Bulbs vs. Switches

[tt4me]

Please help me understand the logic behind why someone would want a bunch of controlled bulbs on a single circuit vs. a single switch to control them all. 

I mean, if you just want to control a single bulb or two I understand buying the bulbs as they are cheaper and quicker to get set up, but then I read about people complaining about 6 or 8 or more bulbs and how they come on one at a time or have issues with some coming on, but not all.  Then I hear the hassle of having to link each bulb individually.

I just don't get it, why not just buy a single switch and be done with it?

[LGNilsson]

Well, for "regular" dimmable bulbs, you're most likely right.

However, when you start looking at options like bulbs with colour temperature or colour control, then we're in an entirely different ballpark. Then you have LED strips and so on and this is where getting individual lights makes sense over a switch.

It's still very much early days of all this technology and sadly things are far from optimal as yet, on all ends and it's going to require a lot of cooperation between companies to make all this stuff behave properly and sadly that's not always the case.
Some companies we've worked with have been great, others, not so much and that makes it tricky when you're working on adding support for some less common device type.

[tt4me]

Thanks for the reply Lars.  I guess I wasn't thinking about the "fancy" bulbs.  I just have a regular house with regular bulbs.  I'm kinda regular like that.   

[fillibar]

One other possible answer that is even more basic:
Some people do not feel comfortable changing out a switch and dealing with the electric... Hiring an electrician for that (on top of the switch cost) can get fairly expensive especially if you have an existing master & multiple secondary switches for dimming. Changing out the bulbs and leaving them "on" COULD be the cheaper/easier alternative to this.

Not my style... but I do not see the point in automating most of my lighting. My goal is one bulb per room that can be controlled, preferably RGB. Normal lighting (for larger rooms) would still be regular dimmers (or z-wave dimmer switches where I have the opportunity to put a new one in).

[tt4me]

Thanks for the response.

I think I just got caught up in an article I read the other day titled something like 'Why Is My Smart House So Dumb' and one of his gripes were the 6 or 8 bulbs that didn't turn on in unison. Considering he had done all sorts of other installations, including other switches and blinds, I just didn't understand why he would take that approach. Especially when he talked about taping the switches so that no one would turn them off.

I'm not so much into automation as I am about using the technology to make my life easier. Such as electronic locks so that I don't have to carry a key or being able to see in my garage is open when I'm not home. My main use for automation is to verify that my door is locked at night and that various lights aren't left on.

Thanks again for the insight.

[LGNilsson]

Well, it's likely that things will change in new homes as well.
Until then, if you scroll down to the second product here http://www.centralite.com/index.php/products/new-products-for-2015 companies are making expensive "smart" switches that goes on top of your "dumb" switch. This way you can spend a bit more money to control your "smart" bulbs 

In all seriousness though, things are far from ideal today due to how we're 1. used to interact with lights and 2. how well some of this stuff works or doesn't work.
I can see smart bulbs being handy in a restaurant where you have central control of all the lights and can remove the light switches which I've seen on more than one occasion being switched off by a customer by accident.
It's also handy to be able to control lights outside of your home, say in your garden, without having to run a switch to somewhere.
But yes, being able to control all your lights in your home in a sensible way is most likely still some years away, if for no other reason, simply due to the cost.

[Ohiomedic]

I went with using 4 bulbs in my ceiling fan due to not having a neutral wire.  From what I've read I could have just used a dimmer switch since it will work without a neutral wire. Using that though you need to make sure you buy bulbs that work with a dimmer, also didn't know how it would work with the fan part. Also the nice thing is I can leave the switch on, so I can run the fan but not have the lights on. Only problem is I got to remember not to flip the switch.

[mparadis]

Same for me Ohiomedic but I put a cover over the switch so I can't accidentally flip it. When. It is available I'm going to look into the battery powered switch cover from centralite that would both prevent accidental flipping and serve as a scene controller to turn on the link bulbs.

[Ohiomedic]

Same for me Ohiomedic but I put a cover over the switch so I can't accidentally flip it. When. It is available I'm going to look into the battery powered switch cover from centralite that would both prevent accidental flipping and serve as a scene controller to turn on the link bulbs.

Same here I was so happy when I seen that link posted

[rldreams]

One highly possible reason for going with smart bulbs over smart switches I have not seen mentioned is renting your home. As a property owner, the last thing I want it a tenant opening up my walls and playing with wiring.  There are plenty of apartment/ condo dwellers that can benefit from the use of bulbs ,simply because they literally can NOT play with changing out the switches. 

Another is just the application. I have yet to see a smart recessed light bulb, so in the rooms with recessed lights I went with the $60 smart switches. In all the other rooms where "regular" bulbs are used I went with the smart bulbs, just for the economics of it.

To control a ceiling fan/light I would need to replace the 1 switch with 2 ( or just wire the fan permanently on ). So far I have only found 1 smart fan switch.  You can't ( shouldn't ) run the fan off a standard dimmer. So it would be $100+ , or spend $45 on 3 bulbs, since I really do not need a smart ceiling fan.  Yes the old dumb switch is just left on and the fan speed controlled by the chain ( or the fan's own remote ) and the bulbs via the hub. The benefit is that is somebody needs to turn on the lights directly all they need to do it toggle the switch off/on and they have light.

[Deleted]

Just my two cents:

When I started automating my home, I started with 2 Link Bulbs and very quickly determined that it was not how I wanted to go.  Here are the reasons
     1. When the bulbs lose power (turning off the switch or power failure) they come back at 100% brightness.  So if I turn off my lamp (with a smart bulb) via the app, and then in the night I loose power, the bulb comes on.  (This has happened and my wife was not pleased).  The switches tend to default to off.
    2.  Most of the lights in my house are on switches.  If someone (kids/wife) used the switch to turn off the light, the Router (as designed) would not communicate with the bulb.  I can't tell you how many times I thought the Router was dead and the wall switch was toggled.  Switches do not have this problem
    3.  Like has been already mentioned, cost.  I have my kitchen with 8 recessed lights and my living room with 9 recessed lights.  I bought GE switches for $30 each; total $60.  Smart recessed bulbs range $20-$60.  For sake of argument we'll go with the cheaper $20 bulbs.  That would cost $340.  Even the case of my hallway which uses regular bulbs cost me $30 for the main switch and $18 for two auxiliary switches.  Total $66.  The bulbs (6) at $15 each (Link) is $90.
     4. Color; That lost its novelty in 15 minutes and I have never had a desire to sit in purple light again.
   
As for the fan argument; I have wired two of my fans with the GE Fan Switch and paid $50 for each one.  There is a Leviton one out there but it is way expensive.