Hello everyone,
Over the past few years, I’ve gradually made our rental apartment a bit smarter. Tado for heating and air conditioning, Hue for the lights, Nuki for the front door, Eve for the garden, some smart plugs and window sensors, and Netatmo to stay informed. Everything is integrated with Apple’s HomeKit, and almost everything can also be controlled via multiple Alexas.
Overall, we are very satisfied with our setup. So far, we have no problems running automations that, for example (where desired), turn on the lights via motion sensors. Geofencing controls many things (cameras, heating, lighting, etc.), so for us, almost all needs are covered. Since we already have a lot of hardware, we want to keep all of it and implement it in our new house. Of course, there are also some things to improve here.
Just this past weekend, I discovered that Philips has a collaboration with Gira offering switches that require no wiring, no batteries, and look great as well. Although we enjoy almost everything automated, there are always some situations or rooms where a simple switch is still faster and better. That’s why we are currently considering installing these switches alongside the existing wired light switches where they already sit. Weberhaus also offers this solution for their houses, so it can’t be too bad. Still, it would be quite a drastic step to completely give up the “old” switches and thus wiring as well.
Here is question 1:
Who has already implemented this solution with the Hue switches and can share their experience?
I have, of course, imagined some worst-case scenarios and have tested a few things at home. Lights MUST always be able to be turned on somehow—that is my basic requirement.
Case 1: Internet connection fails (Wi-Fi still active).
Apple HomeKit is offline, as is Alexa (both perfectly manageable since these are luxury features, not basic requirements). Hue devices still communicate and can be controlled both with the switches and the app.
Case 2: Router (FritzBox) total failure.
Same as Case 1.
Case 3: Hue Bridge breaks.
Lights can no longer be controlled by either the switches or the app. BUT the emergency solution still works: cutting power to the lamp and restoring it. Hue bulbs are, by default, ALWAYS on when powered.
The catch with the new Gira switches is that they also stop working, meaning you really have to remove the bulb and put it back. For me, that’s okay in such an exceptional situation—it has never happened to me in all these years, and one night can be managed like that.
So, the Hue solution with their switches is basically acceptable to me even in an emergency. Test passed!
Please point out any cases I haven’t thought of (and please don’t just say power outage 😀).
Now, as a new feature for my new house, I will have roller shutters everywhere, which will be controlled wirelessly with Somfy motors, so I need your help again since I can’t test these yet.
The question here is: are there wireless solutions that allow the roller shutters to be lowered even in exceptional situations?
Theoretically, radio motors don’t need switches anymore, but are there similar wireless switches that require no wiring?
What’s really important to me is: if all standard equipment fails (the associated bridge, Wi-Fi router…), is there any way to still lower the roller shutters without installing a wired backup solution?
That’s it for now 😀.
A quick clarification: I’m just a user, so if I have described things incorrectly (like calling a switch a button or vice versa—I’ve never been able to keep that straight), please overlook it 🙂
Best regards
From a smart home enthusiast who doesn’t really have a proper smart home yet 😉
Over the past few years, I’ve gradually made our rental apartment a bit smarter. Tado for heating and air conditioning, Hue for the lights, Nuki for the front door, Eve for the garden, some smart plugs and window sensors, and Netatmo to stay informed. Everything is integrated with Apple’s HomeKit, and almost everything can also be controlled via multiple Alexas.
Overall, we are very satisfied with our setup. So far, we have no problems running automations that, for example (where desired), turn on the lights via motion sensors. Geofencing controls many things (cameras, heating, lighting, etc.), so for us, almost all needs are covered. Since we already have a lot of hardware, we want to keep all of it and implement it in our new house. Of course, there are also some things to improve here.
Just this past weekend, I discovered that Philips has a collaboration with Gira offering switches that require no wiring, no batteries, and look great as well. Although we enjoy almost everything automated, there are always some situations or rooms where a simple switch is still faster and better. That’s why we are currently considering installing these switches alongside the existing wired light switches where they already sit. Weberhaus also offers this solution for their houses, so it can’t be too bad. Still, it would be quite a drastic step to completely give up the “old” switches and thus wiring as well.
Here is question 1:
Who has already implemented this solution with the Hue switches and can share their experience?
I have, of course, imagined some worst-case scenarios and have tested a few things at home. Lights MUST always be able to be turned on somehow—that is my basic requirement.
Case 1: Internet connection fails (Wi-Fi still active).
Apple HomeKit is offline, as is Alexa (both perfectly manageable since these are luxury features, not basic requirements). Hue devices still communicate and can be controlled both with the switches and the app.
Case 2: Router (FritzBox) total failure.
Same as Case 1.
Case 3: Hue Bridge breaks.
Lights can no longer be controlled by either the switches or the app. BUT the emergency solution still works: cutting power to the lamp and restoring it. Hue bulbs are, by default, ALWAYS on when powered.
The catch with the new Gira switches is that they also stop working, meaning you really have to remove the bulb and put it back. For me, that’s okay in such an exceptional situation—it has never happened to me in all these years, and one night can be managed like that.
So, the Hue solution with their switches is basically acceptable to me even in an emergency. Test passed!
Please point out any cases I haven’t thought of (and please don’t just say power outage 😀).
