this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2023
138 points (97.3% liked)
News
1751 readers
1 users here now
Breaking news and current events worldwide.
founded 1 year ago
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I got a couple of smart bulbs a while ago, but I'm apparently the only one in the house willing to use them through a phone or smart speaker Everyone else just turns the lamps of at the switch, which completely defeats the purpose. I gave up on the idea until such time as I can buy some with a manual toggle included.
I stuck a tablet on the wall using Command Strips and it just stays plugged in, in case I want to change the lighting but my phone is across the room.
I bought smart switches for mine. While I often use my phone or voice, switches are often faster to use, particularly if the switch is well located (eg, turning the light on as you enter the room). Even though I have widgets on one of my home screens for my main light modes, I have to basically interrupt what I'm doing on my phone to use my phone. And voice control is just frustratingly unreliable (I'm also not sure how to use what Philips calls a "scene" from Google Assistant -- I don't usually want to turn my lights off, but rather I have different programmed colour + brightness).
For strangers and guests, switches are usually the only thing they can easily use.
Hue makes programmable wall switches, but if you have a smart speaker hooked up to them you can just ask it to dim the lights or make them red or whatever. I find that's handy for color modes and settings that one might not use very often.