Intermediate smart switch?

[Benpointer]

Being a lazy sod I like the idea of telling Siri to switch the lights on or off.  

 

We are going to have a number of multi-way light circuits in the new house. I presume there are smart switches that could sit in these circuits either as a two-way at the end of circuit or an intermediate?

 

I'm struggling to identify one that is bound to work (with Apple Homekit).  I am no doubt being dim but... any suggestions?

 

Thanks

[Nick Laslett]

Smart home stuff - lots of choices, trade offs and complexity. 

 

UK list of Apple HomeKit compatible switches.
 

https://www.apple.com/uk/home-app/accessories/#section-switches

 

List includes stuff that is very recent and switches from 5 years ago. 
 

There are new protocols & standards like “Treads” & “Matter” that have superseded Zigbee. 
 

Every man and his dog has a hub and an app but some devices don’t need hubs or apps and can use Apple Home app and Matter. An AppleTV helps as it can act as a Thread Border Router. 
 

I feel like we are just getting to the point where nearly everything will work. But you do need to think about what you want to achieve.
 

Also, UK, USA and EU all have specific devices due to certifying authorities, so you can easily find a US YouTuber talking about a device that will never be release in UK. 

Here is a good primer on Apple’s approach to smart home stuff. 
 

 

Edited Monday at 21:42 by Nick Laslett

[Dreadnaught]

Wait until early-ish 2026 and Ikea (and probably quite a few others) are releasing a large range of devices using "Matter Over Thread" across many categories.

 

They should prove cheap and reliable – as is typical for Ikea.

[Nick Laslett]

Another good primer video here: Paul Hibbert’s humour isn’t to everyone’s taste, but he is honest about the tech.  

 

 

[Spinny]

Personally although I have an iphone I hate the idea of allowing Apple, or Amazon, or Alphabet, or Microsoft to have control of every aspect of my tech usage. I consider these companies as leeches striving to turn all our lives into a 'life by corporate subscription' model.

 

It is the problem that keeps besetting technology - companies refusing to just compete in an open market place and instead striving to hook people into a single corporate tech ecosystem by proprietising open standards and building in incompatibilities to exclude competition. It has happened in AV with DLNA, and it has happened in Home Automation. Corporate greed gone mad - who the hell WANTS a door bell subscription.

 

I think forget adopting one monopoly and focus on how you want to do the physical wiring, switches, back boxes, conduits to support automation capability and above all flexibility. Many HA people use devices from many suppliers and multiple technologies at the same time - zigbee, zwave, wifi, bluetooth, etc. etc.

[Andehh]

I also need a smart intermediate switch, for our garage, mainly as the kids love to turn it on... But not off. So having a built in timer would be useful. 

[Benpointer]

Thanks all, especially Nick for those video links - I will watch when I get chance.

[BadgerBodger]

Is the Sonoff mini something that works? 
 

I haven’t got one yet but it looks like the route I will take. 

[Benpointer]

14 hours ago, BadgerBodger said:

Is the Sonoff mini something that works? 
 

I haven’t got one yet but it looks like the route I will take. 

Yes I was looking at that switch too - Looks like you can just wire one in the back of a convenient switch box.  

 

Does anyone have experience of the Sonoff?

[Kelvin]

27 minutes ago, Benpointer said:

Yes I was looking at that switch too - Looks like you can just wire one in the back of a convenient switch box.  

 

Does anyone have experience of the Sonoff?

I use one in the garage. Straightforward enough. My switches are surface mounted so plenty of room to fit it inside the switch although they are pretty small. You can still operate the physical switches plus automate it how you like. I have motion sensor in the garage, and two door sensors it comes in automatically, shuts off after 20 mins or I can tell it to switch off. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Kelvin