Short answer
Smart bulbs only work if they always have power, so you really should not use the ordinary switch any more. That goes wrong as soon as someone visits. Smart switches or modules behind the switch keep normal operation intact and are therefore the better choice in a home with several occupants.
Who this article is for Anyone who wants something smart with their lighting but does not want the hassle.
The problem with smart bulbs
A smart bulb must always have power, otherwise it cannot receive anything. So you leave the switch on and control everything via the app or a separate button.
As long as you know that, it works. As soon as someone else in the house simply presses the switch, the bulb is offline and nothing works any more. That is the most common complaint.
What does work
Smart switches. Instead of the bulb, the switch is smart. Normal operation stays exactly as it was, and the app is added. It usually does need a neutral wire in the switch box.
Modules behind the switch. A small unit in the flush box behind the existing switch. Nothing changes in appearance. Ideal if you like your switches as they are.
An impulse relay with smart control. In the meter cupboard, with ordinary push buttons around the house. Robust, and the buttons always keep working.
The neutral wire
This is where it gets stuck in older homes. In many installations only a live runs to the switch and the neutral is at the light. Most smart switches need a neutral.
Solutions: a module at the light instead of at the switch, a switch that works without a neutral, or pulling in a neutral if the conduits allow it. What is possible, I can see as soon as I have opened one switch.
What I would do
In a home where several people live: smart switches or modules, ordinary bulbs. Then the light works for everyone, even when the internet is down.
If you want colours and mood, keep that limited to a few fittings where it really adds something, for example behind the television or in a reading corner.
Where it really pays off
- outdoor lighting that follows sunset, see installing outdoor lighting
- a button by the front door that turns everything off
- presence simulation when you are away
- lighting in a long hallway or staircase that comes on by itself
The rest is often set up once and then never used again.
Those are the things you notice every day. The rest is often set up once and then never used again.
From my own work
A customer in Sittard had the whole house full of smart bulbs. His mother-in-law turned the light off with the switch and after that the app did nothing. I replaced the switches with smart switches, and the bulbs became ordinary dimmable LEDs. Since then it works for everyone, with or without a phone.
When to call an electrician
- You want smart lighting that also works for guests
- Modules need to go behind the switches
- You want to link scenes to sunset or presence
I check whether there is a neutral wire at the switches, because that decides what is possible. Request a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Smart bulbs or smart switches?
In a home with several occupants, switches. Then normal operation keeps working, also for guests and when the internet is down.
What is this neutral wire everyone talks about?
Besides the live, most smart switches also need a neutral in the switch box, and in older homes it is often not there.
Does smart lighting still work if the internet goes down?
With switches and modules yes, because normal operation stays intact. With bulbs that only work via the app, no.
Further reading
Installing outdoor lighting: what goes on underground
The light is the fun part, the cable the most important. Lay an empty duct now and you can extend later without digging.
The light is not working: check it yourself in four steps
Nine times out of ten it is the bulb, the lampholder or the switch. The tenth time it is a connection, and then you call.
Dimming LEDs: why they flicker, buzz or do not switch off
Almost every LED dimming problem comes from a dimmer made for incandescent bulbs. A new dimmer solves it.
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