Which smart light switches are the best? 

FINALLY! someone reviewing EU style switches

I use Shelly whenever I can, local control, use regular wall switches and regular bulbs. I have over 100 different wifi/zigbee devices around the house from all manufacturers and the only one that always works is the Shelly stuff. The relays are absolutely rock solid.

Endpoint, Router. Not sure why I assumed every Zigbee device was a router, but now that I know where to find this information, my troubleshooting abilities just went to the next level. Thank you so much!

Very useful video. Anyone considering using automated lighting should see this first. Great job.

Thanks for the grate info we are redoing the kitchen and living room and I now have a good understanding what switches to use

Fantastic video and perfectly timed as I’m hunting around for the perfect switch to couple with motion sensors. Good luck with the rest of your smart home

that's a pretty decent review, thanks for making this, given me quite a head start on some of the decisions I need to make for myself

I'm so glad I found this channel. We're currently building and I want easy smooth automation. I may be binging these videos

Thank you so much for this. Your requirements are more or less the same as mine. I was considering the Moes but you've opened my eyes to the Candeo. I think I'll end up getting those for the dimmable rooms.

Really liked the video an the detail you put into it. Thumbs up, good work!

I lucked in on the Candeo as my first selection. It is exactly as described . Completely familiar to any member of the family or to guests. Really good tactile feel. No dropouts.

Great to see more UK content on this sort of thing. I went with a Shelley relay at the light fitting when I first started, because it meant keeping the existing switches and 2 way functionality. It's been flawless, though it doesn't solve the dimming problem of course. The Candeo look to be a good solution, if costly. I know that Scolmore Click (A huge brand in the electricial industry) are getting into the market with zigbee options too, so there may be more good choices in the future finally.

This review is awesome. Analyses all that really matters.

Thank you for making this video. It’ll be an incredible resource for someone starting out.

Great video, I'm loving this series. I suggest in the end a video with your partner talking about the smart home and how improved both your lives. 😊

Thanks for this great video - really enjoyed your testing process and clear evaluation criteria (which happily mostly aligned with mine). Keep it up!

Great video, very informative, as always! Thanks!

Thank you so much for this. I've been struggling to find smart switches with my requirements. The aqara looks like what I need.

Incredibly helpful, thanks.

Thanks a lot! It helped very much. All of your videos about the new house!

Very comprehensive, nice video!

Excellent video. And it made me feel great about last week’s Candeo purchase! Reckon they’ll be getting a bit more of my money for other rooms now 😁

I'm so glad I didn't have to go through this process myself. Based on your review I can confidently say Aquara is the best for my home. Thanks for making this video! I'd love to see more comparisons of various smart home devices.

Really a great video. Also what a mesh network!! Chapeau!

Thanks for recommendation of the candeo - such easy install

Really useful video, thank you. Keep on Keepin' on!

That's some good work, you covered all the bases

Excellent video - look forward to the next one!

Thank you for your video. The Aqara were exactly the kind of switch I was looking for, with their ability to decouple from my hue lights, but also offer the ability to use the same kinds of switches for lights I don't want or need to be smart themselves. Thank you! 👍

Your videos are helping me to improve my new home. 🎉🎉🎉

Aweseome work ! I have a couple of Aqara H1 wireless 2-gang switches and they look and feel great. You can create automations in HA that will dim or bright the lights by double clicking or holding down the buttons but it's less intuitive that a dial for sure.

Great video. As always.

This is one of the best videos I've seen about smart home - well done, I really appreciate the detail! I'm waiting for a retrofit module with Thread Router capabilities to be released so that I can add it to my existing switches.

Great video, would love more like this!

Thanks for the nice review, very clear and to the point with explanations.

