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You can buy faceplates to go over your current switches, leave them on all the time, and use the Hue Dimmer Switch .

I have a lot of downlighters I hate, so I use standup lamps and a Dimmer Switch. Guests get super confused by it for some reason... the additional switch is like some sort of magical device.

I can literally hand them the Dimmer Switch and tell them to turn it off like any normal light. The next day I’ll find they’ve physically turned off all the lamps instead of using the switch. If I could, I’d just replace all the lights and slap the new faceplate over the existing one but it’d be like £240 for just the living room.

I have one of these stuck to the wall with a 3M command strip next to my bed.

Plus you can remove the actual switch if you have some reason to (still works, the plate is just a mount - the switch is battery run).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-929001173761-Wireless-Installation-Free-Exclusive/dp/B0748KLR39/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1HXWHLIBZY121&keywords=hue+switch+dimmer&qid=1569849915&s=gateway&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&sprefix=hue+switch%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-5

(The hall lights also go down to 5% at night so I don't get too woken up going to the loo in the middle of the night).

The easiest solution would be bypassing the physical switch so the circuit is always on, put a blanking plate over the hole, then get a hue switch and stick it on the blanking plate. That way when you press off with the hue switch, the lights will turn off, but you'll be able to still use your automation and app to turn them back on.

EDIT: One of these hue switches: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Wireless-Lighting-Accessory-HomeKit/dp/B0748KLR39/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521480617&sr=8-3&keywords=hue+switch&dpID=31lLZGCgetL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

By dimmer I meant these - they are a Hue product that talk to the bridge, they are battery operated (I've had mine 18 months without having to change any batteries, but not sure how long they last). I don't think hard wired dimmer switches would work. I leave the normal light switches on permanently and ignore them (though they do work as light switches, if you turn them off and on the lights will come on). They sometimes come in starter packs or bundled with bulbs, they are well worth it though - better than controlling on your phone and give you more versatility than just relying on the wall switches. There are more options for how to program them with some third party apps than the Philips app gives you.

It's not a cheap investment but I have been happy with mine, I've not had a single problem in the 18 months I've had them and they work regardless of internet connection and wifi (though I can't control them via my phone if the wifi is down of course). I have them in my living room, bedroom and bathroom (kitchen and hallway were too expensive as they have half a dozen lights in each and I don't think I need dimmable lighting in them anyway).

They aren't something you need, but they are nice to have and I think they make my morning and bedtime routine easier.

I had my Nest thermostat installed by someone, I don't know the first thing about how to do it. It might be simpler if you already have a thermostat and know how these things work but it was well outside my area of expertise. I paid £80 for the installation to some local plumbing company, I think the Nest itself was £130 on prime day last summer, plus £15 or so for the stand. It wasn't significantly different to what I'd been told to expect to pay to get a normal thermostat fitted. I've also had no problems with the nest.

> If someone accidentally turns off the light switch you lose the ability to control your lights. You have to use an app or voice control to turn on the lights. If you lose networking then you can't control your lights.

As I mentioned elsewhere I plan to either smartify old switches with device like this, or replace them with a smart switch like this, both of these devices power the bulbs constantly and send a 100% or 0% command to them when the switch is flipped (or dimmed with the second link). For other lights I plan to remove the switch entirely and bypass it so the bulb is powered 100% of the time, then I plan to use either just voice, or a Philips-style switch, or motion sensor.

>You've not done this before, have you? The more technologies you have integrated together the more moving parts you will have to keep up with. Stuff will go down. Stuff needs to be upgraded. Other stuff will need to be prevented from upgrading to avoid their turning on the API your integrations depend upon. You need to plan on spending at least a few hours a month maintaining this thing.

No I haven't done the smart devices stuff before, as shown by the thread flair. I don't mind spending that much time. Also why do you escape your quotes?

Philips Hue Wireless Dimming Schalter, komfortabel dimmen ohne Installation https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0748KLR39/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_SaHpDbETDPVEB


Philips Hue LightStrip+ Basis Set (ohne Bridge), 2m, flexibel erweiterbar, dimmbar, bis zu 16 Millionen Farben, steuerbar via App, kompatibel mit Amazon Alexa (Echo, Echo Dot) https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0148NMVQA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ybHpDbDGZKWDD


Philips Hue Bridge, zentrales, intelligentes Steuerelement des Hue Systems https://www.amazon.de/dp/B016151IPI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HdHpDb09Z47B5

Sorry, I'm in Germany but these can help you find it on yours