Happy Saturday! Just waiting for Neesha to watch this and kick my ass 🤣 I reckon these switches will be common place in the next 5 years. If you want to buy any of the products in this video then please follow the links below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you :) UK: amzn.to/2GYvbLM US: amzn.to/3kwsgru Also available from Ajax directly at the following links: Bulbs - www.ajaxonline.co.uk/product/zigbee-gu10-spotlight-bulb/ Remote - www.ajaxonline.co.uk/product/4-zone-wall-remote/ If you want to know how to replace your existing light switch then there are plenty of guides out there but PLEASE do not trust your breaker. If you switch your electricity off at the mains it is STILL possible that the light switch may be live and it WILL kill you, it is imperative you know what you're doing, or better yet; get an electrician to do it.
Paul, I’m not sure they will be public place. I used these switches a couple of years ago, so I was surprised to see you reviewing them now. You might want to look at and review the Sonoff mini switches, once you realise you don’t often use the RGB function they are the best option IMO. They work well with UK wiring as you put the live in one side, the switch wires in the other and the light to an output. They will then turn the light on or off when they detect a change state on the switch or when you use the app / she that shall not be named. Neesha will be happy as you still have a switch, you’ll be happy she can’t cut the power to it 👍🏻.
After frustrating mounting like you i find that is convenient to pair everything before install, and mark everything with marker. ansd cursed be the elctricians and plasterboard workers who hide the junctions acces pannels
I became a patreon with a message saying that this is bribe money to never drop "ohhh the Zigbee", also, the sketches (ads/whatever) seem to have better production quality, and are generally funnier than SNL.
I am using “Mi-Lights” for many years! It all started with a few GU10 and G5.3 (MR16) bulbs with a basic remote. Followed by 3 50w outdoor flood lights, led strip controllers, more GU10’s,...well almost everything 😂 I use the WiFi module to control everything (the groups). It’s cheap, very very cheap...but does the job. But don’t call them smart...you have to be the smart one 😀 Ps: I use the RGBW+CCT products. The warm white (W) is like a classical GU10 50w tungsten bulb, no need to add some red color to make it warmer. That’s why I love them! 👌🏻
At first I honestly thought he was rubbing the box just to show how the controls WILL work once he unboxed it.... But then I saw the lights changing in the background 😂
I’m an electrician, and I find all this new tech fascinating. The point is it will save customers on rewires as there will be no need to chase out walls for light switch drops. Waiting for this to be introduced into Standard lamps. Great video.
Here in Eindhoven (Philips hometown) we have a saying. If want something good, then best not get a Philips device... Love your constant reminder to that fact!
Stoked on this. The greatest part is the fact that even if they cut the power, it remembers the last setting when the power was cut when it's turned back on. If you happened to change that zone's setting while it was off, it will automatically update to the new setting as well. Thank you for the heads up on this setup. I just got mine installed today and I couldn't be happier.
Hi Paul, I think that the reason that the Mi-Light switch is so affordable is very simple - it isn't a ZigBee device. Instead it uses RF (probably 2.4GHz since that is printed on it's faceplate) and this is why it only works with certain bulbs and strips that have a compatible RF receiver built-in as well as ZigBee. If you read the product description on the Ajax website is does state "Connects through RF Technology." so I think it is conclusive that the switch is not ZigBee.
I do like these remotes. They've been about for several years but aren't ZigBee sadly. If they were you could add them to home assistant and possibly use them to control any other device you wanted. Now that would be cool
Fun to see some stuff I have been playing around with for some time. By the way, using the 'right' LED strip controller this switch will switch the LED strips, change colours, white tones and dimming. They have various controllers, one only does dimming, another does white tones and another does the entire rgb and everything included. I did build my own 'hub' for them to connect to home assistant, but that is not needed if you just want a switch and some lights/LED strips.
You can build your own HTTP remote / wifi gateway using an ESP8266. REF: blog.christophermullins.com/2017/02/11/milight-wifi-gateway-emulator-on-an-esp8266/
@@Beteljuice Exactly. Despite working under 2.4ghz as Zigbee does, the comunication protocol is different being incompatible with other Zigbee devices. It's like the Tuya things.
FWIW you can bind *most* standard zigbee switches to a group of bulbs with good results. If the room is huge you could get some "popcorning" but otherwise it works fine. For most people on/off and dimming is more than enough. Messing around with colors on remotes and switches is fun but not super practical.
