable number of zigbee devices vs repeaters. I also wonder why you have a hue bridge, and don't have those buttons attached to it instead. Is there a functionality difference.
If you have the C-7 hub the Zen34's are pretty decent I now have 3 of them now. I think it is Zwave 700 as well. I tried the Lutron Aurora's and found them to be finiky and unreliable in my home. I also have a old Sylvania 2 button dimmer which surprisingly is still going strong. I can't speak to the battery life of the Zen34's though as I haven't had them long, but so far reception and reliability seem to be pretty good, and in my case the range seems to be as good as anything else if not better at the edge of my z-wave network. I have invested in a good amount of zwave devices to build a good mesh. so you will likely still want to ensure you do that as well if you don't have many z-wave devices.
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