![]() ![]() ZigBee does have the benefit of monitoring energy usage, but that’s usually not important when it comes to lighting, especially when you’re using efficient LED bulbs. Plus, Z-Wave has a greater range and works more reliably. They do offer ZigBee versions, but ZigBee light switches aren’t as common. GE has a huge line of Z-Wave lighting products, including light switches. ![]() If you don’t mind dealing with a hub (or if you already have one), going with Z-Wave or ZigBee is ideal. RELATED: How to Install and Set Up the Belkin WeMo Light Switch However, if you already have WeMo devices around your house, the WeMo Light Switch is worth considering. The Belkin WeMo model is also pretty decent, but it’s a couple bucks more than the Kasa switch and the app interface isn’t as nice. Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of those out there, but the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch from TP-Link is a cheap and decent option, and the Kasa app is one of my favorites. If you don’t want to deal with hubs, a Wi-Fi light switch is your best bet. Caseta switches are very good either way, and the fact that you don’t have to mess with the neutral wire is a nice convenience.īut, if you do have a neutral wire accessible, you have a handful of other options. Lutron Caseta light switches don’t require a neutral wire, making them a good choice if you don’t have a neutral wire accessible inside the light switch box. While you have some choice in the matter, it ultimately comes down to the neutral wire and whether a smart light switch requires one or not. Luckily, though, you can buy a kit that comes with the hub, and it’s easy to set it all up. With the Lutron Caseta line of light switches, you’ll need the company’s own proprietary hub, since it uses a custom version of RF to connect the switches. On the other hand, a Z-Wave or ZigBee light switch would need some kind of hub to connect to, such as a SmartThings hub or Wink hub, but they wouldn’t bog down your Wi-Fi network as much if you end needing a bunch of them. Smart switches that connect directly to Wi-Fi (like the Belkin WeMo Light Switch) are the most convenient, since you don’t have to deal with any hubs. RELATED: How to Install and Set Up the Lutron Caseta Dimmer Switch Starter Kit However, some smart switches use their own proprietary wireless protocol, most notably Lutron with their Caseta devices. The most common types of connectivity are either over plain Wi-Fi, or using Z-Wave or ZigBee. Connectivityĭepending on the smart light switch, there are a few ways to connect them to your network. ![]() The problem, however, is that there may not be a neutral wire accessible inside the light switch box, especially in older homes, and that can severely limit your choice of smart light switch. Some smart light switches take advantage of this neutral wire and must connect to it in order to function. ![]()
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