When I was at SmartThings I created this topic and thought I would port it over to Hubitat now I've settled in.
I know that in the UK we are not very flush with smart light switches, when some come along they are generally expensive or require some kind of hot fix to make them work because of there being no neutral. I originally wrote this topic in 2020 and actually this is starting to change in 2021.
This is my personal experience of light switches in the UK and which ones I have finally stuck with.
Energenie:
The very first smart light switches I had was from ‘Energenie’ when I first got them they felt super stylish and worked wirelessly. The price wasn’t all that bad and eventually as I moved over to the Smartthings system I managed to get them to integrate with the ‘MiHome’ app which pullet through all the devices, unfortunately ‘MiHome’ app has not yet been ported over to Hubitat. I found that the MiHome smart hub would sometimes go offline so routines wouldn’t run which is pointless, also there would be a delay of around 2-5 seconds (I know its not much!) the smart plug sockets would work almost instantly with no delay. They also provide no feedback from the switch to the hub so you cannot tell in the app if they have been turned on by the switch. You’re looking at around £15.00+ per switch. Own hub required and would struggle to work with LifX bulbs.
Pros: Easy installation, pairing is easy, the most varied designs, some of the cheapest (if plain white), does integrate with smartthings through MiHome app but not Hubitat, good first step into smart home, great double wall sockets, provides switches capable of two way switching.
Cons: Has its own hub, cloud based service which does go down sometimes, support is slow, radio not zigbee or zwave so lights turn off one at a time, delay in turning on/off, doesn't provide feedback to own app, struggles to work with lifx bulbs when dimmed, loud clicking noise when changing state.
Aqara:
My second smart switches were the ‘Aqara’ firewire switches, they worked with Hubitat locally (Something which was only a dream in SmartThings). I never had any issues with these apart from really struggling to get the right version sent to me. Regularly the incorrect one would be sent and given that these take 4-6 weeks to be delivered it was a pain in the backside. These were slightly more expensive coming in at around £19.00 but provide feedback to the app from the switch and work almost instantly. You do get a loud clicking noise when they turn on and off.
Pros: Easy installation, instant on/off, provides in app feedback of switches current state.
Cons: Nightmare to try and get hold of a firewire version, loud clicking noise when changing on/off state, no two way operation.
Yagusmart
My third and final switches are the ‘Yagusmart Zigbee switch’ which you can purchase off amazon for around £18.99. They look similar to the Aqara switches with the only visual difference being a small red light which turns on when the light switch is ‘ON’. There is no clicking sound when the light turns on and off and appears in amazon as a light straight away, there is no delay in turning on and off. Available in one, two or three gang versions.
Pros: Easy installation, instant on/off, provides in app feedback of switches current state, silent switching, indicator light is not overpowering.
Cons: Does not look like a conventional UK switch (Same as all the others really) but its hardly worth even mentioning!
My personal favourite is the Yagusmart switches, namely over the simple pairing, work direct with the hub locally and are available in one, two or three gang versions. Also there is no loud clicking sound every time. Yes they are relatively pricey but I’ve come to a realization that most smart switches just are. I would be interested in knowing what other UK switches people have installed in their home. Hope you are all well. Joe
Edit 11/05/2021 - Changed formatting of cons and spelling corrections.
