HomeKit HomeKit compatible light switch question

[SafariX]

Hi all!

I have two overhead kitchen light fixtures that can't be modified with HomeKit compatible bulbs, and would like to have the switch be HomeKit compatible.

The problem is, the single switch has two toggles on it, one for each fixture.

What kind of HomeKit switch do I get that is compatible?

Thank you!

 

[TrueBlou]

There are some really nice ones made by LightwaveRF they aren’t necessarily the cheapest around and it does require their own hub to interface with HomeKit.

But they work beautifully, look good and are available in single to multi-gang versions.

 

[VforVelveta]

Another option is made by Koogeek. I've got one that I use to control the light and fan separately in my bedroom. No need for a hub and pretty reasonable price.

https://www.amazon.com/Koogeek-Home...qid=1518790726&sr=8-3&keywords=koogeek+2+gang

 

[wesley96]

Another vote for the Koogeek 2-gang switch. I have three of them in my house. Works beautifully on 220V even though it's advertised as 100-120V only, by the way.

 

[TrueBlou]

Another vote for the Koogeek 2-gang switch. I have three of them in my house. Works beautifully on 220V even though it's advertised as 100-120V only, by the way.

Do Koogeek do a UK sized one now? I thought it was all the thinner US sized ones they did.

 

[wesley96]

Do Koogeek do a UK sized one now? I thought it was all the thinner US sized ones they did.

No, at least not yet. If you're in UK obviously the LightwaveRF switches you linked is probably the best way to go. The original poster didn't specify the place, so I was just providing an additional information in case the house uses US-compatible switch box but with different voltage.

 

[TrueBlou]

No, at least not yet. If you're in UK obviously the LightwaveRF switches you linked is probably the best way to go. The original poster didn't specify the place, so I was just providing an additional information in case the house uses US-compatible switch box but with different voltage.

Pity, I think the overall cost kitting the house out with Koogeek would be a lot less than LightwaveRF.
Still I suppose if you were decorating at the same time the smaller US style wouldn’t matter. Hell, I could probably 3D print cover plates now that I think about it.

 

[VforVelveta]

Pity, I think the overall cost kitting the house out with Koogeek would be a lot less than LightwaveRF.
Still I suppose if you were decorating at the same time the smaller US style wouldn’t matter. Hell, I could probably 3D print cover plates now that I think about it.

Ask and you shall receive I guess, looks like Koogeek just released a UK version.

https://www.koogeek.com/p-kh02cn.html

 

[cynics]

Hi all!

I have two overhead kitchen light fixtures that can't be modified with HomeKit compatible bulbs, and would like to have the switch be HomeKit compatible.

The problem is, the single switch has two toggles on it, one for each fixture.

What kind of HomeKit switch do I get that is compatible?

Thank you!

What country?

And if you mean a 2 pole switch (2 switches that only occupy a 1 gang switch) and live in the US your options are limited. Koogeek is the only HomeKit 2 pole switch I can think of off the top of my head.

It would look like this.

 

[TrueBlou]

Ask and you shall receive I guess, looks like Koogeek just released a UK version.

https://www.koogeek.com/p-kh02cn.html

Wow, if I knew that’s how it worked, I’d have asked for the lottery numbers as well

 

[csurfr]

Another vote for the Koogeek 2-gang switch. I have three of them in my house. Works beautifully on 220V even though it's advertised as 100-120V only, by the way.

Have you had any problems with the WiFi cutting out? I was thinking of grabbing one of these. The reviews I have read on amazon say the WiFi doesn’t reconnect after a power failure...

 

[wesley96]

Have you had any problems with the WiFi cutting out? I was thinking of grabbing one of these. The reviews I have read on amazon say the WiFi doesn’t reconnect after a power failure...

No problems whatsoever for all three 2-gang switches throughout the house that I installed 8 months ago. I have the HomeKit automation set up to cut power to the breaker responsible for the lights every day between 2AM and 6AM, meaning that the Koogeek switches will be powered off during those times as well. They reconnect to Wi-Fi after about 10 seconds as soon as the power is restored, without fail. They are very reliable for me.

 

[GeekishlyGreek]

No problems whatsoever for all three 2-gang switches throughout the house that I installed 8 months ago. I have the HomeKit automation set up to cut power to the breaker responsible for the lights every day between 2AM and 6AM, meaning that the Koogeek switches will be powered off during those times as well. They reconnect to Wi-Fi after about 10 seconds as soon as the power is restored, without fail. They are very reliable for me.

Being as these work with HomeKit, has anyone tried using them in conjunction with LIFX bulbs?

My entire house is kitted out with LIFX, and I like them (so don't want to have to go changing them all to another type) Phillips Hue have their own, but they require hubs, and I don't want to mess about with that either.

