Smart Light Switches: I'm rethinking EVERYTHING!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

My daughter said to tone down the dad jokes… it’s a parent she doesn’t get it.

[@greenbubbleboy5673]

I had to read this too many times to get it.

[@CraigMullins1]

You forgot to get wife sign off :)

[@doshiempiresandpuzzles8822]

Hahah zing!

[@lovedfriend2020]

Your child should have her own channel she is funny!

[@MaunoKoivistoOfficial]

Oh my goodness...

[@anisboubaker3806]

For me there are two main requirements for smart switches: - They must continue to work if everything network goes down, to actually act as a normal switch - They must be secure. I can’t put an unknown brand inside my walls. These things tend to get hot and an overheat might start a fire. So I tend to stick with brands I trust. For me Lutron fits the bill and I don’t mind paying extra.

[@74357175]

This is a really great point. What's known about the reliability of various brands? Or even just their tendency to heat up?

[@briang123]

I completely agree with these valid points. For that reason I installed Lutron Caseta switches throughout my home almost 2 years ago and have run into zero issues. They work like a normal switch for the non techies in my family but have so much power when it comes to integrations with Alexa, Hubitat, etc. I bought most of my switches on Black Friday to reduce the cost to just under $50 each. Also, the Caseta Pico switches provide great flexibility, particularly with 3-way switch setups.

[@nix4644]

@@briang123 While I do have a bunch of Kasa switches, I also have Lutron and your points about Pico are spot on, it's a very handy feature, and actually a safe one too, as you could put a Pico remote by the shower and not worry about getting zapped.

[@anisboubaker3806]

@P A honestly I had a 10A relay smoking while using it to power a 750mA fan. It was obviously an OEM board with no certification whatsoever. I’ve learned to be careful with anything I connect to main power.

[@11202]

@@briang123 I've had mine installed for 4 years and they're fantastic. I can't say this about any products I've owned but these light switches? Absolutely fantastic.

[@GreedWillEndUs]

I've installed 30+ Kasa Switches in my house and personally never had to reset any of them, that said they're so much snappier using Home assistant locally instead of the Kasa app. Highly recommend them.

[@kushp576]

which home assistant do you use ? i dont like to use kasa app for bit a slowness

[@GreedWillEndUs]

​@@kushp576 It's Home Assistant, installed it on my Synology NAS so it's always ON.

[@tigra770]

30? Really?! Curious about the breakdown. :)

[@GreedWillEndUs]

@@tigra770 5 exterior lights, 2 for the garrage, 5 for the washrooms, 2 3-way staircase , 3 per bedroom x4, 9 for the kitchen-living-dining room, 3 for the hallways , laundry room pantry and walk-in closet all have one with motion sensor + half a dozen smart plug for fans and standing lights. It adds up quite fast!

[@Tommy_Tran023]

Were you able to customize what the switches were able to control in HA? Im having difficulty getting it to turn on my fan light that can only be controlled through the IR remote or the Bond app.

[@Conundrum191]

I went with Lutron a few years back. Essentially zero issues, and one of the big reasons I went Lutron was it didn't require a neutral wire which I didn't have in many gang boxes. Many of the others required a neutral wire to work.

[@ramonqueloquera]

Big Facts about the neutral wire!

[@TheDoubleH]

Same for me! I wish I didn't try and cheap out with zwave switches first ...

[@Perrocko]

I guess you mean you don't have ground.. not neutral..

[@keviny1]

@@Perrocko nope. Most smart switches also require a neutral wire. Older homes however don’t usually have it so it’s needs a way to have power when the switch is off to be able to turn it back on.

[@superslash7254]

Same reason I use either smart socket-extenders or a relay like sonoff/shelly.

[@dparke70]

Great video! Glad Kasa is finally getting some credit. I made the switch from Lutron to Kasa switches after realizing the Kasa does the same thing for half the price plus Kasa dimmer switches remember the dimming settings! Even non smart dimmers have this feature but $60 Lutrons cant? I have 15 Kasa switches in my home and they’ve been rock solid. Great alternatives if you want to save the money

[@drea1sunshine]

Thank you for showing the reset tab on the Lutron. After 3 1/2 years of zero issues, I could not turn my office light off today. That was the easiest fix! I was worried I would have to rewire it, or buy a new switch. It took seconds, and it's back to fully functional.

[@smarthouseonthepraries2225]

I installed a few Lutron light switches with the pico remote in our last house over seven years ago. The remotes were still working after seven years on the original batteries, not one issue. We sold our house last May and are building a new house on the prairies, yes it will be a smart house and I will be posting videos. I decide to go with Lutron because of their reliability and their hub, 7 years of dependability is hard to knock. Depending on your network wifi items can add up in a hurry and the majority are using 2.4g not the most ideal situation. The pico remote also has a pedestal available which sits on the night stand in the bedroom, perfect for a senior getting up at night. Yes there are cheaper options out their but reliably and quality are two things that I want in my smart home.

[@beepboopbeepboop190]

There's also a handful of designs to 3d print different mounting options for the pico remotes. Handy for putting it on the wall next to a door into a room where the light switch in the room isn't right at the door.

[@alanmoore2197]

@@beepboopbeepboop190 Lutron makes these too.

[@js6872]

My $0.50 toggle switches are 15 years old now and working great ! They have this human to machine interface that is unbeatable in tactile feedback !

[@alanmoore2197]

@@js6872 Luddite?

[@FJB2020]

The PICO is great for 3/4 way switching without all that additional wiring. Actually saves you money than wiring it traditionally.

