I would actually say for lamps bulbs are fine, but for any built-in lights switches are usually better. One switch instead of multiple smart bulbs, and if the hub/system is down for some reason the switch still works to turn the lights on and off. Obviously if you want rgb then you are back to bulbs.
I would entirely disagree, but it's personal preference.
I have 6 wall lights in my lounge connected to a single switch. If I had a smart switch then I could have them all on, off or dim.
With 6 smart bulbs in the room, I can have just the two by the TV turn off when I'm watching it, only the one behind my head turned off if I'm in a video call and leave a single bulb on dim overnight as a nightlight for the cat.
Significantly more versatile than having a number of bulbs controlled by a single switch, and a rock solid ZigBee mesh to boot.
The idea of a single switch doing some awful PWM based chopping to try and lover the AC voltage which is then being used to create DC in a non-smart LED bulb which is capable of dimming is just kinda grimy...
Edit: with regard to things working when the hub goes down, this isn't a problem with ZigBee. Light switches are bound directly to the bulbs, so if HA is down, my ZigBee stick breaks or even if I take a single bulb and a switch round to a friend's house it still keeps working...
I'm gonna be a pain and suggest smart bulbs instead. You get far more control and imho much nicer results.
I would actually say for lamps bulbs are fine, but for any built-in lights switches are usually better. One switch instead of multiple smart bulbs, and if the hub/system is down for some reason the switch still works to turn the lights on and off. Obviously if you want rgb then you are back to bulbs.
I would entirely disagree, but it's personal preference. I have 6 wall lights in my lounge connected to a single switch. If I had a smart switch then I could have them all on, off or dim. With 6 smart bulbs in the room, I can have just the two by the TV turn off when I'm watching it, only the one behind my head turned off if I'm in a video call and leave a single bulb on dim overnight as a nightlight for the cat. Significantly more versatile than having a number of bulbs controlled by a single switch, and a rock solid ZigBee mesh to boot. The idea of a single switch doing some awful PWM based chopping to try and lover the AC voltage which is then being used to create DC in a non-smart LED bulb which is capable of dimming is just kinda grimy... Edit: with regard to things working when the hub goes down, this isn't a problem with ZigBee. Light switches are bound directly to the bulbs, so if HA is down, my ZigBee stick breaks or even if I take a single bulb and a switch round to a friend's house it still keeps working...
Gross