Hello Ian, Yes, Philips Hue does require a hub, but in this case I think it’s well worth it and after all it is not such a big deal to plug one hub into the router. I agree that I don’t want 4 systems each with their own hub, but we have Hue bulbs and they are great.
Having said this I must admit that my recent experience installing a smart wall switch was extremely positive and it certainly can be a much less expensive way to control your lights especially if the switch controls several bulbs. For example, in our kitchen we have a fixture with 3 spots pretty much in the middle, another fixture with 2 spots above the sink and a lamp above the dining table. That is a total of 6 bulbs which are controlled by 3 switches, one for the main fixture (3 bulbs), one for the sink (2 bulbs) and one for the dining table (1 bulb). 1 basic Philips Hue bulb costs $19.99 here in Canada, the one which can do ambient light which means anything from warm white to cool white is I think $39.99 and the full colour bulbs are $49.99 or something like that. I recently purchased the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Wall Light Switch<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.ca%2Fgp%2Fr.html%3FC%3D2R083KRCWO7XK%26K%3D1PIX5J633BKLI%26M%3Durn%3Artn%3Amsg%3A2018101107080367b8feb9ce2b4a52be3b5f646a90p0na%26R%3D1ADLDNG1FT4SD%26T%3DC%26U%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.amazon.ca%252Fdp%252FB07CPVSVPM%252Fref%253Dpe_3034960_233709270_TE_item%26H%3DHEBNMMGGU9V1D5Z17HSWDYHFKEIA%26ref_%3Dpe_3034960_233709270_TE_item&data=02%7C01%7C%7C7d64cd06c3d44b8649a708d62f484b9c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636748384882615859&sdata=6vvovs6rzFUHDTTgz7F6Q77eaPpDW6za1Imozzj%2BP1k%3D&reserved=0> from Amazon, the link is for the Amazon Canada site, but they came ina 2 Pack for $52.99 which means $26.48 per switch and while it is an off-brand I never heard about the reviews on Amazon were very good and the app also got a 4 Star review. I thought since the order was fulfilled by Amazon it would be easy to return them should they not meet my expectations. When I unpacked them I was surprised by the quality, they just felt good and well-made, one thing I didn’t expect or noticed in the description if it was mentioned was that they are not a mechanical switch, but a touch screen switch. The front is completely smooth and it looks nice, it is also not difficult to use since you really just have to touch anywhere. You do hear an audible click as a relais is engaged, but one thing you wouldn’t know is whether the light is on or off based on switch position. For me this is not a big deal in this case since I bought them so I can use Alexa or the app to control them so I can always see in the app if the light is off. Unfortunately they are not Home Kit/SIRI compatible, just Alexa and Google Assistant, but in this case this wasn’t such a big deal. I bought them to control a bunch of florescent lights and fixtures with bulbs on the second floor of my retail store. In the winter we are a lot less busy and on that floor we have our firearms and hunting department so there is often not much traffic from January through March and I wanted an easy way to keep the lights off unless there are customers. Turning off the switches is inconvenient since there are 4 switches all in different places and often when a customer does go up the staff forgets to run after them to turn on the lights. This way if I have an Alexa downstairs by the register all they have to do is say “Alexa, turn on the upstairs lights” or I can do so from my office upstairs where I also have an Echo if I hear somebody coming up the stairs. We installed one switch yesterday to try it out, I downloaded the app and was pleasantly surprised that the setup was 100% accessible and super easy and the app itself is also accessible with properly labelled tabs along the bottom and the state of the light is spoken, e.g. on or off. We are going to install the other 3 switches and I may end up buying a few more since we still have lights at home like in the laundry room where it is a florescent tube fixture which is not or can’t be equipped with Hue bulbs and this is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to automate them. Meross by the way also has smart plugs and smart bulbs which I noticed when I did the setup of the wall switch although I have not yet checked them out and the wall switch does not require a hub, it connects directly to your Wi-Fi and it was one of the easiest connections I have made. You have to go to Wi-Fi settings and connect to the temporary Meross network created by the switch, then return to the app and select your Wi-Fi, put in the password and then it joins the WiFi and the Meross Network disappears in your WiFi Settings. This is how many smart device work from the Ring Doorbell, Skybell HD, Amazon Echo speakers and thermostats. With Echo and most other devices you have to manually go to your phone’s WiFi settings, with the Meross app there was simply a button in the app and when I tapped it it automatically took me there, very slick and nice.link Regards, Sieghard From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Ian Harrison Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2018 4:57 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Accessibility of Tp-Link smart switches and plugs Hi, that sounds like a good deal. I forgot to add that the best sort to get are those that don’t need yet another hub to plug into a router. This is what puts me off buying into the philips hue system. My eyes would respond well to slight changes in lighting and an easy way to manage this would be great. Cheers from UK Ian On 11 Oct 2018, at 15:14, Sieghard Weitzel <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Thanks, Ian, I will consider these, but for now I decided to give the below a try since on the Amazon Canada store a TP-Link Casa light switch is $39.99 and these other ones are $52 for a 2-pack and they do get pretty good reviews: meross Smart Wi-Fi Wall Light Switch, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Supported, Remote Control, Timing Function, Fit for US/CA Wall Switches, No Hub Needed, White (2 Pack)<https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CPVSVPM/ref=pe_3034960_233709270_TE_item> I think even if the app for these isn’t very accessible I can just get my manager to do the setup and after that as you said it’s mostly using Alexa anyways to turn the lights on or off. Regards, Sieghard From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> On Behalf Of Ian Harrison Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2018 1:27 AM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: Accessibility of Tp-Link smart switches and plugs Hi, I have been using the app and Alexa for a while now. I use it for lamp switches, not the wall switches that are also available. The system works well once set up. The Kassa app is ok if I remember rightly. You don’t really need it at all once you are set up properly as it all works through Alexa. I vaguely remember that initial set up of the plugs and pairing with wifi was a bit tricky. I used sighted help with this as I had to know which lights were flashing on the units. The Kassa app is fairly accessible but again it was a lot more efficient to get sighted help for creating groups. If you can have some working eyes around for the set up I thoroughly recommend them. Amazon often has a deal on the smart plugs, but I don’t know about the wall switch side of things. Cheers On 11 Oct 2018, at 07:45, Sieghard Weitzel <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Hi, Just wondering if anybody can speak to the accessibility of the app for these Tp-Link devices, I believe it may be called “Casa” since the switches are called that. I am more interested in the light switches since my retail store has two floors and upstairs all the lights are controlled with 4 switches. Often during the winter especially after Christmas there is not so much traffic upstairs so having all these lights off would probably make a bit of a difference in electricity use, but it’s too much of a pain in the neck to run upstairs and turn them off only to run back upstairs behind a customer who goes up and turn them all on. These switches work with Alexa and I assume there might be a way to group them so if I put an Alexa Dot downstairs by the register whoever is working could just say “Alexa, turn on the upstairs lights” if they notice somebody goes up. Of course once the lights are connected and set up it may not even be so necessary to use the app for myself if I can just tell Alexa. -- The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. 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