Complete Guide to Smart Home Wireless Remote Control Dimmers and Apps for your Home and Art Lighting Solutions

Do you want to get rid of your old light switches and install new ones that will make your life easier? You're not alone! Smart home wireless remote control dimmers and apps are the new wave in home automation as well as art lighting, and it is easy to see why. 

Smart lighting combines new wireless technologies that allow lights and their controls to communicate with each other through a communication protocol, which makes them easier to dim as desired through remote control or app. In addition to gradually adjusting the lighting levels from 100% to 1% for the perfect ambiance, wireless remote control dimmers and apps allow you to adjust the tone and color temperature of your lights comfortably with ease, all with the push of a button. You can even schedule your lighting to ensure energy efficiency when the lights are not in use. 

5 Main Considerations When Selecting Your Smart Home Wireless Remote Control Dimmers and Apps

When looking for a smart home wireless remote control dimmer for your home and art lighting solutions, there are a few things you should consider. These include the following:

1.     Smart Dimmer Type

The first important consideration is finding the right wireless dimmer type for your home. