How the Smart Switch Works?

Tuya ZigBee Wireless Smart Curtain Switch

The smart switch connects to your home network and provides access via Wi-Fi to control the switch remotely using an app on your smartphone or tablet. You can still turn your lights on or off by toggling the in-wall switch as before; this is obviously a good thing if you have guests or your phone isn't nearby.For even greater control, they can be managed through a home automation controller or by voice using a smart speaker.

The best part is that they work even from thousands of miles away - so if you leave your bedroom lights on you don't have to worry about them anymore.That's usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about smart light switches, but there's a lot more to do beyond that, so buckle up and let's dive in. Shop for our best smart switches, welcome to contact us today or request a quote.

Smart Switch Lighting Control

Smart switches use radio transmitters to communicate with each other and connect to your home network. This allows you to access "smart" features through an app on your smartphone or tablet. You can access the app via WiFi, but this common communication standard is not always how every switch communicates with each other.

There are many different broadcast frequencies and protocols used in smart home technology, the most common types being WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and Z-Wave. In a broad sense, we can divide these different communication standards into three main categories.

Tuya ZigBee Wireless Smart Curtain Switch

Research by TNC, one of the top smart switch manufacturers, shows that by combining dimming and occupancy sensing in a home, the average home can achieve up to 60 percent energy savings in lighting. That's even before considering using LED bulbs instead of traditional incandescent alternatives. That means combined, you can save even more.

Wireless and Bluetooth

You do not need to use a hub or gateway device to allow your switch to communicate through your existing home network. You can connect directly to your switch without worrying about incompatibilities between devices. Typically WiFi is used for smart light switches, and some smart plug brands like GE offer devices that use Bluetooth.

The downside to WIFI-only smart switches is that, and this is a big downside, the more devices you add to your existing wifi network, the more bandwidth you consume. That said, for smaller installations, such as in an apartment, you're unlikely to run into problems with only a few switches sharing bandwidth on your home network.

Zigbee and Z-wave

On the other hand, for homes with larger footprints, which may be spread across multiple floors, the number of switches required will be greater, and this is where dedicated smart home wireless protocols come in handy; zigbee and z-wave mesh networks. For those of you who want to review the major home automation wireless protocols, we've covered everything you need to know in our article here.

Proprietary systems

A few smart switch manufacturers use their own proprietary communication standards to connect and control their switches. This allows your home wireless network to be interference-free and does not affect the Internet performance in your home.

Use an integrated dual-mesh communications network that combines radio frequency (RF) with your home's existing wiring system. It does not use your home Wifi for switch communication, so there is zero impact on your bandwidth and home Internet performance.

The devices also act as repeaters, much like zigbee and zwave mesh networks, which provide greater broadcast range than their standard single home router wireless counterparts.  Importantly, they can operate without a central controller.

As a result, wifi-only smart switches (such as the iDevices series) will lose functionality when the network fails, depending on your setup, and these switches will continue to operate. Of course, you can choose to manage them via a central controller to take advantage of smartphone and tablet control or more complex scenarios and automation using smart home hubs.

Let us help you find the smart switches for your needs. Welcome to contact us today or visit our website to learn more about smart devices.