Mixing both is actually what I ended up doing, but honestly, it’s a bit more hassle than I expected. Here’s my take:
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— Tried it, but if someone flips the switch off, the smart bulb loses power and you can’t control it with your phone until you flip the switch back on. That gets old fast.“keeping the switch but using color bulbs for certain moods?”
- Ended up putting a little “do not touch” sticker on the wall switch... which looks kinda silly in a new place.
- The scenes are awesome for movie nights, but day-to-day? I just want to hit a switch and go.
Maybe there’s a better way, but for now I’m leaning toward smart switches over bulbs for practicality.
Honestly, I ran into the same headache with smart bulbs and regular switches. My partner kept flipping the switch off out of habit, and then I’d be standing there waving my phone around like a wizard with no magic. The “do not touch” sticker idea is hilarious—tried sticky notes myself, but they just ended up ignored or falling off.
I get the appeal of color scenes for movie nights (my living room looked like a spaceship for a while), but day-to-day? I just want to walk in and hit a switch without thinking about it. Smart switches have been way less hassle for us. Plus, if you’re thinking about energy savings or future upgrades, switches are easier to swap out down the line than a bunch of bulbs.
Only downside: some smart switches need a neutral wire, which older houses don’t always have. Learned that one the hard way after buying a bunch on sale... Anyway, definitely feels more practical than chasing people away from the wall switch all the time.
Title: Finally Upgraded My Living Room Lights—Anyone Else Tried Smart Bulbs?
That neutral wire issue tripped me up too—spent a weekend pulling switches apart before realizing half my house just doesn’t have them. I agree, smart switches are way more intuitive for guests or anyone not living in your head. Out of curiosity, did you look into any of the no-neutral-required switches? I’ve seen some mixed reviews but haven’t tried them myself. Wondering if they’re actually reliable or just a workaround that’ll cause more headaches down the line.
Yeah, that neutral wire thing is a pain—ran into the same mess in my 70s house. I did try one of those no-neutral switches (cheap brand off Amazon). It worked, but sometimes flickered or lost connection. Honestly, I just stuck with smart bulbs for now... less hassle and cheaper upfront.
- Ran into that same neutral wire headache in a mid-century flip project.
- Smart bulbs are a solid workaround, but I do miss having physical switches—sometimes guests get confused or just want to hit a button.
- For bigger renos, I’ve started budgeting for rewiring, but that’s not always realistic if you’re just updating one room.
- If you’re sticking with bulbs, I’d suggest picking a brand and sticking with it—mixing ecosystems gets old fast.
- Noticed some bulbs don’t play nice with dimmers either... had to swap out a few before finding a combo that didn’t buzz or flicker.