Now, as a new feature for my new house, I will have roller shutters everywhere, which will be controlled wirelessly with Somfy motors, so I need your help again since I can’t test these yet.
The question here is: are there wireless solutions that allow the roller shutters to be lowered even in exceptional situations?
Theoretically, radio motors don’t need switches anymore, but are there similar wireless switches that require no wiring?
What’s really important to me is: if all standard equipment fails (the associated bridge, Wi-Fi router…), is there any way to still lower the roller shutters without installing a wired backup solution?
That’s it for now 😀.
A quick clarification: I’m just a user, so if I have described things incorrectly (like calling a switch a button or vice versa—I’ve never been able to keep that straight), please overlook it 🙂
Best regards
From a smart home enthusiast who doesn’t really have a proper smart home yet 😉
K
karl.jonas25 Nov 2021 00:18If I understand correctly, the "normal" switch controls the relay. The relay then turns the power on or off. When you turn the light off using the "normal" switch, you can still turn it back on via Wi-Fi/app/control. And vice versa (your question): if the Wi-Fi goes down, the router fails, and the internet disappears, you simply use your "normal" switch to turn the light on, then off, then on again...
There are also relays for roller shutters and so on, but I haven’t looked into those yet. Maybe check the Shelly website yourself? By the way, the cloud is only necessary if you want to control the lights from Mallorca or somewhere else remotely. Otherwise, it’s not needed. And even that can be done without the manufacturer, if you want to make a hobby out of it. The Shelly support forum might be even more interesting than the product pages.
Personally, I find Shelly devices interesting because the hardware is open, and there is open-source software available for the relays. That way, you can avoid the “phone home” feature. However, this is probably not for someone who just wants to "use" the technology. Such a user is likely better off with the manufacturer’s firmware—at least it is more convenient.
There are also relays for roller shutters and so on, but I haven’t looked into those yet. Maybe check the Shelly website yourself? By the way, the cloud is only necessary if you want to control the lights from Mallorca or somewhere else remotely. Otherwise, it’s not needed. And even that can be done without the manufacturer, if you want to make a hobby out of it. The Shelly support forum might be even more interesting than the product pages.
Personally, I find Shelly devices interesting because the hardware is open, and there is open-source software available for the relays. That way, you can avoid the “phone home” feature. However, this is probably not for someone who just wants to "use" the technology. Such a user is likely better off with the manufacturer’s firmware—at least it is more convenient.
@karl.jonas
Yesterday evening, I spent some time looking into Shelly and happened to come across the following in the forum you mentioned today:
According to this, switching via the original Hue app should no longer work with Shelly installed.
Can you confirm this?
@Hangman and/or @tomtom79
Do you know if one of those transparent Somfy original switches can control “groups”? For example, can a single switch operate 4 blinds/shutters?
@all
Is there anyone in the forum who happens to use Hue lamps, Somfy io blinds/shutters, and Apple’s HomeKit together?
Yesterday evening, I spent some time looking into Shelly and happened to come across the following in the forum you mentioned today:
According to this, switching via the original Hue app should no longer work with Shelly installed.
Can you confirm this?
@Hangman and/or @tomtom79
Do you know if one of those transparent Somfy original switches can control “groups”? For example, can a single switch operate 4 blinds/shutters?
@all
Is there anyone in the forum who happens to use Hue lamps, Somfy io blinds/shutters, and Apple’s HomeKit together?
K
karl.jonas25 Nov 2021 09:14Nixwill schrieb:
Can you confirm that?Yes, that is correct. The original apps (Philips, etc.) are no longer used regularly (only occasionally for configuration), instead you use either the Shelly app or one of the many smart home hubs already mentioned, which aim to work across different brands.Most manufacturers still try to prevent customers from choosing components freely ("vendor lock-in"). As a result, you either get full functionality from one manufacturer (or a very small group), or flexibility in choosing components, but then you don’t have access to all features.
Nixwill schrieb:
Do you know if it’s possible to control “groups” with one of those transparent original Somfy switches? For example, can one switch control 4 blinds/shutters? In theory, when pairing the devices, you can control multiple shutters with one switch. But for something like that, I use an app or just say “Alexa, open all the blinds in the living room.” Of course, you first need to set up a scenario.
No idea, I openly admit I’m not tech-savvy and stay away from smart home topics. Our builder said you could create groups, but we never tried it. I actually find it rather pointless, since linking devices like that without an app or similar is hard to change… and at that point, you might as well just use the app. Somfy offers multi-channel remote controls that can probably do this, but honestly: why? We only have multiple windows in corner rooms, and the positions of the blinds are usually different anyway (due to different cardinal directions).
Thought to consider: pressing a button takes one second. If you spend even just one hour on “automation,” that’s equivalent to 3,600 button presses. 😉
Thought to consider: pressing a button takes one second. If you spend even just one hour on “automation,” that’s equivalent to 3,600 button presses. 😉
Nixwill schrieb:
@all
Is there anyone in the forum who happens to be using Hue lamps, io sunshades/roller shutters from Somfy, and Apple HomeKit?Maybe I missed the explanation in the previous posts, but I don’t understand why you would want to rely on Somfy for roller shutters/sunshades instead of integrating them just as consistently with HomeKit?
Similar topics