[@Necropheliac]

I got the Kasa switches and I’m so glad I did. Our whole home gets controlled by HomeKit with Siri so we just wanted something that works with HomeKit without a hub and we figured we’d give the Kasa a try since it was cheap enough to toss if it doesn’t work. Turns out, it works great. No problems at all and does exactly what we wanted it to. To be quite honest, we automate about 90% of the light usage, with the available automations in HomeKit, and also with motion sensors. Physically Hitting light switches is kind of rare any more.

[@DanielDar13]

I have lutron and kasa and I prefer the kasa 100% because of the form factor. The switch is way easier to press, like a normal switch, in the lutron you have to look to press the specific part of the switch. The only advantage of the lutron are the pico remotes

[@thenotself]

Try Leviton they have a pico style remote that looks like Decora

[@MooseBoys42]

I've also gone with Kasa. Besides the form factor, TP-Link is a reliable company.

[@antonioterrell354]

Yeah ... But as I posted elsewhere here just be aware of an annoying problem with the Kasa switches and smart plugs suddenly reading as "Local Only" in the Kasa app. Disabling their access to voice assistance. This happened to one of my Kasa switches last year and I never could get this "Locals Only" issue to completely go away until (so far at least) I upgraded to a new router.

[@morells09]

Also native HomeKit support, plus the hub if you consider that a pro 🤷‍♂️

[@compudude]

Lutron Caseta Diva. Even pricier than the regular ones, but it's finally got the form factor I love. No neutral wires in my home, so my choices are more limited than some. Lutron has been a rock solid performer for the past 5 years

[@feigley]

Most of my house is controlled by Lutron switches - lights, a shade, and ceiling fans (31 devices, not including remotes). I started with them 7 years ago and have never had to restart switches or replace any switches or modules. I like the way every switch and lamp module ramps the lights at the correct rate so they all reach the desired brightness of a scene at the exact same time, no matter how different the brightness of each one was to start with. Also, the remotes and schedules work even if the internet is down. They’re just engineered well and thoughtfully designed.

[@dilvishpa5776]

“We don’t know what the smart home will be like in 5-10 years”. Truer words have never been spoken. I automated my home in 1998. The technologies are now all obsolete. My recommendation is that you wire your house for traditional dumb switches and outlets, and substitute with non-cloud dependent devices where you want automation. That way you can replace any device easily with different technolgy. I have seen too many beginners (myself included) abstract their lighting through use of in-wall controllers and remote receivers that do the switching. That type of configuration is a nightmare to replaceor return to traditional wiring with dumb switches.

[@luispichardo374]

I went with the Kasa switches for most of my house. I had about 34 of them. They worked well, until I started adding more smart devices to my house (granted, I did not know much about Zigbee and Z Wave at the time and thought everything should go through wi-fi). It seems that when you have "too many" competing devices, they start to lose connection quite often. Also, when using Home Assistant automations to trigger other switches (i.e. bathroom exhaust, vanity, and mirror switches), there is a good 2-3 second lag and sometimes doesn't even work! I've switched some of these to Treatlife which uses Tuya, and they seem to be more reliable than Kasa. And with the Local Tuya integration, they work even better.

[@johnstancliff7328]

I just went with X-10... they have been around since 1978 and I've had zero problems with them.... excellent product!

[@lizcademy4809]

How do you make them work with LED bulbs? My home came with X-10 and it’s next to useless.

[@alanmoore2197]

Good joke!

[@marlonfowler]

I use Kasa and have them all over my house. They’re priced at anywhere from $12-$17 (usually Amazon, and while on sale) and they work very well. I’ve had them for at least two years. The dimmers are usually a little more.

[@downsouthlouisiana]

Each switch adds a device to your network. Let alone they don't come on together and they're slow!! Lutron all day! And Lutron works with automation companies.

[@hicannon]

Every switch in my renovated condo (2 years ago) is a Lutron Caseta and I don't regret the choice or the cost for a second. I have a number of Pico's around for other smart bulbs and tableside usage. I wasn't very price-sensitive but enough so to skip Radio Ra2 (Ra3 wasn't available then) and I'm okay with that (though a friend of mine just installed Radio Ra3 because he likes the switch's UI better). My shades are Lutron Serena. I use a Caseta Pro hub with Hubitat and it all works well together. Highly recommended.

[@truthandlove0]

I've had the casa dimmers and regular switches for about 2 years or so now and they are indeed 90-95% reliable. Honestly worth it.

[@jaywhite1850]

Not sure if it’s been pointed out but Kasa is made by TP-Link. They have been making quality networking gear for years. Also, expanding your home network with extenders or mesh units really does help with network traffic. I probably have close to 60 devices on my TP-Link mesh network and I don’t have any problems.

[@KewaiiGamer]

60 tp link could have been easily replaced with a few eero meshes or similar devices with higher quality and more future proof. tp link sucks unless you spam it everywhere and even then it sucks because the speed won't be as fast.

[@MagDag_]

Tp Link trash

[@coachjones6705]

I use the Kasa switches. For me the cost difference was a no brainer and the switches have worked flawlessly. The only issue I have had was in the setup of a Kasa 3-way kit on a 4-way connection. I had to buy a dummy switch that has no function and it was a bit of a pain getting the wiring right, which would have been easier with Lutron, but now that its set up it works exactly as I wanted.

[@morells09]

4-way smart switch configurations are challenging for basically any non-Caseta brand of smart switches. I believe the issue is that the switch that actually carries current directly to the fixture cannot be smart for whatever reason, and that you have to replace one or both of the other two switches on the “ends” of the circuit. Caseta just gets around this by allowing you to cap your wires together to keep the circuit closed in all but one location and just replace the other locations with their Pico remotes.

[@amalizard]

I had the same issue. What I ended up with was a dumb 4-way paddle, a dumb single-pole paddle, and a smart single 3-way Kasa switch.

