[PetitPrince]

> I think I need more Zigbee repeaters to get a reliable mesh network, but to date I haven’t found any consumer-grade devices certified for use in NZ.

Since many devices are also Zigbee router (it's a mesh network after all), maybe some additional lightbulb for exterior would suffice ?

[richardlblair]

This - the move is to grab some zigbee smart plugs. Once you have HA up and running there are so many applications for these.

I have a door sensor that monitors my kids bedroom door, and when it opens it turns on a desk lamp in my room. This allows me to get to him before he gets to my partner who's sleeping with the new born.

[theshrike79]

Pretty much all mains powered Zigbee devices also act as routers in the mesh.

[calgoo]

Exactly! I prefer the small power plugs that lets me control fans and other power systems as relays. Family has a habit if switching of light bulbs using light switches and i have not gotten the change approval to disable the physical switches in the house :)

[yoavm]

For me the best solution was to use smart switches (mainly dimmers) and dumb lightbulbs. People can use the switches like any other if they want, but I can still have my automations and remote control.

[stavros]

Agreed, people get very frustrated if they have to remember to not use certain switches. Using smart switches fixes this.

[squigz]

It seems like quite the hassle to have to pull out one's phone every time one enters or leaves a room just to turn on lights?

Let's hope you don't have to get to the bathroom quickly late at night...

[PetitPrince]

As a another comment said, the smarter way to have a smart light is to replace the switch with a smart one or even better put a relay behind the existing dumb switch to smartify the switch. For me it's important to have a manual override; you shouldn't need an app for a thing as basic as turning the lights on.

[ga_to]

Disabling the physical light switch should usually only come after setting up a different way of controlling the light by hand, without a phone.

Most likely there is some sort of motion or presence sensor that turns on the lights which then turn themselves off after some time or no more presence is detected. There are also small wireless switches that could be used in place of the actual wall switch.

I have done so in my apartment for example. Since the bedroom light switch is for some reason outside of the room I taped it down and put a wireless switch in a more reasonable spot. Another example is the hallway light, which only turns on by motion sensing when the sun is starting to go down.

[theshrike79]

The only rooms without a fully automated light on/off systems in our house are the bedrooms + living room.

And even the living room automatically adjusts lights based on the playing status of the AppleTV (playing = dim, pause = brighten up a bit).

Oh and the staircase, haven't found the motivation/courage to climb up 10m to the ceiling to switch out the ye olde light in there :D Maybe this year?

The Living room would need two presence sensors that talk to each other in a smart way (a big room, one isn't enough) and I haven't yet found the semi-manual way of adjusting the lights via phone/Siri to be too cumbersome to bother.

[liam_krewer]

I can recommend Shelly for light switches over smart bulbs. It's a relay that fits inside the wall switch with zigbee to sit between the light and the switch.

[globular-toast]

They're not mutually exclusive. I have Shelly relays in my light fittings (not the switches) and use smart bulbs. When everything is working the wall switches just control stuff in HA. When HA is not working the switches control the relays in the Shelly directly, without HA.

This is the only solution I'm aware of that gets you all of:

* dimmable,

* colour temp and RGB control,

* regular switches that work as expected,

* no "forbidden" switches,

* lights always available for automations,

* lights go on and off with the switch when HA is down.

[ternus]

Philips Hue, and Zigbee direct-binding in general, can achieve this if you're willing to use their wall switches. Still works if the hub is offline.

Depends on your definition of "regular switches," I suppose -- but anyone with 3-way wiring (i.e. multiple light switches for a single socket) has given up on "up=on" for their switch.

[globular-toast]

Oh, two more things on my list that rule out the Hue switches:

* No battery powered devices in walls,

* Lights don't come on automatically following power cut.

If the Shelly relays supported ZigBee direct bind then it would be even better, but with decent ZigBee devices it's not bad with my setup.

[rubzah]

That's what I am doing too, though I did have to drill out some wall to fit it, in some cases.

There is another option that I don't think many people are aware of: You can put a battery powered relay downstream of the (dumb) switch, and have it broadcast events when power comes on and off, to control other smart devices, which just have to listen for the events (via a broker like HA).

[navigate8310]

I wouldn't recommend anyone to yank out physical controls for accessibility purposes.