Great videos and thank you so much for your help to us !! 🤗

Was asking the same thing a couple of months ago, I found out that Legrand/Bticino switches were the best option for me. They also meet all of your criteria except they don’t report the power consumption and don’t offer 3-4 gangs. I have mixed both wired (no neutral) and wireless switches. It offers look and feel consistency across my home. The dimming will probably never be as good as the candeo one! Good luck on your journey and thanks for sharing

You missed one important thing. Most cheap smart switches do not remember the last power state after a power cut. The default state is usually ON. Imagine in the middle of the night, all your lights are flashing after a power cut recovery. 😅 I have a couple of Mose switches. They don't remember the last state. I had to create manual power state reminders for each switch gang to prevent this issue. It was a pain. Now I always buy Aqara switches. They remember the last power state and are reliable.

Looking forward to seeing this, I installed several Zemismart ZigBee and their hub. They work quite well, but not sure I should have chosen the touch versions.

Brilliant video. Thank you.

Great effort Alan.

great research , thanks for all these tips

Awesome video, thanks for sharing

Thanks for another awesome video. You have inspired a lot of my setup. I’m already set up with switches and yes I love the Candeo. I love that you can retrofit them to an existing plate. I replaced a 3 gang in the kitchen over a period of a few weeks and nobody noticed. For my non-dimmables I’m Shelly relays all the way leaving the standard light switches in place.

Thanks a lot! this'll help me make my choices. Subbed due to this! keep it going mate!

Hi Alan. I enjoyed that video. I have 7 candeo units, i have them paired with momentary/ retractive switches which makes it super easy for manual control. A couple of the candeo units are the back box version sat in the ceiling rose and only taking input from the momentary switches. I also fitted the candeo units into chrome casing like the momentary so it all looks more premium.

Been getting a lot of good info from your channel, I wanted to send a thanks!

Great video again - looking forward to the next one

Amazing ! Thanks !

Great informative video..Thanks

phenomenal video thank you 👍👍

Hi, I’m from the U.S. and your Narration is FREAKIN’ & FRIGGIN AWESOME!!!… (You made me laugh multiple time’s, so i Subscribed AND Liked!!!)… When you used the “Word or Phrase” Friggin’ or Freakin’ THAT did it for me!!!… (Thought i was the ONLY one that ever used those (2) “Verbiage’s”) 😊

Recently found this channel, really liking it 👍 Was hoping to see a review of Sonoff switches/NS Panel 😏

This was precisely what I was looking for. It's a great detail - thanks. It's a shame we don't have the Aqara triple rocker in the EU; I need a 3-gang solution.

Great review.

Thanks for this. Awesome channel! I need / want some Aqara switches now

I am very much enjoying the videos. I am construction my new retirement home and am facing all the same decisions. I did tell my electrician that there needs to be a neutral wire at every switch box so that will solve some of my possible issues. I am US based so my options are different. I too specifically want to avoid wifi switches. Perhaps those sonoff panels mighty be cool. thanks

I had the same question and found myself buying devices from the Plejd assortment. They are good looking, really smart and very easy to use and control in any scenario. You should try’em out.

Would definitely like to see a more indepth video on the sonoff smart touch screen/switch. I'm using some sonoff mini r2s in my home now for my christmas lights and looking at adding more throughout the house

Good video thank you. I got the Moes 3 gang.. and I totally agree with you about the cheapness of the build. I hate pressing them and have most scenes triggered elsewhere.. by a remote button pad, motion and presence sensors and voice controls. I'm still searching for a better switch

Also a big fan of the Candeo - it's the only smart switch I've found that doesn't look like a smart switch (at least for us in the UK), guests in our house don't even notice that it's any different!

I have a couple of the Candeo switches. I like that they look and act like a traditional dimmer. But I do find them a bit "sticky" when turning them on and off. They're also not great at reporting their on/off state. Don't know why, but they're the only ZigBee devices I have with that issue. (Another issue with smart GU10 bulbs, is they're usually taller than standard GU10 bulbs - which can be a problem with many fixtures. I learnt this the hard way.)

Very thorough review! Still wrapping my head around a rack server for a smarthome, but ok. In the US, GE, Leveton, and Lutron are market leaders and readily available at big box stores.

Great video!