[@bluegizmo1983]

I love my Zooz switches. Been using them for over a year now and never once have I had any sort of reliability uses, connection issues, or anything of the sort.

[@Jesse-kf9ik]

Same experience here.

[@hoody2141]

Which type of bulbs do you use? I heard of issues with feit bulbs which I have throughout the house from Costco.

[@bluegizmo1983]

@@hoody2141 I use Sengled ZigBee based RGB blubs, and everything in connected through MQTT.

[@jasonflt]

I have to say lutron is probably the best switches for my house because they do not require a neutral wire and since my house was built before the '80s and half my house has been rewired correctly that I don't have to worry about finding a neutral wire for lutron switches. Yes they are way more expensive but quality-wise amazing

[@jasonflt]

@P A Tell me how that is not safe The house has been built like that since 1969

[@bv226]

Think what he meant was that the house is wired with the ceiling boxes being hot, and just a switch leg running to the wall. Now it is required to wire hot to the wall, and run the switch leg up to the ceiling. Both ways are safe, but with no neutral in the wall your options are limited.

[@ChrisMajestic]

Great video!! I’ve been using z-wave switches in my home for about 6 years now. Not only have they been super reliable but my favorite thing about them is that you can use whatever brand you want and take advantage of the benefits of one over the other. I use a mixture of about 30 different switches from Zooz, Inovelli, and GE. I use the GE switches with built in motion sensors in my bathrooms and they work great since it’s one less battery operated motion sensor to deal with. I use zooz and inovelli switches everywhere else. The scenes are great and my daughter loves it. I have a bunch of scenes set up on her switch to control her TV, led lights, sleep routines, etc. I think lutron is great for people who aren’t super tech savvy but for smart home nerds Iike myself, it’s all about the extra bells and whistles.

[@stephengilstrap]

Lutron has more bells and whistles than probably any other lighting control system offered on the market. You just have to pay for it. Home Depot doesnt sell Lutros highest quality lighting controls but only sells consumer grade like Caseta. Other higher levels of lighting control exist like Lutron Homeworks QS and Ketra lighting. I think since you have regular wallbox lighting, you may be limited in the types of lighting controls you are able to use. However, when using centralized lighting control systems like Lutron QS or Ketra by Lutron, you have ALL the bells and whistles available and possible with ANY lighting control system. Centralized systems are wired whereas all the light loads are wired to panels that homerun to lighting control panels and not to a local wallbox to be switched on or off. They are more reliable and run longer term in a home than a traditional wallbox type system, but the cost is usually significantly more and mostly out of reach for the average consumer. Lutron and Crestron make the most sophisticated lighting controls in the world and are used all over the world in the most extensive and sophisticated lighting systems that exist.

[@ChrisMajestic]

@@stephengilstrap yeah I was definitely just referring to Caseta considering most basic use cases. Their high end stuff is pretty next level but it’s more of a new home build option more than a retrofit. I’d certainly go with it if I were building a new home but for replacing basic switches in my home I prefer the added flexibility of and nerdy functions of Inovelli switches.

[@mwislinski]

Lutron hands down. Their reliability And you know they’ll be around for a long time for any support or upgrading. I’ve used them for the last two years without any issue at all. No resets, no problem changing my router. Works every time.

[@Jesse-kf9ik]

I went with zooz all over my house and I’ve had no problems with them for 2 years now. Love the scenes and I use them a lot and my wife also uses the scene controllers. Through software I use a bond hub and use the zooz controllers to toggle the fan on and off. Works great.

[@KronkesKrustyMaxiPad]

What controller did you use for the fan? I thought it read they didn’t have the amp support for fans

[@hoody2141]

Any issues with led bulbs? I see that they aren't compatible with feit bulbs which I have all thru the house from Costco.

[@paulclement1025]

After a year, I'm still upgrading my switches to Lutron in my (relatively new) house and have no regrets. I've had virtually no issues - just keep them out of the "rooms" in the Lutron app if you want to avoid troubleshooting them when all of the Lutron devices turn on. ;-) The Lutron Picos were a big selling factor for me as it's much easier and cheaper to upgrade three and four-way switches. They also enable me to add an additional switch pretty much anywhere I want, without have to run electrical cable. Also, I would highly recommend the TP-Link Kasa products. I have their in-wall switches and dimmers in my condo, and they work great. I use their power receptacles, smart plugs and light strips with Hubitat in my house and they've been a very reliable and less expensive option.

[@CajunCoding]

100% agree, the Lutron Caseta Pico remove switches are what really separate them (a game changer), in addition to the responsiveness. I have a garage light switch that's 40 ft away from the garage entrance because the room was an addition.... not anymore with a Pico switches now mounted by the door no-one can tell they aren't hard wired! I also have a switch right next to the toilet paper holder that operates the Exhaust Fan so it's reachable when it's most needed! It gets some questions but looks like it's built in! And for advanced things with the help of Home Assistant, I had a pico in the bedroom that blasted an alert through the house across all Echo devices anytime my wife needed assistance while she was pregnant!

[@robjeeves]

New to home automation. Your channel rocks. Love how the family, especially your wife are part of the videos. Super cool bro.

[@LawrenceKaneshiro]

I have almost a dozen Lutron switches and dimmers and a couple of KASA plugs throughout the house. Both have proven to be very reliable. They seem to play nice together however I let Alexa do all the heavy lifting. It was great to see the other options. I need to keep those in mind.

[@GEORGEEEJ]

We installed TP-Link switches with the Kasa app. Our landscape, front porch, various indoor lights, and lights around our RV cover, and our Christmas lights during the holiday season. Everything works perfectly. I like that they adjust automatically to the daylight hours throughout the year.

