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Screwing a smart bulbs into a socket might be the easiest way to get smart lighting, but installing smart dimmers and switches in your walls will yield far more sophisticated results–and it’s an easy DIY project. Besides, oone of the most common drawbacks of relying on smart bulbs with conventional switches is that someone inevitably turns the switch off. Boom! Your expensive smart bulb is now a dumb bulb that can’t be controlled with voice commands or be included in any lighting automations you’ve set up. auto shut off light switch
If there’s a downside to converting to smart in-wall dimmers and switches, it’s installing them. Most–but not all–models depend on a neutral wire to supply constant power to their radios, even when the load they’re controlling is turned off. And then there’s the matter of dealing with your home’s electrical wiring in the first place–be sure to turn the breaker off first! The other alternative is to hire an electrician for the job if you’re not comfortable doing it yourself.
There’s still a place for smart bulbs, too; if for no other reason than being able to change the color of the lighting in your room. I’ve lived with smart lighting in my home for more than 15 years, and I can’t imagine turning my lights on and off without the options of using a voice command, in response to motion, on schedules, or with a smartphone app. You won’t be disappointed in the results.
TechHive’s editors and contributors have been testing smart switches and dimmers for more than a decade, installing them in our own homes to gain truly real-world experience before we commit to our opinions. We continuously test the latest smart dimmers and switches, along with the apps that control them. We blend those experiences with our general knowledge of smart home devices, so we’re able to assess how well these products integrate with other smart devices you’ll want to use in your home.
Why we like the Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer (and its Caséta ecosystem)
Lutron built its own smart home ecosystem based on its proprietary Clear Connect technology. By definition, proprietary standards far less open than standards like Matter, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, or Z-Wave; however, the Caséta Smart Hub you’ll need to connect Caseéta products to your home network supports Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings, and Sonos speakers, and more. And all that is in addition to Lutron’s own lighting products, smart shades and smart blinds, ceiling-fan controllers, motion sensors, and other products. With that degree of compatibility, it’s difficult to imagine a complex smart home routine that couldn’t be accomplished. \
Who should buy the Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer (and its Caséta ecosystem)
Anyone looking to incorporate lighting controls into a robust smart home network should consider the Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer and a Caséta Smart Hub. Lights can switch on when someone rings a doorbell or automatically turn off when you leave home. If you have a Sonos speaker, you can automatically play music when you return home. While Lutron’s technology is not Matter compatible today, Lutron is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance that is responsible for developing Matter, so it’s possible that Caséta could be Matter compatible one day. Given the broad compatibility the Caséta ecosystem already enjoys, that ultimately might not make a difference.
Why we like the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer Switch (model ES20M)
TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi dimmer switch is remarkably inexpensive, and its Wi-Fi support means that it doesn’t require a smart hub to work. Users have immense control over how its motion- and light-sensing features work, with full support for fade-in/out options, motion sensing, and ambient light detection.
Who should buy the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer Switch (model ES20M)
The low price makes the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer an attractive alternative, but buyers will need to have access to a neutral wire at the installation point. This dimmer will not work with Apple HomeKit or 3-way circuits, but if you don’t need either of those functions, the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer is an absolute bargain. Don’t have a neutral wire in the box where you want to install a motion-activated dimmer? Consider the GE Cync Dimmer, below.
This isn’t the prettiest dimmer on the market, but GE Lighting’s Cync Dimmer + Motion Sensor Switch sure packs the features. An onboard motion sensor can turn the light switch on when the room is occupied, and an ambient light sensor will stop that from happening if there’s enough daylight that the extra light isn’t needed. The switch can also control GE Lighting’s Cync smart bulbs even if they’re not physically wired to the dimmer.
The GE Cync Dimmer + Motion Sensor Switch doesn’t require a smart home hub, and GE now offers users a choice of a conventional version that requires a neutral wire at the installation location or a 3-wire version that doesn’t depend on a neutral wire. The technology is still up-to-date, but the Cync Dimmer + Motion Sensor Switch has seen a substantial price drop since its introduction in 2020.
