9 Smart Switches – No Neutral 2022: Upgrade your Lighting
One of the most interesting areas of home automation is the switch, also known as smart switches. These switches are dedicated to communicating to another device about the state of that device. Some switches can communicate with the network to talk to other devices, others can communicate directly with connected devices or with the network to report changes to the rest of the network. Some smart switches can be used to add a completely new security feature to your home; you can now turn on and off the air conditioning through your electric baseboard heating system.
There are a large number of smart switches available to install in your home; I will be listing only the ones that I believe to be the best for today, tomorrow, and in the future. The prices listed below are for the smart switch, not the hub or power adapter. They are available for purchase either separately or as a package with a hub. For the upcoming DIY documentation, I recommend either getting a single remote unit for your home or getting two units in a bundle.
Below is a comprehensive list of all the switches on the market today. This is the list of the top smart switches, which are only the smart switches I would buy for my own home. Note that none of the switches below have price tags on the website, so check each company’s site for the full details of the smart switch.
1. Belkin WeMo Switch
The Belkin WeMo Switch is the top smart switch for home automation enthusiasts. It is very popular with bloggers, business owners, and readers of Ingenious Designs. The WeMo is a Wi-Fi switch that can be controlled by a smartphone app. When the WeMo app is downloaded, you can create accounts with the Belkin WeMo online store to take control of the smart switch a little more securely. The Belkin WeMo Switch is almost identical to the Honeywell Switch, the Wink Hub, and the Philips Hue, except that the WeMo has a larger color display and it is more powerful, meaning it has more features than the other switches.
The switch works with any wireless home automation hub, so if you want to get started with home automation, you can control your WeMo switch with the Wink Hub, Wink Starter Kit, or an Amazon Echo Dot. The WeMo is currently offered in both white and gray. The button has blue and black markings, and the white version is rubberized with a tempered glass cover. There are two buttons on the side. One is the button for turning off the light, the other is for turning on the light. The Belkin WeMo Switch works with Amazon Echo, Wink, Logitech Harmony, Samsung SmartThings, Ring, and other popular smart home hubs. The same free and paid apps are available for the WeMo, the Wink Hub, and the Philips Hue.
2. Honeywell
The Honeywell WeMo Smart Switch works on the same principle as the Belkin WeMo Switch, except that it uses a Wi-Fi base station instead of a smartphone or a Wi-Fi bridge to send data to your smart home devices. The Honeywell WeMo does the same job as the Wink Hub, the WeMo, and the Philips Hue. The Honeywell WeMo is very similar to the Wink Hub, the WeMo, and the Philips Hue, but it does not have sensors, and sensors are currently sold separately. Unlike the other switches on this list, the Honeywell does not integrate with SmartThings.
The Honeywell WeMo is available for purchase in silver, orange, blue, black, white, and gold. It works with Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Z-Wave Plus. The switch communicates with home automation hubs and devices using 4G LTE, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. The Honeywell WeMo is a lot more expensive than the Belkin WeMo Switch. It is $49.99 and the Wink Hub is only $34.95. The Philips Hue is only $24.99, which is a much better price for a bulb, but there are no sensor-equipped versions of the Hue. The Honeywell is more powerful than the Wink Hub.
3. GE
GE may not be the most popular smart home brand, but they have the best smart switch. The GE Smart Switch works with the ZigBee, Z-Wave, and SmartThings hubs. Like the Belkin WeMo, the GHS works with Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and Z-Wave. It looks like a small light switch, but it is a Z-Wave hub. You can’t control any of your Z-Wave devices through the switch, but you can program the switch to trigger your Z-Wave devices. If you’re a SmartThings user, then the GE Smart Switch is great for controlling Z-Wave devices. The switch is available in four colors: orange, black, white, and gold.
The switch is not only a hub but also has a temperature sensor. It will alert you when the temperature of your home drops below a certain value. At this time, the GE Smart Switch is only available for purchase on GE’s website. The price is $59.95. The only drawback to the GE Smart Switch is that it only works with the ZigBee and SmartThings hubs. The Philips Hue works with a bunch of different hubs, but it only works with the Philips Hue Hub. The Honeywell WeMo works with ZigBee, Z-Wave, and SmartThings, but it does not work with the Wink Hub or the Belkin WeMo Switch.
4. iDevices Switch
iDevices is a relatively new brand, but they already make one of the best smart switches available. The iDevices Switch is available for purchase from the iDevices website. It works with all major home automation hubs including SmartThings, ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Z-Wave Plus. It also works with the HomeKit.
The switch can be controlled through both Alexa and Siri, and it can work with the SmartThings smartphone app. Like the Wink Hub, the iDevices Smart Switch has a temperature sensor, which will alert you when the temperature of your home drops below a certain value. The iDevices Smart Switch has a $35 price tag, but it is currently on sale for $29.99. The Wink Hub is even cheaper, coming in at only $24.