[@wty1313]

I started off with Wemo, mostly because it was widely available, albeit pricey. They've recently been pretty reliable, but for quite some time, they were a MAJOR headache - if Lutron is an A, Wemo was a D. Currently, I would rate my Wemo stuff about a B, but they do glitch occasionally, usually when there's a firmware update. Over the past few years, I've been switching to Kasa, and they have been WAY more reliable, and more consistent - especially with interfacing with Alexa.

[@austinbeachy9545]

I have 6 kasa switches, including a motion sensing bathroom light switch and I have not had to reset any of them over the last two years, they have worked great!

[@jordanclayson2]

The big advantage with Luton is they are a company that has been around for over 40 years, and will be around for the foreseeable future. Their stuff is extremely high quality and reliable. When I build my new house I'm going to put in a RadioRA3 system, which has the new Maestro dimmers, and a few keypads for programming scenes and doing blinds. Everything is so seamless and works so well together, and best of all there's no learning curve to use it.

[@kevinhilton8683]

Agree but the Ra3 line just massively inflates the cost. I know this is a home automation focus, but honestly just sometimes wonder if just dumb switches are the way to go.

[@mattskillman]

I've been running Inovelli switches with a Hubitat hub in our new construction we had built last year. No issues. Didn't want my network bogged down so I opted for Z wave instead of wifi devices. I save the wifi for phones, tablets, and home assistant.

[@Nathan-wk9dd]

I just discovered Inovelli and preordered some of their new Zigbee switches. Nice to see a positive review of their stuff in the wild.

[@Kendrik01]

@@Nathan-wk9dd FWIW, I used Inovelli exclusively in the old house and I was always VERY happy with them. Their support is super responsive, as well. I considered going with their new Zigbee switches but I didn't want to wait for them to release so I ended up switching to the Kasa's. I think you'll love Inovelli, though.

[@jvbo]

I went with the Kasa and for an important reason that you did not consider: they're from TP Link, a company that has somewhat of a reputation. It isn't just a rando company that can go under any time.

[@sepen1]

I recently discovered what they can do after a conversation with my go to guy at Home Depot (electric department). I wanted to add a switch to an existing light in another location for the kitchen. I was going there to buy the 14/3 wire and accessories. I came back with a kit and it took about 20 minutes to install. Works perfectly. Since then I have installed several more combo's in the kitchen. Initially the price for the kit was a tad less than buying wiring etc and saving several trips to the dirty cramped well insulated attic. Kudos to Lutron and my guy. FYI, the support if you need it is top notch at Lutron.

[@coffeefromhell3206]

We're in a prolonged transition to smartifying our home and will likely stick with Lutron since we started out with two Caseta light & dimmer switches. I like how the same bridge manages all the light switches and the Serena shades and not have to go in the router and/or assign every device to an SSID. They also look great, nothing protruding except for that middle round button on some switches/remotes.

[@franks.6134]

Replaced all my outlets and switches with Kasa from Amazon. I've never reset any of them. We lose power all the time in East Texas, and even with the generator kicking in frequently we haven't had to do that. Very happy we made the investment.

[@ImNotMC]

Nice video! I have Kasa switches and plugs throughout my house and they've held up pretty well after 5 years. Some switches occasionally disconnect from my network but they're usually the ones w/spotty connections. As for long term support, these are made by TP-Link so that's comforting.

[@emmgeevideo]

I'm building a "mother in-law" house in my back yard. The darn thing has 22 switches. I want it to be very smart and I'm getting Lutron. This review cinches it for me. One thing you don't want to have to fiddle with is light switches. I've owned my home for 39 years and have gotten used to "turning on a light" without thinking. I don't have to worry about rebooting a light switch or learning how it works. I added some Lutron switches a few months back to my main house with HomeKit to learn how to do scenes and automations. Lutron works like a champ. In my case I'm spending 100s of thousands of dollars on everything else. An extra thousand will get lost in the noise. When I do my 10 year test, I will forget how much extra they cost but I'll bet I remember if they were trouble-free or a PITA.

[@kdedesko]

I replaced my insteons with Kasa. I have found them to respond instantly to a command from my app. No resets even after a power blip. And I have some that plug into my outdoor sockets for controlling gazebo lanterns. Perfect. Much better than the traditional outdoor timers with the photo electric eyes. Overall, Kasa has been perfect.

[@antonioterrell354]

Have a few Kasas installed here myself as inexpensive alternatives to my more plentiful Lutron Casetas installed elsewhere... And I find the Kasas to be very good for the price too. But one major problem you may want to keep your eye on with the Kasas though is that you may suddenly be greeted one day with a nasty surprise when the Kasa app will read "Local Only" for one or more of the switches which causes Amazon and Google voice assistant to stop working on them. Control is now only possible from the Kasa app. Once this stsrts to occur, while there are various adjustments you can make to your router to try and fix it. They're usually only temporary as the problem will come back forcing you to have to replace the router altogether.

[@kdedesko]

@@antonioterrell354 thanks Antonio....I will keep an eye on it

[@jasonlo8780]

Ive had these for over a year and absolutely love them. Has never failed on me yet.

[@rickatgoogle]

Great video. My two cents and acknowledging everyone's setup is different so the experience will vary - I went full TP-Link kasa. No issues, and they're not cloud dependant, so I can still control them over local Wifi with no internet connection and when connected to Home Assistant (thrusts pelvis... sorry wrong channel) they're even more versatile

[@SailBuddha]

I have had a few of these switches for several years, I think about 5. They still work flawlessly. We mostly use them to turn off the lights after going to bed. We also use them to turn on the lights in the kids room in the morning to get them up.