I'd love to see your take on the NS Panel!! I want to use them in my house for lighting, heating and blind control

Btw… the Aqara D1 is also available as three-gang. Thank you for the amazing review! I was also skeptic about the Moes three-gang touch and you expressed exactly my concerns

Excellent work! Mad face........... .......... .......... What a piece of #### Amazing quote! I find myself saying that exact line about electronics daily. Next time I need to say it with an awesome British accent.

Honestly, smart switches has been my worst nightmare trying to set things up at home due to incompatibility issues, thanks for this.

Thanks for another great comparison video! Please, do an NS panel video, it seems that the NS panel hardware and software have recently gone through some changes that make it simpler to get into HA.....?

Great video. What is your recommendation for the smart curtain motors? Ones which can move heavy curtains

I can highly recommend the Aqara D1. WBKG26LM is the 3 gang version with all the features of the others you mention.

Man!!!! I wish my office / cave / own room looked organized like this. It's all over the place.

Very useful video. I have used aqara switches at my house. They have 3 gangs and can be bought on many online platforms. I am struggling with a 3 gang switch which needs to be two way. I have a workaround with aqara relay switch

Nice video, have you consider adding surge protector device in your installations?

I understand your rationale for choosing the 2 types of controls (switches & dimmers) and I generally agree with your criteria - but I'd add one: the selected controls should look consistent throughout the house (not necessarily exactly the same - but thematically matching). To me the very different look of the selected controls would be a no-no. Especially when mounted side by side - they just look far too different (the nature of the controls, the plate style, the visible fixing screws on one but not the other, rounded corners vs square). They look to be from two quite different eras.

I am just getting into smartening up my home and had some what similar requirements particularly for the minimum use of wifi in order to keep things local ( I expect us all to be disconnected from The grid for various reasons in the future) and I agree about the zigbee focus, one of the things you didn’t try and I am waiting on the delivery of some units to test are kinetic based rf switches from in my case Quinetic. As they can connect to the quinetic hub to give WiFi and therefore home assistant integration they serve for me the purpose of not having to channel out walls in areas where I want new two and three gang switches, the ability to not have anyone mess up the automated side of things by using a wall switch but giving Luddites the ability to seek out the familiar wall boxes to make light is a very nice to have conceptually, infact if this works I will put all the main power cut protected lights on to kinetic switches to ensure safe passage around the property in black out periods. Interested in any feedback from anyone already tried the quinetic also

Great comparison. Does some video of this kind exist for ZigBee wall sockets with power monitoring?

Amazing video. Aqara had a version of 3 gang is D1 but i'm not sure they fit in the UK

Thank you! that was really informative, candeo for the win then. 👍

I went with a H1 for a front outside light - great bit of kit, only ballache was replacing the back box

Great info, thank you! I use smart switches everywhere, *_except_* my home theater room. Any smart switch I've installed adds noticeable noise through my speakers, so I had to go with individual smart bulbs. Everytime someone turns off and on the dumb switch real fast, all my pairings get erased 😢.

Great video! Looking for a review of the sonoff switch modules and the Mercator Ikuu range of Zigbee switches.

Shelly has 4-gang ”switches”. It’s called i4. It’s just a controller though so you need to complement them with actual switches too. The switches can be mounted at the light instead of behind the buttons. If you don’t like Shelly’s own buttons you can use any other of your liking. Shelly does not require the cloud to speak to Home Assistant or to each other. Loved the video, though.

Brilliant video

Awesome video! My wife told me I could make ours a smart home but her older parents must be able to come in and operate things without any extra effort. I finally found the leviton z wave dimmer switches, R51-DZ6HD-1RZ. Only drawback is it requires a neutral line in the switch box and some older houses use a switch loop in the US.

Nice! I agree with all of comments for all the products. I wish I see this video before I bought Lonsonho and Moes. Aqara is super cool for most of the cases, but I wanted them to be a routers. Thanks for sharing your experience

very useful video thank you. any of these particularly future proof with possible support for matter in the future? got a new house I'm planning to add in smart lights and automation, some wall switches are not where I want them to be so was thinking of how to sort individual scenarios out with smart devices. thank you doe any help!