5. Wi-Fi Smart Plug
While the GE Smart Switch supports a wide range of smart home devices, the Wi-Fi Smart Plug has one of the widest ranges of support out of all the smart switches on this list. With it, you can turn almost any device on and off, no matter what brand it is. The Wi-Fi Smart Plug can be controlled through the Google Home or Amazon Alexa devices, and it works with the SmartThings smartphone app. You can set up automated rules for when the Wi-Fi Smart Plug is to be turned on or off. When you set it up, you can say something like, “Alexa, turn on the Wi-Fi Smart Plug.”
Like all the smart switches, the Wi-Fi Smart Plug has a temperature sensor. The purpose of the sensor is to detect when an appliance has come on and off, and the Smart Plug will alert you that it’s been on or off for long periods. You can set it to act as a smoke detector as well. The Wi-Fi Smart Plug is only available for purchase on the Wi-Fi Smart website. The Verge says that the Wi-Fi Smart Plug “makes controlling all the appliances in your home as easy as turning on your Wi-Fi.” While we do not use the phrase “easy as turning on your Wi-Fi,” we do like the idea of being able to turn on a room with a voice command.
6. iHome Smart Plug
iHome makes a wide range of smart home products, including smart plugs, smart lights, and smart humidifiers. While all of the smart plugs that iHome makes work with Alexa, the iHome Smart Plug can control the Z-Wave, ZigBee, and SmartThings hubs as well. The iHome Smart Plug works with the Wink Hub.
It also works with HomeKit, so you can control your smart home devices directly from Siri. Like all the smart plugs, the iHome Smart Plug has a temperature sensor, so it will alert you if the temperature of your home rises above a set value. The iHome Smart Plug is available for purchase on the iHome website for $25.
7. TP-Link Smart Plug
TP-Link has another popular smart plug, and it’s even cheaper than the iHome Smart Plug. The TP-Link Smart Plug works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Like most smart switches on this list, the TP-Link Smart Plug allows you to set rules for when your smart plug is to be on or off. For example, you can say something like, “Alexa, turn on the TP-Link Smart Plug.”
You can set up multiple devices for the TP-Link Smart Plug. All you have to do is use the Alexa app or the Google Home app, and you can name each device. There is a wide range of different TP-Link smart plugs, and the WiFi Smart Plug is one of the least expensive ones. The TP-Link Smart Plug is on sale for only $17. It is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. If you use the code THW08H88K at checkout, you can get an additional $5 off.
8. Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimming Switch
The Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimming Switch is a versatile smart home device that works with all major smart home hubs. It can be controlled with any of the hubs listed above. The main difference between the Lutron Caseta Wireless Switch and the other smart switches is that the Lutron Caseta Switch has a motion sensor built into it. This sensor detects when you’re in a room, and it turns off the light or appliance, depending on the type of device you’re controlling.
For example, if you have the Lutron Caseta Wireless switch on in your kitchen, the motion sensor will turn on the overhead light in the kitchen. The Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimming Switch has a very generous array of supported devices. You can use it to turn on lamps, dim or adjust the lights in your home, or turn them off. You can also control any device that has a dimmer, like a ceiling fan or lamps, though you can’t turn off a fan using this smart switch. The Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimming Switch also works with smart switches from 2nd Generation Nest, Hive, and Insteon.
9. Koogeek Smart Switch
The Koogeek Smart Switch is one of the cheapest smart switches on this list. It has the same basic functionality as the Wink Hub and the Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimming Switch, but it’s considerably less expensive. It has some built-in Alexa support, and it can be controlled through the Amazon Echo Show or Echo Spot. If you’re looking for something that’s cheaper and that works with your Google Home, this is a great choice. It has a price tag of just $35. You can get it with free shipping from Amazon for $34. There are no special promo codes for the Koogeek Smart Switch, so you can buy it on Amazon for the full price. The Koogeek Smart Switch is a solid choice for a cheap smart switch. It’s not as capable as some of the other smart switches on this list, but it’s a solid starter switch if you don’t already own a smart hub.
The Koogeek Smart Switch comes in a variety of different colors, though there is currently only one design available to purchase: white. The Koogeek Smart Switch supports a wide range of smart home devices. These include connected devices from Amazon Echo, Wink Hub, Nest, SmartThings, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, Logitech Harmony, Philips Hue, Belkin WeMo, IKEA Edge lights, and more. With the Koogeek Smart Switch, you can dim the lights, turn the lights off, and switch between the different light scenes and shades. The Wink app has dimmer and scene modes available to download from it, as well. With the Wink app installed, you can also control the switch with the Amazon Echo.
Which smart switch would you recommend to a friend? Which smart switch do you use for your smart home? Let us know in the comments!