[@BrandonDoyleMN]

We went with Caseta throughout our house but will probably do radio ra3 or homewerks next time. The only downsides to caseta is the lack of tactile feel and no smart bulb control. Zooz and Inovelli are also great options for scene control. I've found a lot of the wifi options have connectivity issues

[@thejoshchannel]

I love my Inovelli Red Series switches! I have liked the Lutron Caseta, too, but not near as much as the aesthetic, customization, and physical action of the Inovellis.

[@animeanibe]

@@thejoshchannel Inovelli switches are terrific.

[@ZBB8]

Not all Lutron Caseta dimmers required neutral a wire. PD-6WCL doesn’t need Neutral wire. I have 6 of them installed 3 year ago and still going strong.

[@alanmoore2197]

The typical most common Lutron dimmers do not - only a few special versions and switches do.

[@hairysnail]

The Caseta line always had me on the fence, but lutron's real money is in Radio Ra 2 and radio Ra 3. You need certification, but you can build local zones and pathway lighting and all sorts of cool stuff. The problem is that this stuff is cool, but even more expensive and doesn't really add much for home automation DIYers

[@gan1440]

Caseta can handle scenes as well through the mobile app… easily! But RadioRa is the High End product for sure.

[@Splarkszter]

I love when the manufacturer knows the precise time at which I turn on my lights and for how long.

[@TheAustin2099]

I have both Lutron and Kasa. Both have been reliable for me, but I planned the placement based on usage in the home. My goal was to put high-activity switch areas on Lutron and low-activity switch areas on kasa and that has seem to work well for me.

[@JD-USA]

Do the two brands works well together, controlled by the same app?

[@colinc167]

This is the approach I've taken and has worked well. I want to automate some seldom-used switches, and don't even necessarily need a dimmer, so spending less money allows me to stretch my budget further and automate more.

[@TheAustin2099]

@@JD-USA if using Alexa, yes. But I primarily use HomeKit, so Kasa doesn’t work through there.

[@TheAustin2099]

@@colinc167 exactly my thoughts.

[@KMoneytime]

The end was hilarious I’ve been rocking with Kasa since I moved into my home 2 years ago. We recently just moved to a bigger home. Knowing that Kasa has worked perfectly for me, I’m sticking with it. And like you said, it’ll be less expensive. My cousin has Lutron. And put a pause on buying more switches because they are pricy. But he still likes them.

[@NewHomeTech]

While I haven't moved in the new house yet I pre-planned and brought up Lutron Caseta switches and fan controls in bulk between eBay and Mercari for cheap. They were brand new in the box and I got them around 25-30 dollars a switch. Lutron to me is the most reliable you can get, while I do know other light switches are just reliable I am staying away from wifi ones even with a good wifi network once you start to add up 30 plus light swtiches along with all your other wifi devices you will start to see issues. Maybe once thread is more popular and light switches start to incorporate the tech I could be swayed from Lutron. Plus if you are a HomeKit user like me hubs and bridges are your friend.

[@volcolby]

Your videos absolutely crack me up. As a dad with 5 kids always testing the smart home stuff to their breaking limits, I get it. And my wife just sort of puts up with me installing stuff to “make life easier.” Thanks for making fun and informative videos.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

I also try to find a good middle ground between quality and affordability. I've been using some Tuya connected bulbs for a while now and have noticed that they can be somewhat unreliable when using either voice controls through Google or app controls from home assistant. That and if the power ever blinks off in the middle of the night when it is restored they default to back to being on. I have heard that using a smart switch instead of smart bulbs can mitigate the always coming on with power issue. But I haven't had time to really dive into it. Also, having my main internet being down for the past week due to an area affecting issue means I can't access my smart bulbs directly because they require the Tuya cloud. Aaaaaaand. Google doesn't have its cloud connection for voice commands at that point too. So... yeah it's a mess. I'm only dealing with two bulbs so far as a test but honestly it has not been an amazing experience overall. I need to really get my feet dirty into trying to set up services and protocols that run locally, especially voice commands.

[@Kendrik01]

Look into the Kasa smart bulbs. I'm fairly certain they are able to return to their previous configuration after a power outage, so no late night raves if you get a power dip.

[@5280Woodworking]

I've had Caseta for my blinds for over a year with zero issues. I went with 35+ Lutron RA2 select light switches and those are rock solid for over 2 years, zero issues, zero reboots, etc. I've designed a robust network with Unifi enterprise gear, similar to you, but I want my lights to work 100% of the time, independent of Home Assistant, WiFi, apps or my network and they must be physically controlled with immeasurable delay. The switches coupled with a few intelligently placed pico remotes with scene controls in key locations is awesome.

[@thenotself]

You should try Leviton wifi switches. Very customizeable, blend in, some don't require neutrals, and they have pico style mountable remotes that look like switches like Lutron does. Very nice if you don't mind wifi. They also seem to work when the internet is down.

[@jeffreyyoung4602]

Recently discussed with a customer, that is planning to build a new home, to have me review his electrical plans. I suggested he eliminate all 3 and 4 way switches, install a Lutron Caséta switch for each of the controlled lights he wants / needs and install Pico’s for all remote / convenience controls. Pico’s are less expensive than the Caséta switches and he would not have to pay the going rate for 3 and 4 way switch installations. Love those Pico’s… what a powerful tool. Lutron’s best kept secret!

[@MauriceJonesJr]

We used Zooz throughout our new build. We had several in our previous house that worked for a good 3 years before we sold it. I'm very happy with the reliability, customer service, and features of the Zooz. The ones we put in the new house are the most current and so far work great with Hubitat. It was tough to spend the $1,200 on switches up front, but in the long run will be well worth it IMO.

