I recently, maybe foolishly, replaced our apartment lights with some Matter bulbs. They’re mostly great, but yesterday the SO needed to turn on a light and it was such a chore for her. It’s had me thinking how I can make it work without voice. I’m guessing I’ll need a whole new setup, which sucks. I considered making a fancy Siri Shortcut to help her control things from her phone. Maybe a smart button on top of the switches? I’m a bit confused, if I’m being honest.
Any ideas on this are appreciated!
It’s a personal preference thing, but my official policy is to not break the traditional operation of any light/device. So I will automate a light, fan, appliance at the switch, but the wall switch will still turn it On and Off as it always has.
This means that remotely controlled bulbs and LED strips will only be used where previous switched lights did not exist, or for setting color, rather than On/Off. An example of this is cabinet or painting lights that never previously existed and don’t really require manual switching can be operated by automation only. But the overhead lights or lamps in a room must continue to be operable from the wall switch.
If the home automation controller is removed, the house should still function as it did prior to automation.