Smart Light Switch Options

There are a lot of smart light switch options out there.  When I was trying to find the right one for us, I came across many good switches.  At first, I wanted wifi only, but once I got my hub I decided to branch out and I’m happy I did.

In this article, we are going to go over the smart light switches I ended up using, why I picked them, and what other good options there are out there.

Belkin WeMo Light Switch

I love these smart light switches.  I’ve written about them before many times.  This light switch uses Wifi, so it doesn’t need a smart home hub like the Samsung SmartThings.

Belkin’s app is excellent and easy to use.  Install is very straight forward.  You really can’t go wrong.

I use these switches anywhere that I don’t have a good view if the light is on or not.  The reason I use them for that is they show a little green power icon on the front when they are powered on.  My wife and I used to regularly forget that the garage light was on.  These switches have eliminated that because I can tell, just by walking past the switch, whether or not the light is on and then easily turn it off.

Since it’s wifi, it also integrates directly with Amazon Echo.  That’s handy for those of you just starting off with your smart home.  It also works with SmartThings, which is important for me because I only want to have to use 1 phone app for everything.

I really have nothing negative to say about these switches as I’ve had a lot of good luck with them.

Read More:  How To Set Up the Belkin WeMo Light Switch with Amazon Echo and SmartThings

GE Z-Wave Wireless Light Switch

GE also makes an excellent set of switches that work off of Z-Wave.  These will require a hub, so make sure you have one before you purchase them.

Read More:  Best Smart Home Hubs for 2017

These things are also very straight forward to install and use.  The switch sits at a neutral position.  You click it up when you want to turn your lights on and click it down when you want to turn them off.  Can’t get any easier than that.

What I like about these switches is how discreet they are.  If you didn’t know there was a smart light switch there, you wouldn’t think twice when walking past them.  Some people don’t want that tech look and would rather things stay subtle.  If that’s you, this is the perfect switch for your home.

Read More:  How To Set Up the GE Smart Switch with Samsung SmartThings and Amazon Echo

TP-Link Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch

I don’t have these in my home, but I have seen one in action.  This smart light switch runs off of Wifi and operates just like the Belkin WeMo switch does, with one caveat:  it doesn’t integrate with SmartThings.  It does integrate with Amazon Echo, though, which is nice.  You can control your lights with your voice just like the other smart light switches recommended here.

While these switches are cheaper, the reason I haven’t personally gone with them is simply that the Belkin WeMo line seems to have a lot more support and backing.  I think these light switches have the potential to be good once they’ve developed a good community and integrated with additional smart home devices.

Switchmate

So I’m not really big on recommending these, but it’s important that you know your options.  This Switchmate smart light switch actually sits on top of your current switch.  There is a mechanical part of it that physically turns your lights on and off for you.

The nice thing about it is there is no rewiring required.  It magnetically sticks to your already-in-place light switch.

The bad thing about it is it just, looks, awkward.   It magnetically sticks to your already-in-place light switch.  If you have more than 1 switch, you now have this awkward big block sitting on top.  The other bad thing is it doesn’t integrate with anything, so no Amazon Echo or SmartThings.  You can only use its app.  This switch operates over Bluetooth.

With how easy it is to install the other light switches, I can’t find a good justification for this one.