[@FJB2020]

Do they require outside communication to work? Been looking to go smart on my new build, but do not want any cloud based system. No google or other spying devices.

[@MauriceJonesJr]

@@FJB2020 you have to have a zwave hub. I use a Hubitat hub. It does not rely on the cloud. I've got my whole house set up with zwave devices and have several basic automations.

[@FJB2020]

@@MauriceJonesJr I remember looking into that 2 years ago and it was really buggy.. I guess they have updated the firmware/software and it is better now. I will have to dive into it. Thanks!

[@MauriceJonesJr]

@@FJB2020 they definitely have. I've had a Hubitat hub for at least the last 4 years and haven't had a lot of problems. Hubitat does a good job of updating their firmware.

[@FJB2020]

@@MauriceJonesJr Thanks!

[@tinasewell1604]

I have the kasa switches in most of my house. I love them. The bonus is they can be used like a manual switch. I bought them for cost and that design. People that aren't interested in using "smart switches" or programs can still use a regular switch.

[@FatJ]

Love my Lutron. The wife happiness factor makes it worth it. The other thing worth mentioning, if you ever sell your home. A lutron setup is easy to pass along where trying to explain about zwave to a prospective owner would probably not go over so well.

[@RayOrsini]

I ran across exactly this. Installed Smart Home (Insteon) over 10 years ago. The hub stopped working about 5 years ago. Recently switched out everything with Kasa. Very happy I did so.

[@fnafchannelquinn3486]

I have 30+ Treatlife switches because they have the most options and I want everything to match (single pole, 1 way, 2 way, dimmer, fan, light/fan combo, curtain). They also have external smart outlet, motion sensors, and contact sensors. I use all of the above on wifi and never had a problem but I also use a separate wifi/router for all my smart home tech.

[@HughD]

Another good video, Reed. I've used Enbrighten Z-Wave for a long time, but if I were changing I'd go for maybe an Enbrighten Zigbee which can pair with SmartThings, an Echo 10, and Echo 4th gen and more. As long as they can get into a Homebridge-compatible Plugin they're easy to add to Homekit, too, without losing functionality in other systems. The Embrighten stuff isn't a lot more inexpensive than Lutron. You'd better be ready to spend some $$$ if you choose Hue and Lutron, but things will work over the years. Oh, I just remembered I might try Aqara, too. They are really starting to get interesting and although they don't seem to have a dimmer yet, they do have a Zigbee switch that pairs with their hub and works with Homekit, too. So many choices.... So many ways of personally justifying what we each choose to do, too!!

[@heaththompson6034]

Great video as usual, Reed. Like you, I've put Lutron Caseta across my entire home, and have been extremely pleased with the reliability, compatibility, and performance. I've only occasionally had some latency, but it's most likely because I have 2 Caseta hubs (as I have so may Lutron devices, I needed an extra hub), in different locations in the home, and should probably balance the switches better relative to the hub locations. But the reality is: I've been pretty casual about how I assign new devices to each hub, and it still basically works about 99% of the time without any issue. I also have a few other switch types in the house, mostly Leviton (Wifi) and Aqara (Zigbee). I'd say that in general, the least reliable are the Wifi switches, even though I also have very good home wifi with a very robust Ubiquiti network throughout the house. One thing you definitely nailed is the spouse approval rating part: I can do anything I want with my smart home, as long as my wife can still do everything the "traditional" way without an app or automation.

[@lefty7811]

Lol the kanye president joke didn’t age well

[@dfhowes]

I went with Kasa partly because of your past video, following up with some of my own research. I've got 3 Kasa switches in our house now. I've had to reset them a few times but it's really a painless task for the most part. For the cost difference, I'll put up with it. My daughter and her husband are about to move into a new house and want to "Smart it up". I will recommend Kasa to them.

[@mcansler]

Kanye....Ouch. a few months makes a difference.

[@GreenMountain565]

Been running the same Lutron switches, about a dozen of them and have had zero issues the past 3 years.

[@DSM907Maniak]

I went with inovelli and they have been great

[@SmartHomeSolver]

I really like Inovelli too!

[@rjbrowning85]

I was surprised that there was no mention of Inovelli. I'm really excited for their Blue Series ZigBee switches to come out.

[@boomcity4942]

Great comparison- I don’t want my lights in the cloud or have special additional gateways. Lutron is an American company that has been around for over 50 years and the devices are on the shelf at Home Depot. The amount of time and money saved installing wire in the walls goes a long way towards paying for a solid solution. Thanks for the comparisons.😊

[@jean-francoiscyr8515]

For me, low budget is top priority, so all of my light switches and most dimmers are from TP-Link (Kasa), only two dimmers are from Lutron, one because the old switch didnt had neutral wire (it's a good thing Lutron dimmers dosent requiers it), and the other to simulate a 3-ways switch for the basement (with the Pico remote combo). It may be a bit confusing in your video, but Kasa switchs and dimmers doesnt requiers Internet once added in Home Assistant.

[@EsotericArctos]

I agree on budget, but I also want reliable. I don't want a situation where someone comes into the house, presses the light switch and it doesn't turn on. Lutron is too expensive for me for sure, but I don't want WiFi either due to reliability. I have used Z-Wave switches from Aeotec, which seem to hit the middle ground for me, that have been 100% reliable, but cheaper than Lutron.

[@dijitle]

I did my whole house with lutron. I did have neutrals in every junction box but not needing one was quite a nice. Of course the bulbs had to be compatible and the builder-grade stuff they put into our house was not... so add that to the cost. But compatibility with apple, fan control and having the pico remotes everywhere is quite nice. They are much more reliable. I had leviton wifi at my old house and constantly had disconnection issues (good wifi) so yeah, I say it's probably worth the extra cost.

