ᐅ Switches or push buttons in new construction with Shelly – planning fully smart or sticking to traditional?
Created on: 22 Apr 2026 08:04
F
FloSCFan
Hello everyone,
We are currently in the process of building a new house and are working on the electrical planning with the electrician. Now we need to decide where to install traditional switches and where to use push buttons.
The plan is to equip some lighting circuits with Shelly modules before moving in. In those cases, push buttons would be easy to use since the Shelly acts as a relay or control unit.
However, I have two basic questions:
1. Push button or traditional switch for smart lighting circuits?
It is often recommended to use push buttons for smart home solutions (because of scenes, multiple clicks, long presses, etc.).
My concern is that if the Shelly module fails, the push button might stop working entirely or only work with limitations. This would require immediate attention. A traditional switch might still offer some basic functionality depending on its setup.
2. Should everything be switched to push buttons and smart control?
Does it make sense to equip all lighting circuits with Shelly modules and install push buttons everywhere to keep the system uniform?
Or is this unnecessary, more expensive, and potentially more error-prone than needed, with smart controls better reserved only for areas where they provide real added value?
I would be interested in your experiences:
* What would you do in a new build today?
* Push buttons or switches for smart circuits?
* Standardize everything or make only selected areas smart?
* How important is system reliability and failure safety in everyday life?
Thank you very much for your insights.
We are currently in the process of building a new house and are working on the electrical planning with the electrician. Now we need to decide where to install traditional switches and where to use push buttons.
The plan is to equip some lighting circuits with Shelly modules before moving in. In those cases, push buttons would be easy to use since the Shelly acts as a relay or control unit.
However, I have two basic questions:
1. Push button or traditional switch for smart lighting circuits?
It is often recommended to use push buttons for smart home solutions (because of scenes, multiple clicks, long presses, etc.).
My concern is that if the Shelly module fails, the push button might stop working entirely or only work with limitations. This would require immediate attention. A traditional switch might still offer some basic functionality depending on its setup.
2. Should everything be switched to push buttons and smart control?
Does it make sense to equip all lighting circuits with Shelly modules and install push buttons everywhere to keep the system uniform?
Or is this unnecessary, more expensive, and potentially more error-prone than needed, with smart controls better reserved only for areas where they provide real added value?
I would be interested in your experiences:
* What would you do in a new build today?
* Push buttons or switches for smart circuits?
* Standardize everything or make only selected areas smart?
* How important is system reliability and failure safety in everyday life?
Thank you very much for your insights.
M
MachsSelbst22 Apr 2026 17:18Where a switch is installed now, it can be converted to Shelly and a push button later on with a 98% probability. The Shelly device itself acts as the switch, which is triggered on and off via the push button. So, this isn’t very critical.
However, Shelly can be quite fiddly if you don’t want to run everything through the cloud on Bulgarian servers, and Wi-Fi is not the best option... other wireless systems work with Zigbee, independent of Wi-Fi.
Can you program this yourself? If not... well.
However, Shelly can be quite fiddly if you don’t want to run everything through the cloud on Bulgarian servers, and Wi-Fi is not the best option... other wireless systems work with Zigbee, independent of Wi-Fi.
Can you program this yourself? If not... well.
N
nordanney22 Apr 2026 17:26MachsSelbst schrieb:
if everything is not managed through the cloud on Bulgarian servers Update: Shelly Europe is hosted via AWS data centers/servers primarily in Frankfurt and Ireland. Bulgaria has long been out of the picture.
M
MachsSelbst22 Apr 2026 19:52This is definitely better, but the company remains Bulgarian. A rather pro-Putin government was just elected there.
I just wanted to point that out; everyone has to decide for themselves. I also use Google and similar services and know that my data is being traded there. But I don’t have an Alexa, and I don’t plan to get one... A house is something different, at least for me.
The most important question is actually about the background of the person asking and how they imagine it. Because if you always have to hire someone and pay for it, since you have no knowledge yourself and no interest in dealing with it, then systems like Shelly are the completely wrong approach.
I just wanted to point that out; everyone has to decide for themselves. I also use Google and similar services and know that my data is being traded there. But I don’t have an Alexa, and I don’t plan to get one... A house is something different, at least for me.
The most important question is actually about the background of the person asking and how they imagine it. Because if you always have to hire someone and pay for it, since you have no knowledge yourself and no interest in dealing with it, then systems like Shelly are the completely wrong approach.
D
derdietmar22 Apr 2026 19:57Hello,
if it needs to be permanent and fail-safe, then wired KNX is the way to go.
For wireless, I would rather rely on Zigbee and/or Matter. Therefore, I suggest considering the new Wago flush-mounted modules. They have VDE certification and are top-notch in terms of hardware safety.
Available from summer.
Best regards
if it needs to be permanent and fail-safe, then wired KNX is the way to go.
For wireless, I would rather rely on Zigbee and/or Matter. Therefore, I suggest considering the new Wago flush-mounted modules. They have VDE certification and are top-notch in terms of hardware safety.
Available from summer.
Best regards
N
nordanney22 Apr 2026 19:59MachsSelbst schrieb:
Because if you always have to call someone and pay them because you don’t have any knowledge yourself and aren’t interested in dealing with it, then systems like Shelly are the completely wrong approach. Yep. At least having some interest in a bit of DIY is necessary, then Shelly devices are very easy to use. Even without a Raspberry with iOBroker, Home Assistant, or OpenHAB—you could really experiment with those (even as a beginner) and operate without the cloud (that should be a benefit for you, right?).
M
MachsSelbst22 Apr 2026 20:01derdietmar schrieb:
I’d like to bring up the new Wago flush-mounted modules. They have VDE certification and are definitely top quality hardware-wise. And they are certainly quite expensive. That’s exactly why Shelly is so popular... a Shelly Wi-Fi flush-mounted relay costs around 12, maybe 15 EUR. The equivalent from Paulmann, Philips, or Bosch with Zigbee/Matter costs between 30 and 60 EUR...
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