I have already done this with most of my switches, you can buy "RF remote controller switches" from ALI or eBay which look a bit nicer in my opinion, they can talk to something like a sonoff RF, which then talks to home assistant. The benefit of doing it that way is you can mix and match different brands of smart bulbs in the same room and home assistant takes care of changing all of them
If you’re looking to DIY it, a Shelly dimmer is probably the best choice. It lets you choose any light switch you want, and the Shelly sits in the wall behind it and actually does everything. It also works with smart bulbs because it has a relay-off mode, where the Shelly maintains power to the bulbs when you flip the switch but just sends an event to home assistant (or whatever you’re using).
@@geoken2 that's does look nice, but I am set now, plus that looks like you'll have make space for it in the wall, the light switches are already a pretty tight fit
@@BuzStringer yeah, you definitely need to account for the space. Even in the case that the box is big enough - in my older house, a lot of the boxes are mounted with a long nail going through the entire width of the box. I just like it because it then opens up the possibility to use any switch you want.
I have the ‘Bluetooth Mesh’ version of this switch that also connects to wifi through a bridge to allow Alexa integration. This version has an App and all zoning can be done in there with the lights already installed. Might also be worth looking at.
@@nigelholland24 Hi They work well and zoning is straight forward. I have some Bluetooth rgbw down lighters and an rgbw led strip with Bluetooth controller in my bathroom. Zoning via the App is straight forward and then there are programmable buttons on the touch sensitive switch.
LOL, it DID take about a month of us having smart bulbs for me to break my wife's habbit of hitting the switch in the living room.. then I was an ass and changed the rest of the switches in the house to smart switches (we only needed dimming in the living room).. so it took me another month to get her to actually USE the wall switches
Paul, I might have said this before, but your Mrs. is such a good sport for playing along! You’re such a NUT! Awesome reviews and you make it entertaining as well! Thanks! 😝👍
Inovelli makes smart switches that run on zwave and you can turn the relay in the switch off so the switch can be used to control a smart bulb and doesn't cut the power to the bulb itself. Plus no batteries
Solution to the wall switch conundrum..! Hard wire the mains connection, skip the switch to the fixture, but still power the smart switch, and use automation to turn the light on and off. Your smart hub can still control the lights and colour, the smart switch can turn on-off, or turn it blue if you want. Works beautifully with the smartlife app.
Cousin of my dad is an electrician and came to switch out some things for me and didn't cut the power. Asked him if he wasn't afraid of being electrocuted and he said "Nah, it's ok I got inoculated against that." XD.
in the official safety standard EN60950 there is blabla everything above 48 Volts may kill you. then there is *) a footnote; although a plain old telephone may carry 180 Volts, nobody ever died of it, so it's safe. I can tell you; I've been janked by POTS a few times, it.is.no.fun.
Few questions... 1. Can you control the individual spotlights or just the zones? 1b. Can you control the individual lights in the app or create a number of different zones or subzones? 2. Can you add any number of lights to the zones? In my place... (4 lights in the hallway), 4 in the kitchen, 2 in the bar, 6 in the lounge - That is a total number of 4 zones, but I want to control the 6 lights in the lounge more flexibly. Hence the questions above. Thanks,
It’s great but it’s not a Zigbee switch, it’s running on different protocol. Also a mains powered option exists, which I think is better than replacing batteries :)
Dammit, I only have memes for ooh the zigbee and corporate greed. I NEED a Home Assistant meme! giphy.com/gifs/smart-photos-oETJ6gkcN6uxG7SvNc?fbclid=IwAR1R6NjSbflAW_I5Wb3_wkcXQO9VrwWOZh9a3ukkugLXN4Oz9kjoRWqrM4Q
@@MattSkinah maybe worth buying one just in case they work with Home Assistant then. Did you have trouble with programming it or could it all be done at the OpenHab end?
I use a few smart bulbs that are also under smart switches. Not as fancy as this, but for instance the switch becomes active from sunset to sunrise. The smart bulbs change colour temperature when the door opens or closes. (or if outside motion is detected)
Don’t just switch off the MCB and try it, there is a thing called neutral feedback. You WILL get a shock from it. You have been warned! Great video Paul 👍🏻👍🏻. I think it is one of the best smart tech channels on RU-vid. Keep em coming. 👍🏻👍🏻 Oooh the ZIGBEE! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
I am glad I found your channel. You are hilarious and very informative. BTW. I do not recommend it to anyone, but I change my switches without turning the power off. A few shocks were never a problem for me. I got used to 220 volts shocks, and handling 110 Volts for me is not a problem. :) Subscribed.
