Am I the only one who thinks those "smart" light switches are overrated?

Picked up a wifi smart switch on clearance last month for $12. Thought it'd be a quick upgrade to my living room lights. Spent 3 hours getting the app to pair, then it kept dropping connection every time my kid used the microwave. Ended up ripping it out and putting my old dumb switch back in last weekend. Has anyone else had better luck with a different brand that actually stays connected?

2 comments

2 Comments

emeryn831d ago

My brother in law went through the same thing with a smart switch he got for his porch light. Ended up having to reset it every time his neighbor started their old riding mower in the garage. He finally gave up and just stuck a timer on the outlet instead. Now he just plugs in a regular lamp and calls it a day, its way less hassle than fighting with the app every week.

eric_wright771d ago

That microwave thing is hilarious and also super frustrating. I had a similar problem with a Kasa switch where the connection would just cut out when the AC compressor kicked on. It's not just the microwave either, anything with a big motor or a switching power supply can cause interference on the 2.4GHz band. A lot of people don't realize these cheap wifi switches run on the same crowded frequency as your microwave, cordless phone, and sometimes even your baby monitor. If you want something that actually stays connected, look at Z-Wave or Zigbee based switches that need a hub. They use their own mesh network and don't get knocked offline by random appliances. Still, the whole experience made me realize that for most rooms, a simple mechanical switch is way more reliable.