Smart Bulbs or Smart Dimmers?
One of the more common mistakes that new smart home enthusiasts run into is system over-lap, or cross compatibility. There are so many new and exciting products on the market today, and it is so easy to rush out and buy the latest and greatest product, without fully thinking through how this product will work with your existing smart home purchases.
A great example of a place where people run into this problem all the time, is with smart bulbs. Smart bulbs, such as the Hue bulbs, produced by Philips, are awesome! You can set the mood right from an app on your phone, or connect them to your home assistant, such as Alexa, Google Home, or Apple Smart Kit. The problem is, you can't control them with your existing light switch or dimmer.
Because the Hue bulb essentially has a small computer inside of it, every time you flip the switch, the little computer loses power! Now there is nothing for your app to talk to, nothing for Alexa to talk to, and no way to turn that Hue bulb back on without walking over to that light switch and flipping it back on. Worse yet is wiring your Hue bulb to a dimmer. Imagine dimming some other piece of electronics in your home, like your computer... Not a good idea...
So, how does a home-owner that already has Lutron dimmers add Hue bulbs without creating a never-ending war between their products? Enter the Aurora dimmer by Lutron.
Aurora is an ingenious little product by Lutron that serves two main purposes at the same exact time. First, the Aurora snaps over the front of your standard light switch, locking it into the "ON" position. This prevents anyone in your home who doesn't know what light is what from accidentally killing power to your Hue bulb, rendering it useless.
Second, and more impressively, the Aurora by Lutron has a rotary function that pairs wirelessly to your Hue bulb, creating a wall dimmer. Now your less tech-savvy guests and house-mates don't have to struggle with the Hue app, or voice commands to turn the lights on and off. The rotary style dimmer is intuitive for anyone at all to use, and is smooth and sleek.
Aurora is simple to install over existing toggle style switches, using a traditional face plate style, and doesn't require an electrician. However, if you have decora style openings (the large, paddle style light switches), there will be some electric work required to swap over to the toggle style. Additionally, if your Hue bulb is controlled by multiple light switches (3 way), you will need to install an Aurora dimmer on each light switch.
Hue bulbs allow you to create stunning visual environments, and change them at the press of a button. Don't let your current dimmers prevent you trying the Hue bulb out, as it really is an incredible product.
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