[@LumenCache]

I helped the Lutron engineers solve the no neutral problem during our lunch break at training class for their shades back when I was an integrator. AC has so many challenges compared to DC. We're finally convincing builders to quit installing AC in the ceiling.

[@BorealSelfReliance]

The Ye joke aged poorly 😄

[@craigg8314]

"both (Kasa and Zooz) require a neutral wire to work" - I was sold on going the Zooz route until that VERY IMPORTANT and VERY HELPFUL tip - gold! I have found 3 switches in my house (so far) that are 'down and back' switch legs, no neutral! I don't want to fish wires, this was key for me. THANK YOU!!

[@phiter]

I don't think Kanye will be president lol

[@GabrielBascoJesseHugo]

We've installed houses with ABB DALi and KNX switches and have been working years without any problems. Recently we updated the KXN controller of a house we installed 10 years ago, and not because it was not working, it was just more modern with more features

[@jacexiong]

You got a like out of me. That dad joke was so cheesy and funny at the same time.. Keep up the good work sir!

[@PeloquinDavid]

I have a LOT of Kasa switches in the house and I agree with this assessment. The only question I have is whether the (imminent?) rollout of Matter will solve the "cloud-delay" issue, making Kasa even more THE way to go. The only place I CAN'T use Kasa is in my finished basement. When the previous owner wired the basement, he wired it without neutral wiring. Since, as I understand it, the Lutron Caseta switches don't need a neutral wire to work, they might still be the most cost-effective solution to "smarting up" my basement (compared to, say getting an electrician to come in and properly re-wire the basement to modern standards).

[@edc.kansan]

I have Kasa switches throughout my whole house with several other smart devices as well. I have Google Fiber and everything works great so far. I only use Google Assistant, not Alexa, and right now, I appreciate how everything in my house shows up on the Google Home app.

[@davidscbirdsall]

Due to the lack of neutral wires and everyone having Apple devices, I had to install Lutron Caseta and Hunter SIMPLEconnect ceiling fans. This combination works well as the SIMPLEconnect fans integrate natively with the Lutron hub, and both the Hunter Fans and Lutron hub integrate with HomeKit.

[@miken4552]

Have Lutron running for three years now. Never had an issue and always been spot on. The ease of installation and pico remotes made it worth it for me. Fluke could’ve been related to Wi-Fi.

[@cpurna999]

For outdoor year round light control, Lutron is the best option. You can program to auto turn on and off with reference to sun raise and sun set times. Also for some lights inside the home you can program that way as needed. Then you don’t have to adjust auto turn on and off during course of the year. No brand offers this feature.

[@steveoverstreet9821]

I've been using lutron caseta switches for over 7 years, and even my pico's still are working. The switch feels cheap, but they work and look great. So far I haven't been lured away to another brand like i have with hue vs govee.

[@shobes99]

You've made some really good commentary for people looking to start a smart home. I see Matter/Thread being the start of a new version for smart homes. I think once it rolls out we'll have a better understanding. I've seen many videos that don't even mention this change and how it will affect switches.

[@trickiegt9162]

The power shutoff/ pullout tab -- I love it. I used to work night shift so during the day I would sleep. Sometimes my wife would turn on the bedroom lights remotely thinking it was funny... This tab is the ultimate NOT TODAY response to digital horseplay =P

[@LuisLarreaJr]

I've added a few Kasa switches and so far I'm happy with them. I also had expensive Z-Wave Leviton switches, about $500 worth and I have problems with them in the garage. I had tried Zigbee and I recently solved my problems with them by buying cheap Ikea extenders. Z-Wave extenders did not do the trick for me. So, my cheap solutions: Zigbee and Kasa, are working out quite great. I do miss the beautiful dimming effect of the Leviton lights though.

[@kelbybueckert8434]

I have 5 Lutron switch’s in my house for about 4 years now and I love them they are the one smart device in my house that I have never had todo anything to even after switching isp’s 3 times.

[@alanmoore2197]

Lutron is absolutely worth it. All basic lighting functions work when your internet fails and even if the hub fails. Anyone can understand how to use it without being told. Lutron is well established, will always be around and supports its old products well. There is no dependence on the cloud for anything so nobody can make your investment worthless or force you to upgrade parts of it. Lutron's Pico remote ranges allow a lot of flexibility for placement, and remote scene operation - even outdoors if protected from rain. To me Lutron's Caseta looks better than almost any other smart home solution, goes well with generic switches and has a decent range of products and great ecosystem compatibility. Yes its expensive - but that is the only real downside. Look out for deals! I have over 50 Lutron products - but I've rarely paid over $45 for anything. Oh and Lutron Caseta dimmers/switches in my experience are 100% reliable. None have ever failed (no Lutron device I have ever owned has ever failed) and they always work properly - their protocol seems immune from the occasional communication issues that plague other brands. I've thrown a lot of smarthome gear away over time - because it broke, malfunctioned, never worked properly, never worked reliably enough, or forced reprogramming everything when any single thing broke, or was so complicated to program you just wanted to give it to your enemies. It all seemed reasonably cheap at first but turns out I wasted a whole lot of money (and time & grief) on it.

[@kp-gbuniqueinterest]

I have Kasa switches and I never had to reset them except for one time when we were having reconstruction and was creating new wire boxes in certain areas of the home. I love these smart switches.

