I’ve been diving into the world of smart lighting lately, and I wanted to share my experiences and some tips I’ve picked up along the way. For those of you looking to create a seamless lighting system that combines both traditional and smart elements, this might be of interest!First off, I’ve been experimenting with a mix of dumb LED bulbs and Hue lightstrips. The goal was to create a system where both types of lighting could be controlled from the same wall switches, accessible through SmartThings and Alexa. It’s been a bit of a learning curve, but I’ve managed to get a setup that works pretty smoothly.One of the key components in my setup has been the Fibaro Dimmer 2. These devices have been fantastic for controlling both the dumb LED spots and the Hue strips. The ability to use the same physical switch for different lighting zones has been a game-changer. For example, I’ve configured one switch to control the kitchen LED spots and another to handle the Hue strips around the kitchen units. This way, everything stays consistent and user-friendly, even for those who aren’t tech-savvy.I also wanted to ensure that the Hue bulbs and strips could be controlled through the wall switches without needing to rely solely on voice commands. After some research and tinkering, I found that using the Fibaro dimmers alongside the Hue devices allowed me to achieve this. The Hue bulbs can be set up to respond to the dimmer’s signals, effectively turning them on or off and adjusting brightness as needed.One thing I would caution against is overcomplicating the setup. I initially tried to manage everything through the SmartThings app, but it became overwhelming. Instead, breaking the system down into zones and using the Fibaro dimmers as intermediaries has made everything much more straightforward.Another tip I’d like to share is about dimmer settings. I found that adjusting the parameter settings on the Fibaro dimmers helped optimize their performance. For instance, tweaking the polling frequency and ensuring that the dimmers are set to report status updates frequently made the system more responsive.Lastly, I’ve been impressed with the support available for Hue devices within the SmartThings ecosystem. The integration is smooth, and there are plenty of resources online to help troubleshoot any issues that come up. If you’re considering adding Hue lighting to your setup, I highly recommend exploring the possibilities—it’s been a fantastic addition to my smart home.Overall, combining dumb bulbs with smart Hue lighting and using Fibaro dimmers as the control interface has been a winning formula for me. It’s provided the flexibility I needed while keeping the system accessible for everyone in the house. If you’re in the planning stages of your own smart lighting project, I hope some of these insights can help you along the way!Happy smart lighting! 