Love this video. The other way to stop.those pesky light switches being turned off (and avoiding electrocuting yourself is to use light switch covers). They've solved lights being turned off in my flat and I can still access the switch if needed 😁 They're about £3 on Amazon
This was exciting! I got my wallet out, panting at the prospect of dimmable gu10,s in our living room. Glorying in my long yearned want to introduce ‘mood’ lighting over our dining table. I frothed as the video climaxed - Nudging my better half - say no more, say no more. ‘This is what we’ve been waiting for,’ I exclaimed in a fit of ecstasy. then you told us the price per bulb. and, once more, my life became limp...
No wiring is good for so many situations. So many places, like where I am now, don't have neutral wires at the switch making hard wired switches difficult to install
@@paulhibbert These multi channel remotes definitely are the way forward. They make the "smart bulbs" actually make sense. That switch makes the Hue Dimmers look expensive, and they were pretty reasonable for what they are for a long time.
That's the main reason why I went with a Phillips hue hub, innr lights, and the Phillips switches to cover the normal light switch, I know how most people feel about Phillips bulbs (twice the price of innr bulbs, but do the exact same job/brightness /colour pallets), but their range of switches alternatives/motion sensors are great, and not too expensive, my hallways are now automated, as is the bathroom and toilet (echo flex also come in handy with the automation with their plug in motion sensors), and the rest of the rooms are to a lesser degree, you walk in, and the main light turns on, you walk out, it turns off (so nobody has the need ever to mess with switches (even if they did, they're all changed to the Phillips 4 button switches, or the single round button ones)), the only time I need to play with the lights is for the colour accents, which are all set to similar names in alexa routines, such as "bedroom relaxed" and "living room relaxed" etc. I fully agree Phillips overcharge ridiculously for their lighting, but I don't think they get enough credit for their accessories.
@@EdmondDantès09 I like the accessories but of the three colour hue bulbs I purchased just over three years ago, two have failed. Philips attitude was "tough luck, they are out of warranty" not even a "sorry for making you think they might last a long time" just "tough luck kid, buy some more"
IDEA: To set up the bulbs in the zones, they should add a simple connector at the bottom or back of the remote. Plug in a bulb and add it to the zone, take it out and then plug it into the ceiling... job done :)
Nice to see cheaper options but the main issue for me was solved 2 yrs ago. You mount the Hue dimmer over the switch in an adapter. The adapter looks far smarter than that awful looking packet switch. The switch underneath stays on. You have full voice control over colour, brightness etc and have the ability to take the dimmer switch round the round the room. This combined with the next hub max gives full room control over sound, temperature and lights.
In the US, Inovelli makes Z-Wave switches that can be switched to a smart bulb mode where turning the switch on or off sends the command to your bulb to turn on or off instead of being a hard cut off, it also has additional programmable buttons that can be programmed to do different things.
Um.. that sounds more like an 'auxiliary' or 'scene controller' switch - I have a few of those positioned around which let you control a (set of) lights distant from the main switch itself - like. the kitchen lights? Have a switch by the back door - naturally, you want to turn the lights out as you leave. An additional switch near the 'deck doors' - because you might be coming in/ going out a different way - those are on regular 3 way switches and function as regular switches if there's no hub - and then there's a 'cosmetic auxiliary switch' on the third exit from the kitchen - to the hallway/stairs ( because you don't want to traipse all the way across the kitchen to turn the lights out, then walk back in the dark) - that one just has power, and no actual load in the switch, and simply sends a zwave command to the main (load) switch. Course, now you can just talk to your house and just be like : pigs, I forgot to turn the lights out in the kitchen! Alexa.. do the needful, plz!
I'm not sure where this rhetoric of Zigbee devices not being cheap comes from? I think they're cheap, in fact I think they're one of the cheapest routes into turning your home fully Smart. In the past 48-72hrs I've bought & tried four different types of smart bulbs, including Philips Hue & other cheap models. I've settled on cheaper innr Zigbee bulbs which work out at £9.30 per bulb. They've incredible and about a third of the cost of Philips Hue. I've also bought a ton of other Zigbee sensors from China for cheap as anything. I've managed to get like 5-6 devices for about the same amount of cash as you'd pay big name brands like Philips or Samsung. So for me getting into Home Assistant and Zigbee was the best, most flexible and cheapest route. Thanks for the work and effort in your videos Paul, its certainly inspired me to setup all of this. OOOooo the Zigbee!!