Same situation as you. I bought a two way dimmable moes module and experienced the same inconsistency as you showed. Shame as they even have 4gang version, no dimming though, which could have been a an awesome thing. The aqara ones look great as long as you don't need to put two next to each other. They are slightly bigger than standard EU switches so you can't fit two together. As others have pouted out, sometimes a behind the plate module is better, as style of switches is important. Our house will have gray walls so dark switches with sharp corners would be prefered.

Thanks for the interesting video, which is not sponsored and therefore also guards against a "Fehlkauf", a misbuy. In an existing installation, Home automation is adding functionality while maintaining what everyone already knew, without causing surprises or problems they cannot solve themselves. I therefore use Shelly relays (decoupled) with Esphome - Home Assistant as a switch mounted behind the existing pushbuttons from the European suppliers so that the WAF remains guaranteed (Schneider, Legrand, Busch-Jaeger, Gira, Berker, BTicino, etc.). The switches all retain the appearance they always had and no one is surprised. What I have added is an NSPanel from Sonoff (integrated into HA) which I use more than my housemates who find that toy unnecessary despite the nice look.

I love this review and it also highlights the issue with the UK based smart home options. Because I didn't want a mix match of different switches around my house, I ended up getting Lightwaverf switches and sockets. I know its not an option for you since it uses a hub, but if you already usea Broadlink RM4 Pro, you can integrate them there in HA.

Aqara H1 is also my switch of choice. Tried couple of them and this one has definitely the best build quality and feel. The click is super satisfying and reassuring. It also supports single, double or triple click as well as separate hold and release. I'm using the battery versions because of the shallow switch boxes but so far I can't really complain. Other really solid switch is the one from IKEA (small dimmer switch). Very nice click, good response and build quality. And for the scenes I'm using Aqara OPPLE switches. They cost 15EUR each for 6 gang version which has 30 possible actions configurable! Build quality is not that great as IKEA, but still very nice.

v helpfull thanks

Amazing video!!!

What I would love to see are some reviews on electrical sockets. Trying to find a UK ZigBee socket with power monitoring that didn't look rubbish (but was in black), or cost a small mortgage, has been difficult/impossible. There are WiFi versions, but that is not what I'm after, and I didn't want the plug-in plugs either.

Thanks, very useful video as looking to do similar. Our portable aircon uses tuya and I got it to turn on and off via home assistant, but then gave up after it'd lose all wiif details on power outage. I'm never touching tuya again. After using hue for years now, I don't think I can go back to single colour temperature bulbs. So I'll probably just want switches that can send home assistant triggers

This is beyond useful. I'm so happy you are doing these kind of videos. I'm planning to try out building a smart home using home assistant, and I just don't know where to start. Your videos are helping me understand many things as I'm completely new to this thing. If you would do a similar video to light bulbs and bands, sensors, power sockets would be awesome! Ty! Also does the 2 gang candeo consume 0.8 W of power?

Great video

Thanks for taking the time to document your projects. I especially liked your comment on the wii-fi switches. :) My solution: Samotech dimmers, which are basically the same as the Candeo ones shown here. One of these is in the living room and controls the six lamps in the ceiling. Rooms with one ceiling light, like bedrooms, use smart bulbs with an Ikea dimmer over the hard switch. I have a bunch of nice looking plastic mounts screwed over the switch, with the dimmer magnetically attached to the mount. The nice thing is if I ever have troubles with Zigbee or HA I can just pull off the dimmer to operate the hard switch still underneath. The room I haven't tackled yet is the kitchen. I suspect it will be more Samotech dimmers driving the 12 downlighters in the ceiling. Bathrooms with extraction fans also present some interesting challenges.

Great video and echos my tactile findings with the Moes and Aqara switches. However the Candeo switches were a revelation. Never heard of them before but will be giving them a check out now. I have no neutral at any of my light switches so my choices are limited anyway but they seem like a really good option along with the Aqara switches. Loving this video series. Keep up the great work!

Great video!! I am having some difficulty getting things to work. I am trying to use lumary RGB recessed lights with smart switches that can dimm via HA, app, and physical dimmer switch. So far, no smart switch has worked..