Echo Plus friendly wall switches for lights that require no additional hub

[Sparkomatic]

I’m UK based and I have an Amazon Echo Plus and it came with a smart bulb that I put in the overhead light in my bedroom.

I’m thinking smart bulbs aren’t the way to go.

Firstly, Alexa can’t turn my light on if I’ve already switched the light off at the switch, which is very common seeing as that is my autopilot mode because I’ve been practicing flipping light switches on entering/exiting rooms for 40 years. Also, even when Alexa turns my bulb off, it still glows very faintly so I think it’s not really off as if it was off at the switch.

The other issue is a lot of the bulbs in my flat (at least the overhead ones and spotlights) are special TP24 energy saver fittings/sockets so I have to use TP24 bulbs and TP24 don’t have a smart bulb range.

So I started thinking about the wall switches for the lights I have around my flat/apartment. I’m not bothered about dimmers so is there a brand/switch that will work out of the box with my Echo Plus and require no additional hub/bridge etc?

What brands, standards, frameworks, systems should I be looking for for Echo Plus compatible wall switches? It can’t be hard to replace the light switches with smart ones.

Moving on to wall sockets that my side lamps and table lamps are connected to - are there any smart wall socket brands anyone can recommend?

I’ve seen smart sockets on Amazon that plug into your normal wall sockets but they look a bit like wall warts, and a bit cumbersome so that’s why I’m interested in replacing the wall sockets.

Thoughts.

S

[jwlv]

What you are looking for are the smart light switches. You replace your existing light switch on the wall with one of these:



They are a little more pricey than their smart plugs counterparts. These are the US 110V versions. I'm sure there are UK versions that operate at 220V.

Amazon currently has this Wemo Light Switch for $50, but they go on sale every now and then. I bought three of them in 2015 for $37 each from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Light-Switch-Wi-Fi-enabled-Amazon/dp/B00DGEGJ02

TP-Link also makes one just like it for $40.
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Required-Requires-Assistant-HS200/dp/B01EZV35QU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515274896&sr=8-1&keywords=tp-link+light+switch

Keep in mind that all of these smart light switches requires 3 wires (not counting the ground wire) where your current switch is. In my house, only a few of the switches have 3 wires . Most of the other ones only have 2 wires, thus I can't use these light switches in those locations.

Here's a video showing someone installing a Wemo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Qb6sNFCjM

[seamus01]

I agree that for ceiling lights that switches are the way to go rather than bulbs.

In the UK we are quite limited (with the general absence of neutral wires) so I'm alway looking for recommendations.

For single gangs switches there is a Eugenie model ;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazon-Certified-Alexa-compatible-Switch/dp/B00V52HM12/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1515327831&sr=8-5&keywords=smart+light+switches

Multi gang with no requirement for neutral wire and with good reviews are harder to find.

[asianrocker]

 Sparkomatic  I guess you just have to go with the flow. I too am anal about switching off lights. I still once in awhile manually switch lights out of habit. And to be honest much easier, LOL. But well, sign of the times, I think I am adapting real well though. I've always been good at adapting.

But since you are using echo plus. This is all you need to know. Their hub runs on ZigBee. So any ZigBee device will work and to make 100% sure it works. Just buy the one that says works with alexa coz it's the standard catchphrase now on smart devices. ESPECIALLY on amazon website.