The Jasco Enbrighten Zigbee In-Wall Smart Dimmer is perfect for less-experienced homeowners who want to DIY their smart lighting. The slimline design isn’t tough to shove back into the box when you install it, and Jasco has given the Enbrighten enough onboard intelligence to distinguish the line wire from the load wire, so you don’t need to worry about mixing them up. You will, however, need a neutral wire at the installation location.
You’ll need a smart home hub that supports the Zigbee protocol. Several models of the Amazon Echo and Echo Show are well-known examples, but there are dozens of options—including the Samsung SmartThings Station, the Aeotec Smart Home Hub, or the Hubitat Elevation—if you decide you want to use Zigbee. You should be aware, however, that Zigbee support does not automatically mean Matter support. This device is not Matter compatible.
The touchscreen and the touch-sensitive sliders on the Brilliant Smart Home Control smart switch/dimmer gives it some impressive capabilities, including the capacity to stream video from Ring and Google Nest video doorbells and control over Sonos multi-room audio systems. Don’t want to mess with the wiring inside your home’s walls? The company offers a model that you can hang on the wall and plug into a nearby electrical outlet.
As you’d expect, all those sexy Brilliant Control features come at a price—both in terms of cost and installation complexity—but if you want the most sophisticated smart home controls on the market, this is it.
Just how many features can you cram in a single-gang light switch? Leviton squeezes a Wi-Fi radio, a dimmer switch, and an entire Amazon Alexa-compatible smart speaker into its Decora Smart Voice Wi-Fi Dimmer with Alexa. Yes, Ecobee pulled off a similar trick earlier, but with an on/off switch, not a dimmer. Leviton also has a deeper catalog of other Wi-Fi components—switches, dimmers, ceiling fan controllers, multi-button controllers, and more—to go with it. Apple HomeKit and Google Home users should look elsewhere.
You’ll need to make a raft of decisions before you choose which smart switches to install in your home, and your choices will be influenced by everything from the type of wiring in your walls to what flavor of smart home system you have now or plan to install later. Here’s what you need to know in roughly the order you’ll need to decide.
Neutral wire requirement: Many smart switches and dimmers require the presence of a neutral wire—in addition to line (power from the circuit-breaker panel), load (power to the light to be controlled), and ground wires—in the electrical box inside the wall. Smart switches have radios that must be constantly powered, and the neutral wire is usually what supplies that juice. While all homes have neutral wires, many older homes don’t have a neutral wire in every box. If you’re not sure if there’s a neutral wire at the location you want to install a smart switch, this how-to story will help you figure it out. If you don’t have a neutral wire, Lutron’s Caséta smart dimmer and the GE Cync Dimmer (3-wire version) are among the few smart switches that do not require one.
Most smart switches depend on the presence of a neutral wire to supply energy to their radios, but many homes built prior to the 1980s don’t have a neutral wire in every box. GE Cync and Lutron Caséta are among the few smart switches that don’t depend a neutral wire.
Most smart switches depend on the presence of a neutral wire to supply energy to their radios, but many homes built prior to the 1980s don’t have a neutral wire in every box. GE Cync and Lutron Caséta are among the few smart switches that don’t depend a neutral wire.
Most smart switches depend on the presence of a neutral wire to supply energy to their radios, but many homes built prior to the 1980s don’t have a neutral wire in every box. GE Cync and Lutron Caséta are among the few smart switches that don’t depend a neutral wire.
Single- or multi-pole: If the light you wish to control is connected to just one switch, then you’ll need to replace it with a single-pole smart switch. If more than one switch controls that load—switches on opposite sides of a room, for example—then you’ll need to replace it with a multi-pole (aka 3-way) smart switch. This typically means that you’ll also need to buy a companion switch or switches for the other end(s) of the circuit. There are a few exceptions to this rule, so check the documentation accompanying whichever smart switch you decide to buy before you install it.