Oh Paul, i said this already a couple of times, but i love your humor man. Sometimes it helps me through difficult times! Your face expressions is what does it for me 😂 Keep it up man! 😎
I covered the wall switch with a door knob wall bumper, it prevent accidental manual off switching, while still keeping the option possible if you press really hard on it 😉
@@paulhibbert Thanks 🙏🏼 😇 I had to cut the inner side of the wall bumper dome sticker to make space for the wall switch and adjust at the exact depth, so that the “force touch” press on the bumper makes possible to manual switch on/off. I used that trick for my old mother apartment philips hue lightings system so that she always have lights following her automatically and don’t switch the lights off by error. She was annoyed at first, but now she loves it.
I've always found that every now and then a bulb needs to be reset by turning it off on, that's why I think it's better to keep your wall switch and put some sort of easily removable cover over it, that will remind people not to switch it off, will allow easy reset and won't require risk of death wiring.
Sounds great, but if you ever need to replace a bulb, you will no longer be able to cut off the power to the light fitting, as this switch will only put the bulb into standby mode, instead of completely disconnecting it from the power source, the way a traditional light switch would when the switch is in the off position.
You're right; that noise could become really annoying. However, since I'm surrounded by sighted people I need the noises to tell me that things are actually operating.
I'm really liking the look of this, im am looking for RGB for my gaming room and don't want to go down the philips hue Road! As for that room of stuff that you have no room for, why not give some of it away to subscribers..
Punching! Very amusing vid cheers. Would you be able to pair these bulbs in a standalone lamp and then reposition them into your ceiling? I’m not looking to venture into mood lighting I’m just curious. I am looking for smart light switches though and have been pointed to zigbee as they have no negative cable. Any intel Paul?
I installed a smart switch but wired the smart lamps directly so they are always powered. Then I used software to make the switch control the light. This way I can control with voice or automations but someone that doesn't know how can still use the switch. It also overcomes the need to run a neutral wire to the switch.
I was looking for such a switch and also found they were practically non existent, and then I found the Xiaomi aqara switches, they make a smart zigbee switch more similar to a regular switch. I am still waiting on them to arrive and looking forward to testing them.
I've actually done it a long time ago with aqara's product line, zigbee bulb and a wireless zigbee switch glued over the 2 connected wires that keep the bulb on at all times
Thanks so much for making this video! 😂 I’m trying so hard to do something similar and it covers every goal, I’m going for. I have my entire house using the Mi-light B8 and S2-W wall remotes (very similar to the one you feature) paired with the Mi.Light 9W RGBWW Smart WiFi 2.4GHz light bulbs. I want to convert / upgrade to a system that allows me to control new (or the existing lights) in Homekit / Apple Home (even if by buying a Philips Hue hub 🤢🤮😂 + the Miboxer gateway or any other gateway) but **I really want to keep the Mi-light wall panels that I do have currently*** to also control the lights (for people who want to physically control/ change the lights like your poor wife does or change colors when they don’t have access to their iphone. Mi-light / MiBoxer now has zigbee 3.0 bulbs, zigbee gateway. I wrote them and they just said the new zigbee lights can’t be controlled by the remote. Is there I way for me to keep using those B8 controllers in the Homekit ecosystem (via Hue or even Ikea) in any other set up? I have over a dozen of them hard wired into my home.
Hey, great video. Can I ask for some unrelated advice? My house would be better suited to smart switches - can you recommend an Alexa enabled light switch (1, 2 and 3 gang will be required!) that require no neutral (UK install) and don’t need a capacitor? Any advice would be appreciated!! Thanks in advance!
I Fitted an Alarm for a client many years ago and used to make a fused spur to power it. However when I asked for the mains consumer box to be switched off at each breaker. As my colleague went though each one and then turned it back on. Not once did it kill the power? When I looked the unit I found that the "Qualified installer " had linked two fuses to the main bar. So a complete power down was the only answer. Electricity is not nice to peeps that like to think they can hold it in their hands? Great vid once more BTW
Paul, I know you're Huge on The Broadlink Line of Products for IR control but I'd love to see you Review the "Sofabaton U1" Universal Remote, It takes the IR & Bluetooth Approach to remote control with an actual remote & it's cheaper than The Harmony Line.
Great video thanks for the humour. I'm desperately looking for a switch like the zigbee that works on all smart bulbs. The tech is simple, but I havnt found any.
