Lutron Caséta Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch Starter Kit
Martin Jerry WiFi Dimmer Switch
How We Tested
Do I Need Smart Bulbs or a Smart Switch?
Privacy
Other Smart In-Wall Dimmer Switches We Tested
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Works with Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit
No neutral line requirement
Nothing we could find
Easy to install
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Not HomeKit compatible
Hi, I'm Sarah Kovac. I'm the editor of oursmart home sectionhere at Reviewed. I don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't low-key obsessed with tech, and as an adult, I've been fortunate enough to make a career out of it. I spent several years freelancing about tech for outlets such as Wirecutter and PCMag until I came on staff with Reviewed in 2018.
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我从我的家远程工作,加载了with smarts that I test day in and day out in real-world conditions. I know how frustrating some of these "smart" devices can be, and I know which ones are worth your time and energy.
In order to adequately test these dimmer switches, we built a custom lighting rig to house them for our tests and connected them to a regular home WiFi router. We evaluated their setup processes, apps, physical dimming performance, digital dimming performance, smart home ecosystem integrations, remote control capabilities, and how well they work with popular virtual assistants, including Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Google Assistant.
As for Z-Wave dimmers, we standardized our tests by connecting them to the same Wink Hub 2. We then subsequently ran them through the same tests mentioned above. For more on how we test products, please visit ourHow We Test page.
Replacing every light in your home with smart bulbs can get expensive quick (especially if you have lots of multi-bulb fixtures). That's one of the best things about buying smart dimmers and switches—you can convert an entire chandellier's-worth of "dumb" bulbs to smart ones with one switch. Depending on the smart dimmer switch you choose, the initial cost of installation may be slightly higher than it would be to simply install the cheapest smart bulbs, but your dimmer switch will never burn out or need to be replaced, which will save you money over time. Plus you will never run into the frustrating scenario where you are yelling at Alexa to turn on the light, but she can't because somebody turned the regular light switch off without thinking, and therefore your smart bulbs are off-line and there you are just screaming into the darkness for no reason. Not that we have ever experienced anything like that.
Lutron, the brand behind our favorite smart dimmer, offers a handycompatibility checkerthat will show you which dimmers are compatible with the brand and model of bulbs you already own.
Smart bulbs might be a more attractive starting point for those who want to ease their way into smart lighting slowly, one bulb at a time. The more expensive smart bulbs are also loaded with lots of options when it comes to color lighting and scenes. A smart dimmer won't offer you the same bells and whistles, but it's generally just less fussy—and tech that's less fussy is something we could all use a little more of.
There’s always a potential privacy risk involved when you use internet-connected devices at home. To helpsafeguard your smart home, there are some steps you can take. First, look for devices that offer two-factor authentication, which sends a code to your mobile device to verify it’s really you. That way, if someone tries to hack into your account, you will receive an alert and can quickly take care of the problem. Many devices also allow you to activate email or other push notifications in the settings to alert you if someone has logged on.
Additionally, make sure to use a unique, strong password composed of multiple characters, numbers, and letters for each of your smart home accounts. Data breaches feel like the norm as of late, making it all the more important to use different passwords across multiple websites and apps.
When using any devices with smart assistants likeAlexa, Google Assistant, andSiri, you can furtherprotect your privacybyregularly deleting your voice recordingsand muting the speaker’s mic when it’s not in use.
Looking for more privacy tips? Read our guide tosecuring your smart home.
Easy installation
Intuitive app
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
None that we could find
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Choppy digital dimming
Works with Z-Wave
Three-way switch compatible
Slow response time
Fiddly to install
Works with Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit
Buggy apps
Slow response time
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Responsive
App is easy to use
Setup can be tricky
Daniel Wroclawski is a tech-obsessed editor and reporter. In his spare time, you can probably find him hurtling through the air in a tin can-sized airplane.
Sarah Kovac is an award-winning author and smart home editor for Reviewed. Previously, she worked with a multitude of outlets such as Wirecutter, TIME, PCMag, Prevention, The Atlantic, Reviews.com, CNN, GOOD, Upworthy, Mom.me, and SheKnows.
Rachel Murphy covers smart home for Reviewed. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Central Florida. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer for several major outlets and as an associate editorial producer for ABC News' Good Morning America.
We use standardized and scientific testing methods to scrutinize every product and provide you with objectively accurate results. If you’ve found different results in your own research, email us and we’ll compare notes. If it looks substantial, we’ll gladly re-test a product to try and reproduce these results. After all, peer reviews are a critical part of any scientific process.
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We'll help you find the best stuff and love the stuff you own.
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