Control protocol: You’ll undoubtedly want to control your smart lighting with your smartphone or tablet, and most people will also want to turn lights on and off with voice commands spoken to a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo or a Nest Hub. But to do that, the smart switch you buy must have some way of connecting to your home network (which explains why Bluetooth smart switches can’t talk to smart speakers).
Some smart switches connect directly to your Wi-Fi network, while others require a bridge to your router. If you’ve invested in a smart home system—Samsung SmartThings, Hubitat Elevation, Vivint Smart Home, or any other ecosystem—you’ll want to make sure that the smart switch you buy is compatible with it. These are the most common communication protocols you’ll encounter.
Lutron’s Aurora Smart Dimmer prevents a conventional toggle switch from shutting off the power to any Philips Hue smart bulbs that are connected to the switch. It can also wirelessly control those bulbs, including dimming them by rotating the knob.
Lutron’s Aurora Smart Dimmer prevents a conventional toggle switch from shutting off the power to any Philips Hue smart bulbs that are connected to the switch. It can also wirelessly control those bulbs, including dimming them by rotating the knob.
Lutron’s Aurora Smart Dimmer prevents a conventional toggle switch from shutting off the power to any Philips Hue smart bulbs that are connected to the switch. It can also wirelessly control those bulbs, including dimming them by rotating the knob.
Switch mechanism: Since most people control smart switches and dimmers with voice commands, they soon discover that they rarely physically interact with the devices in their walls. But you’ll want to consider the type of mechanism the smart switch uses if for no other reason than to ensure its aesthetic matches the rest of your home. These are the most common types you’ll encounter.
Relatively few manufacturers make smart switches that look like this type of old-fashioned toggle switch.
Relatively few manufacturers make smart switches that look like this type of old-fashioned toggle switch.
Relatively few manufacturers make smart switches that look like this type of old-fashioned toggle switch.
Brilliant’s touchscreen panel lets you see and talk with a person at your door when a visitor activates your Ring Video Doorbell.
Brilliant’s touchscreen panel lets you see and talk with a person at your door when a visitor activates your Ring Video Doorbell.
Brilliant’s touchscreen panel lets you see and talk with a person at your door when a visitor activates your Ring Video Doorbell.
Wiring connections: Smart switches and dimmers tend to be larger than their dumb counterparts, so you should consider how the new switch will fit in your existing electrical box. This is particularly important if you’re installing multiple smart switches next to each other in a single box. Remember that there will typically be at least four wires to deal with—line, load, neutral, and ground—and that there will also be a traveler wire if you’re dealing with a multi-pole circuit. It can be challenging to stuff all those wires and the new switch back into the box. These are the most common types of electrical connections you’ll encounter in smart switches.
Pigtails and wire nuts are one common way to connect a smart switch to your existing in-wall wiring.
Pigtails and wire nuts are one common way to connect a smart switch to your existing in-wall wiring.
Pigtails and wire nuts are one common way to connect a smart switch to your existing in-wall wiring.
How easy are the dimmers and switches to install? Can a relatively inexperienced homeowner handle the wiring, or will they need to hire a professional electrician?
What smart home platforms does the device support? The more protocols an individual switch or dimmer can work with, the more flexible it will be as smart home technology evolves in the future.
Is there an app? If so, how polished is the interface and how easy is it to use the app to control the dimmers and switches. If they’re motion-activated, how reliably do they respond to movement in a room.
If the dimmer and switch have added features like cameras or speakers, we look at how those features perform when compared to standalone devices that perform those functions.
2 way sensor switch Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the smart home, home audio, and home theater. He built his own smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world test lab for product reviews. Following a relocation to the Pacific Northwest, he is now converting his new home, an 1890 Victorian bungalow, into a modern smart home.