[@blueskunk9163]

Lutron since 2017. Rock solid. Virtually zero issues and we use it daily with Alexa, the Lutron app, HomeKit and Siri. When the network is down, the buttons work perfectly. I cannot speak to Kasa, but I have zero regrets about deploying Lutron switches all over the house. When my rent houses become vacant, I plan to deploy Lutron switches there as well. Yes, it's more money. But the company has a stellar reputation, and the products are rock solid and the app well supported.

[@seabee750]

I will say that I have been very happy with the Zooz switches. They have been around for several years and I have had zero issues with the ones I use. My Zooz switches control ceiling fans. A single one of these switches will control the light kit and the fan portion of a ceiling fan in one switch. The upper paddle portion turns the light on and off normally then, there is a small rectangular button at the bottom of the switch to control the fan. They do use a neutral wire but have been extremely helpful in controlling both parts of the fan without having to get a 2 gang box and wiring in the wall. I do have a mix and match of devices but the Zooz switches are my favorite because of their use case.

[@UnitCancellation]

I tried a few different switches. The winner? Leviton!❤❤❤ My entire house now has a mix of Leviton switches, dimmers, and fan controllers. I ever put a plugin on my hot water recirc pump, now I save a lot of money on hot water and electricity. Guests that don’t know or care about my smart stuff simply use the switch as normal. Top on, bottom off. Not like some of the other switches where you press the bottom for both (repeatedly). I even replaced my flaky fan remote with a fan control switch and a companion anywhere switch. So from about 6 mfr, I’ve settled on just one winner. So much easier to manage too. Works very well with Alexa and IFTTT.

[@tigra770]

Was renting and used a variety of smart bulbs and plugs. Moved into new house last year, and went with Kasa switches and dimmers throughout the house. Switches for the ceiling fans, and dimmers on the light kits. Dimmer in the kitchen. All working great, making the old equipment obsolete. These should work just fine until a future move.

[@keefern4]

Did you ceiling fans have a RF remote? Our builder isn’t sure how the Kasa switches would work with the RF fans

[@tigra770]

@@keefern4 No. My wife did not want the RF remote, and I agreed. I did read some negative reviews in that direction also. Voice control works great, and a single HOUSE OFF routine turns off the office/living room etc.

[@mrjmwalker]

Lutron Caseta landed as the winner in my own analysis, top factors considered we're, as you addressed: will work if wifi and even it's bridge 'go down, which dovetails with the second factor: consider my 'users'. My wife and any houseguests can navigate using the light switches without having to be informed/trained. For me, not having to hold an "orientation course" every time a person stays at our home, was worth every penny.

[@LAYG0]

I've been using 100% Kasa with my Home Assistant & TP-Link Kasa integration with 0 problems (except for when I had to learn what traveler wires were for a dual switch setup, but not a Kasa issue). With the local first with HA, it's probably 2-3x faster than using the Kasa app, but we're talking fractions of a second difference: noticeable, but insignificant.

[@stephenvieira7765]

6 years with Lutron Caseta (no neutral wire required) Switches/Pico's/lamp modules and zero issues. Not one, zilch. Worth every penny!

[@jcberb]

I had Kasa's in my last home remodel throughout. Loved them. I think you did not go wrong with Lutron, buy once cry once. I am going to be remodeling my home wiring in a year or so, I will be going the Lutron route. Presently I am looking at buying a Swidget to operate an ERV in a detached room. First time buying a "dry contact" switch for my home and they are over $100 a pop (160.00 actually).

[@rcwrecker78]

We use Lutron wireless switch packs a lot for our customer’ lighting controls with excellent turn out. With that said we’re renovating a large portion of our home and needless to say, I’ll be goin Casetta and Lutron’s hub. The Pico switch’s are very reliable and make life super easy when adding 3-way/multiple switch locations. We set the wireless Lutron setups in commercial applications with awesome results. The pico switches are very reliable even at distances greater that 30’ with walls in between the pico and pack.

[@zero_cool]

It's worth noting that Lutron light switches don't require a neutral wire. I have many TreatLife and Kasa smart switches, but I needed to replace the existing wires or run an additional one to bring the neutral to the switch box. In some areas of the house, running a new wire was not an option, so I had to go with Lutron. So, for many people with houses built before 1985, Lutron might be the only smart (and reliable) option.

[@AshBigs]

Thank you for this comment. Just bought a 1982 house and I thought smart switches may not be an option

[@corypage6016]

I installed a zwave zooz switch back 7 years ago to run my front lights. It was the 4 smart Device I installed, in 7 years I have never once had to rebuild the automation nor reconnect it. I just redid my kitchen very old house and I rewired everything, I put on 5 more zooz switches 2 having the on off for fans. The only issue I have is one switch stopped working but I know it's an issue with the neutral. Bang for buck, they are great. I use smartthings hub. Great vid thanks

[@amalizard]

I went the Kasa route. I ended up with some standard paddle switches because I have some 4-way locations in the house that required an actual 4-way switch in conjunction with the smart switch. So for the 4-ways I have a single-pole paddle, the 4-way paddle, and a single-pole Kasa. Took me a while to figure that out, but since I swapped out the last old toggle switch six months ago I haven’t had any problems. My favorite thing is to tell Alexa to turn off all the lights as I climb into bed.

[@10p6]

I always use Z-wave for local control, especially as Wi-Fi switches clog Wi-Fi network. I generally have used Jasco products, but the reliability of them is horrid.

[@robertg5393]

I used Kasa switches in my condo - I like them a lot - however I like the Lutron's better. I just put about 100 switches in our new house with two Lutron pro hubs, controlled by Home Assistant; they have been 100% reliable, and automation works when disconnected to cloud. Lutron for me, even at the higher cost.

[@DannerBanks]

We are using Kasa all over my house. No problems. I've used them with two Asus routers that were "chained" together. And now I have an Eero system for all 3 floors.