Reddit mentions of Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch with Remote (Installation-Free Exclusive for Philips Hue Lights)

Yes, ofcourse. You need a hue lamp, a hue dimmer switch and a hue bridge.

As long as these 3 devices are in the same subnet it will work. This is the basic idea of Hue lights. You can also use a mobile phone to control the light, if connected to the same network or through internet if you have associated an account with the bridge.

EDIT: Sorry, I thought/remembered that the devices communicate via Wifi. Like /u/maxtor202003 mentioned, they use ZigBee together.

Still, this is possible, but the "switch" should be a device of some kind, that communicates with the bridge via network (WiFi/Internet). You could build such switch quite easily, for example by using a ESP8266 or an Arduino, or it could be an old computer or a mobile phone.

The hue remotes come with wall mounting plates. Even if you don't screw them into the wall, you can still find another way to attach them. The remote attaches to the plate via magnets. They're also the same size as a normal outlet, so will fit nicely next to any light switches you have.

Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0167Z0P3I/

Edit: huh, looks like he ESP have dropped in price since I've last messed with them. Maybe it's a value pack of Chinese knockoffs though.

• Answer calls in a different room than is currently being called.
  
• Manipulate music from a different device ("pause in the living room"; "stop in the living room")
  
• Music/timer/alarm hand off from device to device ("echo, I've moved from the living room"; "echo, I'm going to the office")
  
• Zigbee remote buttons support to trigger actions (e.g. use one of these and have it turn on and off a set of lights / plugs without needing to speak, if desired)

I recommend smart switches vs smart bulbs. It keeps the traditional control plus avoids having to stick secondary Philips switches(or similar) next to the "real"ones with child covers on the "real" switch so people don't turn off the circuit. The only time I would use smart bulbs is for something like a table lamp that has no wall switch or for renters.

You can use Hue instead of the TP-Link smart plug. and put a hue bulb in the lamp and use one of these switches.

>The only caveat to all of this is those damn pesky light switches. If you turn a light off via the switch or someone else does, the whole argument about ease of use goes out the window. The lights don't work if they're powered off via the switch, so no voice commands. You'll get used to it and so will others that you live with. You can also buy smart swtiches or even covers for your switches if you want. I had thought of going one of these routes in the beginning, but my family caught on fairly quickly and now it's just normal to use your voice.

Get a light switch cover and then install one of these bad boys. It's actually a removable remote control, but I just keep it in the housing and it has the same functionality as a light switch (with dimming functionality and pre-progammed scenes). Gives you the convenience of a light switch without the inconvenience of one.

Hey so I totally agree with you that I wish you could use a regular switch to turn on/off smart bulbs without them disconnecting from the network, so I feel your frustration.

What I've done to get around this (and yes, still sucks, but that's why I've since stopped using smart bulbs on my main lights - I use them in lamps and lights above/around my TV) is use Philips Switches.

They can be found here:
Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch with Remote (Installation-Free, Exclusive for Philips Hue Lights) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0167Z0P3I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_x.OTzbYS7KK2Q

There's no wiring required and I put them next to my normal switches.

An example would be my family room lamps. I just leave them powered on and I put that switch referenced above to turn them on and off and dim.

Still sucks when a babysitter or something manually turns the lamp off, but oh well, I try to let them know beforehand.

Those switches are actually rock solid and have never failed me in 3yrs.

Hopefully this is what you're asking!

Making Hue lights usable by the rest of the family is definitely a concern. You have a couple of easy options:

• Get Hue dimmer switches ($23 each)
  
  
• Get Hue motion sensors ($33 each)
  
  
• Use Alexa on the Echo Dots
  
  Depending on your specific needs you'll probably want to use a combination of these things.
  
  The dimmer switches work well, you can press the On button repeatedly to pick between 4 scenes, and then change the brightness of a scene once it is set.
  
  I just started playing with the motion sensor and it's definitely nice to have the lights respond without having to explicitly turn them on and off, but not everything will make sense to be triggered by motion.
  
  I also find myself frequently using Alexa to control the lights. The main consideration here is that you will need to group your lights into rooms and make sure everyone in the family knows what the names of the rooms/lights are. Alexa has the ability to set light brightness, set a specific color, or change to a Hue scene. It's fairly flexible.
  