Basically, all I want to do is just replace my physical light switches with smart switches (as normally when you turn a regular light switch to the off position, it physically disconnects the power to the bulb, and therefore are no longer controllable wireless until that physical switch is turned back on to give it power again). So the effect I want it to have is simply for the on/off state of the light switch to be just a digital toggle (whilst keeping the physical wire from the switch to the bulb constantly supplied with electricity maintaining the circuit) so that the on off/state is controlled solely via its digital state from either the apps or the digital button of the light switch. (if you see what I mean).

Now obviously, while this is simple in concept, the tricky part is that as the button would have to communicate with the bulb software (either directly, or via some kind of intermediate hub or software that bridges that communication between the two) rather than enabling/disabling the physical power.

As LIFX bulbs since the firmware update are compatible with HomeKit, I am now wondering HomeKit will act as that intermediary connection in order to this make this possible (or whether all HomeKit will achieve is just the ability to talk commands into Siri, and nothing else).
So as most external switches are expensive, obviously I don't want to go buying one yet unless I can be sure which one (if any) would actually work to achieve this.

So I'm curious to see if anyone out there has actually tried it?

 

[playtillyadrop]

Im using the leviton decora dimmers they are the only 3 way switches that work with homekit. They work very well once you are able to add them to homekit.

 

[wesley96]

Being as these work with HomeKit, has anyone tried using them in conjunction with LIFX bulbs?

My entire house is kitted out with LIFX, and I like them (so don't want to have to go changing them all to another type) Phillips Hue have their own, but they require hubs, and I don't want to mess about with that either.

Basically, all I want to do is just replace my physical light switches with smart switches (as normally when you turn a regular light switch to the off position, it physically disconnects the power to the bulb, and therefore are no longer controllable wireless until that physical switch is turned back on to give it power again). So the effect I want it to have is simply for the on/off state of the light switch to be just a digital toggle (whilst keeping the physical wire from the switch to the bulb constantly supplied with electricity maintaining the circuit) so that the on off/state is controlled solely via its digital state from either the apps or the digital button of the light switch. (if you see what I mean).

Now obviously, while this is simple in concept, the tricky part is that as the button would have to communicate with the bulb software (either directly, or via some kind of intermediate hub or software that bridges that communication between the two) rather than enabling/disabling the physical power.

As LIFX bulbs since the firmware update are compatible with HomeKit, I am now wondering HomeKit will act as that intermediary connection in order to this make this possible (or whether all HomeKit will achieve is just the ability to talk commands into Siri, and nothing else).
So as most external switches are expensive, obviously I don't want to go buying one yet unless I can be sure which one (if any) would actually work to achieve this.

So I'm curious to see if anyone out there has actually tried it?

What you want is a smart switch that just sends command to HomeKit framework. Logitech Pop, Elgato Eve Button, and Philips Hue Dimmer Switch can do this, this is the sort of switches you should use with LIFX or other smart bulbs. Smart light switches that replace a regular physical switch like the ones from Koogeek and Leviton physically cut power with either manual or digital control and cannot be made to just send digital command only.

 

[GeekishlyGreek]

What you want is a smart switch that just sends command to HomeKit framework. Logitech Pop, Elgato Eve Button, and Philips Hue Dimmer Switch can do this, this is the sort of switches you should use with LIFX or other smart bulbs. Smart light switches that replace a regular physical switch like the ones from Koogeek and Leviton physically cut power with either manual or digital control and cannot be made to just send digital command only.

Cool! Thanks for the great info here. (I didn't know Elgato made one). Also, as you mentioned the Philips Hue Switch here as a possible solution, do you happen to know if it is actually compatible with the LIFX bulbs? (I actually quite like their switch, just I was scared of buying one in case it was only compatible with the Philips Hue ecosystem). I've been wondering this for ages, but so far haven't found any info on it confirming this one way or another.

 

[wesley96]

Cool! Thanks for the great info here. (I didn't know Elgato made one). Also, as you mentioned the Philips Hue Switch here as a possible solution, do you happen to know if it is actually compatible with the LIFX bulbs? (I actually quite like their switch, just I was scared of buying one in case it was only compatible with the Philips Hue ecosystem). I've been wondering this for ages, but so far haven't found any info on it confirming this one way or another.

In October 2017, the update to the Hue Bridge enabled HomeKit support for the Dimmer Switch and other Hue accessories. Thanks to this, I have configured some of my Dimmer Switches to send commands to other non-Hue HomeKit devices, such as Elgato Eve Energy. If you have a HomeKit-compatible LIFX bulb, it will work all the same.

 

[GeekishlyGreek]

In October 2017, the update to the Hue Bridge enabled HomeKit support for the Dimmer Switch and other Hue accessories. Thanks to this, I have configured some of my Dimmer Switches to send commands to other non-Hue HomeKit devices, such as Elgato Eve Energy. If you have a HomeKit-compatible LIFX bulb, it will work all the same.

