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 20:07nordanney schrieb:
(that should work to your advantage, right?) I prefer to invest a bit more money and choose Philips, Paulmann, or Bosch, depending on the application, and in the end, it should all run on a Raspberry Pi 5. But that’s just my personal preference. I believe we shouldn’t always be surprised that German companies aren’t making money anymore while we buy everything cheaply from abroad ourselves 😉
And having “a little enthusiasm” for DIY is definitely an understatement. Anyone completely new to the industry needs a huge amount of motivation to get familiar with it in the first place. I’m not just talking about turning the lights on at 10:30 p.m. and off at 5:00 a.m...
But since I work professionally with PLCs, I’m confident that I’ll still understand and be able to maintain what I’m building today even 20 years from now.
D
derdietmar22 Apr 2026 20:13Hello,
I would have a bit more confidence in Wago (or also Eltako) than in Shelly. However, Shelly undeniably offers a very comprehensive range of products at great prices. What bothers me, though, is that it uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi instead of Thread or Zigbee.
If you equip everything with Wago devices, the cost will likely be 2 to 3 times higher compared to Shelly. For me, that would probably be worth it, as the wireless solution will only cost in the low thousands anyway, assuming self-installation.
Best regards
I would have a bit more confidence in Wago (or also Eltako) than in Shelly. However, Shelly undeniably offers a very comprehensive range of products at great prices. What bothers me, though, is that it uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi instead of Thread or Zigbee.
If you equip everything with Wago devices, the cost will likely be 2 to 3 times higher compared to Shelly. For me, that would probably be worth it, as the wireless solution will only cost in the low thousands anyway, assuming self-installation.
Best regards
MachsSelbst schrieb:
if you don’t want everything running through the cloud on Bulgarian servers and Wi-Fi isn’t the best option... other wireless systems use Zigbee, which works independently of Wi-Fi. I would never, ever even think about sharing the knowledge of commands for my home automation with services outside my Wi-Fi network or letting the log file of my toilet fan be read by Trump, Putin, Dr. Mabuse, or any other untrustworthy figures in their data centers, just to have backup options in case my in-house wireless connections fail or get overloaded. What happens on the mountain stays on the mountain. In the worst case, I’ll get up from the sofa and press the button or switch myself. Every step keeps you fit, and my Wi-Fi has never been more unstable than the internet.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
I would never, ever think of sharing the commands for my home automation with devices outside my Wi-Fi network You can also do everything outside the cloud, for example with Home Assistant. The cloud is just easier to get started with for average users.
I would trust Wago (or also Eltako) a bit more than Shelly. But Shelly definitely has a very comprehensive product range at great prices; what bothers me is that it uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi instead of Thread or Zigbee. Shelly actually supports various communication methods in its latest generations, whether Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Matter.
Thank you all for the detailed and numerous responses so far.
Here is what I have taken away for myself:
Since there was a question here about what "smart home" means to me or what I want to achieve: I am not planning a fully automated house, but rather targeted comfort functions. Specifically, I am interested in things like scenes in the living area, a wall display in a second central location in the living area, simple automations (e.g. outdoor lighting), and app control as a supplement (for example, turning off lights from bed). Voice control is optional but not a primary goal. Presence detectors for lighting control only in selected rooms. My focus is less on a fully connected system throughout the entire house and more on selected areas with real added value.
One more note: I would describe myself as a DIY user (installing and operating Shelly devices is no problem, also afterwards), but my requirements are not so extreme that a WiFi solution is sufficient for me (i.e. no KNX).
One key question remains for me:
Here is what I have taken away for myself:
- The issue of reliability is not really relevant. To be honest, I only have experience with a Shelly Plug so far, and I had to restart it a few times because it was no longer reachable via Apple Home (but it still worked through the Shelly app).
- Pushbuttons definitely everywhere I install Shelly devices.
Since there was a question here about what "smart home" means to me or what I want to achieve: I am not planning a fully automated house, but rather targeted comfort functions. Specifically, I am interested in things like scenes in the living area, a wall display in a second central location in the living area, simple automations (e.g. outdoor lighting), and app control as a supplement (for example, turning off lights from bed). Voice control is optional but not a primary goal. Presence detectors for lighting control only in selected rooms. My focus is less on a fully connected system throughout the entire house and more on selected areas with real added value.
One more note: I would describe myself as a DIY user (installing and operating Shelly devices is no problem, also afterwards), but my requirements are not so extreme that a WiFi solution is sufficient for me (i.e. no KNX).
One key question remains for me:
- Should all lighting circuits be equipped with pushbuttons to ensure a consistent tactile experience throughout the house? (which would of course also mean that Shelly or other relays would need to be installed everywhere — a small cost factor)
N
nordanney26 Apr 2026 15:54FloSCFan schrieb:
Install push-button switches on all lighting circuits to ensure a consistent tactile experience throughout the house? (this would, of course, also mean that Shelly devices or other relays would need to be installed everywhere --> a small cost factor) Are these really related? Push-button switches don’t require Shelly devices or relays. You can get suitable inserts from all well-known brands (no additional relays needed). We equipped our last house with Gira ==> check out push-button switches. Shelly devices naturally add extra functionality.
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