  Eventually you'll want to get fancy and set up a home automation hub like SmartThings or HomeAssistant to let you bring in devices from multiple ecosystems (Hue, Arlo, etc) and create automation rules to run everything, but for now it sounds like you'd be happy with a few of the Hue accessories to make the lights easier to control. Good news is that Hue is designed to be user-friendly and all of the options I listed will let you do basic control pretty easily. When you outgrow that, you have more advanced options available to you.
  
  Hope it helps, and let us know if you have any specific questions about how to set stuff up.
  
  
  
  

For number 3, you could replace the switch with a Z-wave dimmer switch:

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Dimmer-Z-Wave-12724-Amazon/dp/B006LQFHN2

And then get one of several hubs that works with the switch and Echo, like Smartthings for example:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SmartThings-Hub-2nd-Generation/dp/B010NZV0GE

That setup might let you use your current bulbs with Alexa without having to swap them all out for Phillips Hue or LIFX. I say "might" because not all dimmable LEDs work well with all dimmer switches. Probably want to buy the switch first without the hub and try it. This setup also has the added benefit over Hue lights of still being able to use the physical switch for dimming without having to add a Hue dimmer: https://www.amazon.com/Philips-458141-Hue-Dimmer-Switch/dp/B0167Z0P3I.

Assume you mean THIS and not THIS?

It looks like if you do mean the first one, that is kinda pointless with Alexa. You can create your own scenes and just activate them via voice, not sure why you'd want to press a button to do it.

But, to your question, it looks like you don't need the hub with the Echo Plus

"Echo Plus is a simple way to start your smart home. It has a built-in ZigBee smart home hub, which allows for simple and direct setup of compatible ZigBee lights, locks, plugs, and in-wall switches from brands like Philips Hue, GE, and Yale. No additional hub required."

Edit: Now I am curious by what they mean by "in-wall switches", maybe just plain smart lights still need a hub.

I have a very similar setup (just installed in the past week). The only difference is I'm using an iPad for a hub and voice control instead of Google Home.

If you want to use Homekit on your phone keep in mind that wemo switches are not homekit compatible and you'd have to run a Homebridge server (very easy if you have a computer that's always home/on).

One thing that I didn't really think about was guests coming over and flipping the dumb switches all over the place, and making all of your hue bulbs unresponsive. I installed two of these to prevent that, as well as a Hue Dimmer Switch for the living room to control a floor lamp and ceiling lamp simultaneously.

Sure, sure.. Look at these though. You can place them anywhere.. and you can tap it 5 times for different "scenes"

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0167Z0P3I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sure thing! You only need to buy one thing, a Hue starter set. I would also recommend the dimmer switch so you can operate the lights easily without using the app. Then you just download the Hue app, follow the directions and get started. I personally suggest the old Hue app over the new one. I think it's this one, but I'm not 100% sure. The reason why the old app is better is because you can set the fade duration to any whole minute level. The new app does it only in increments of 5 minutes. While the new app might look snazzier, it just didn't do what I needed. And that's it! Just play around with different schedules.

My setup is two lights, one on each nightstand. They fade up to full brightness at 6:30, automatically turn off at 8. Then they automatically turn on at 8PM and fade down over 10 minutes starting at 9:20. It's my cue that bedtime is coming. I'm basically creating my own night-day cycle.

I believe this is what you're looking for - https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Hue-Dimmer-Installation-Free-Exclusive/dp/B0167Z0P3I

I appreciate your input!

Using a smartphone or tablet would be a sufficient alternative in many circumstances. The Phillips Hue lights work very well with the associated smartphone app. Phillips also makes a Dimmer Switch and a Tap Switch for use cases when having access to a phone or tablet is not practical. The Phillips hardware switches might be preferable over a phone/tablet because you only have to press a single button (versus unlocking a phone, opening the correct application, and then pressing a button) and a phone/tablet has much greater needs in terms of electricity. The Phillips Dimmer Switch operates on a replaceable watch battery. The Phillips Tap Switch doesn't even require a battery at all! (It uses the mechanical energy generated by the physical action of pressing the button to power itself.)

I wonder if either the Dimmer Switch or Tap Switch from Phillips could be hacked/re-purposed to send command to Google Home?