It made me cry when you called the goddess a cow! If she would like to relocate to California, I can pm you my address, I'm sure my cow won't mind! Thanks for another great video!!!🤣😂
Regardless of it being a comedy sketch. You used the correct terminology and method an electrician would use to advise a capable customer down the phone or over FaceTime. Thanks for another Saturday morning video. Have you done a video on gledopto RGB strip controllers? They’re zigbee.
The solution I have is home assistant, and conbee2 zigbee usb dongle. Then bought xiaomi motion sensors, and I don't even have to touch switch's because they light up automatically. Of course you have to disable wall switch off put some kind of frame on top ... However you have those shelly 3i that can control the wireless bulb because they don't turn of the bulb they just send a signal that you toggled the switch ( depends on shelly configuration you do, there are 2 modes I believe)
When I was about 5 years old, I was curious if a bulb would work without the glass. I never got to find out as I woke up on the other side of the room with burnt fingers and shaking. Electricity is fun :) these days I have to buy a couple of bottles of vodka to replicate the same effect and that's expensive.
I went with a combination of 3d printed and purchased light switch covers. Just stuck on with double sided tape. Makes the switch difficult, not impossible to toggle. And stuck ikea or aqara zigbee switches on the wall next to them
These look promising. Do you know if I can just put a wall plate over a switched on light and put the remote over that? Kind of like the Phillips Hue remote?
I like that switch, reminds me of the old Philips living colours remote pre (dare I say it) hue days. Shame they can't reused for hue as the old living colours blooms can. Oh and I like that steampunk lampholder, was thinking of getting for hue vintage bulb.
Thanks for the video Paul. Can you tell me (as I'm not getting the complete answer from Ajax) if you adjust the colour, brightness or saturation on the remote, do you get active feedback of all this on the Tuya app?
Hmm, can't remember for certain. I would imagine so because I used the remote to set my colours and then saved them as a scene in the hue app, so they're obviously reporting their state in that circumstance.
Hilarious! Your videos keep getting better! Great balance of review, instruction and legitimate comedy. Keep it up mate, considering paypal or patreon on ya!
I find the pickled onions confusing.... Why are they part of that room of doom? How did you get to that part of room to place them there? Is the Dyson responsible? Are they zigbee?
I'm considering buying 8 lamps and the controller. Question will my MoesGo ZigBee Gateway Model ZW-HUB work with these? Thanks. Oh BTW Congratulation on your wedding.
Hi paul, love ur videos. I am renovating my house soon and plan to put both smart switches and some rbg light bulbs. Could you do some sort of pros vs cons why both dont work well together or ways to make it work together etc. this will be highly helpful. (if not made yet. if video already kindly direct me to it) Thank you for your consideration. Have a good day!
That light switch is never going to cover a 3 gang switch - is it? I've been trying too hard to find the perfect LED GU10 - with very high CRI and a wide angle - this looks like it's worth doing just to finish the frikin' MR16 to LED GU10 project - and I'll just put up with the installed crap LEDs in the kitchen and the hall - I broke one already - who knew that a Belvoir ginger beer bottle that had been sitting half finished for months, would launch the metal cap painfully through fingers and with a direct hit, break an LED GU10 and crack the plaster in the ceiling - I was that close to using my teeth to undo the cap - nearly a Darwin award :) Thank you so much for bringing the bulbs and the switch to my attention and for entertaining me :) Cheers!
Hey Paul! You might not see this and I'm new to this stuff and trying to set up smart lights in my house. But you were talking about the smart switch and the problems with the smart bulb. I've with Lifx and I was looking at the functionality of the Lifx smart switch. Have you seen those? Seems like that would solve the problem... Or maybe not? Just wondering!
First time seeing one of your videos. Sir , you are a character... well done. Your wife is what we call "a good egg" also a "looker" .you da man broski, you da man. :) anywho.... liked and subscribed.
Hi paul, new to the smart home thing, will this switch only work with gu10's? If so could you recommend something for standard uk bayonet fittings along with bulbs.
I wonder how hard it is to retrofit ceiling lights like those into a flat. Seriously they are gorgeous. But I should probably get a G10 holder so i can set them up on a desk instead of, yknow, the ceiling. XD
I dont know what the problem is. The Philips hue dimmer switch can simply be installed over the original switch (after removing the plastic cover) and below the wlectronics is just permanently in the "ON" position. I have done this in my whole home.