AWEOME!!!!!!
Thankyou so much for the info on this! That's really made my day! (am so getting that Hue dimmer switch now!)
So basically would I even need the Elgato eve energy then, or did you mean instead of the eve energy, I just connect the lifx to the hue hub, and connect the hue dimmer to that as its control?

In other words, you have done:
Hue Dimmer -> Hue Hub -> Elgato Eve Energy

But I should do:
Hue Dimmer -> Hue Hub -> LIFX Bulb

Is this correct?

 

[wesley96]

AWEOME!!!!!!
Thankyou so much for the info on this! That's really made my day! (am so getting that Hue dimmer switch now!)
So basically would I even need the Elgato eve energy then, or did you mean instead of the eve energy, I just connect the lifx to the hue hub, and connect the hue dimmer to that as its control?

In other words, you have done:
Hue Dimmer -> Hue Hub -> Elgato Eve Energy

But I should do:
Hue Dimmer -> Hue Hub -> LIFX Bulb

Is this correct?

Yes, that is correct. I mentioned Eve Energy as a clear example that you can use Hue Dimmer Switch to control a HomeKit device that isn't under Hue ecosystem. You don't need Eve Energy first.

 

[GeekishlyGreek]

Yes, that is correct. I mentioned Eve Energy as a clear example that you can use Hue Dimmer Switch to control a HomeKit device that isn't under Hue ecosystem. You don't need Eve Energy first.

Awesome! That's perfect! What's the range like on the hub btw?
(I'm hoping I can get a way with just one hub, but obviously it depends on how far the signal reaches)

 

[mdhwoods]

I have several of the leviton switches as well as hue. Currently one of my leviton switches is configured to turn on 2 of my hue bulbs. This can all be done in the automation. It monitors the state of the switch in home kit then runs the automation based on it. I would think this should work for any homekit switch.

 

[wesley96]

Awesome! That's perfect! What's the range like on the hub btw?
(I'm hoping I can get a way with just one hub, but obviously it depends on how far the signal reaches)

Apple TV or HomePod acting as a HomeKit Hub would have a range of about 10 meters (~33 feet) for the Bluetooth based devices because that's what the range of BT is.

On the other hand, Hue Bridge uses ZigBee and that's supposedly about 30 meters (~100 feet) maximum. As the Bridge will be wired to the same router that a HomeKit hub is on, HomeKit-enabled Hue devices may work at a longer distance.

In reference to mdhwoods's comment, my Koogeek light switch turns OFF the Hue bulbs when I turn the room light on to avoid duplicate lighting. Obviously the opposite is possible. It's all in the automation programming.

 

[GeekishlyGreek]

I have several of the leviton switches as well as hue. Currently one of my leviton switches is configured to turn on 2 of my hue bulbs. This can all be done in the automation. It monitors the state of the switch in home kit then runs the automation based on it. I would think this should work for any homekit switch.

Apple TV or HomePod acting as a HomeKit Hub would have a range of about 10 meters (~33 feet) for the Bluetooth based devices because that's what the range of BT is.

On the other hand, Hue Bridge uses ZigBee and that's supposedly about 30 meters (~100 feet) maximum. As the Bridge will be wired to the same router that a HomeKit hub is on, HomeKit-enabled Hue devices may work at a longer distance.

In reference to mdhwoods's comment, my Koogeek light switch turns OFF the Hue bulbs when I turn the room light on to avoid duplicate lighting. Obviously the opposite is possible. It's all in the automation programming.

Great Info guys, thankyou so much, both of you! The ZigBee standard definitely seems the way to go for the kind of set up I have in mind.

 

[Colonel Badger]

Apple TV or HomePod acting as a HomeKit Hub would have a range of about 10 meters (~33 feet) for the Bluetooth based devices because that's what the range of BT is.

On the other hand, Hue Bridge uses ZigBee and that's supposedly about 30 meters (~100 feet) maximum. As the Bridge will be wired to the same router that a HomeKit hub is on, HomeKit-enabled Hue devices may work at a longer distance.

In reference to mdhwoods's comment, my Koogeek light switch turns OFF the Hue bulbs when I turn the room light on to avoid duplicate lighting. Obviously the opposite is possible. It's all in the automation programming.

Also, Zigbee is a mesh network so you’re only limited by the 30m between hops (smart Zigbee devices)

 

[kylew1212]

I know this is an old thread but there are a few things you might be interested in.

First, I have one Levitian switch and it has been rock solid. I've had it about a month.

Okay second. You could continue using LIFX bulbs with any homekit switch, IF you wire the fixture to always be hot. You could then group all of the fixture bulbs into a group named <fixture>. Then setup an automation so that when switch turned on <fixture> turns on. Then another automation for when switch is turned off <fixture> turns off.

This is the best possible setup I can think of for utilizing homekit bulbs and homekit switches. It is also the most expensive, and you may not want to wire your fixtures to always be hot.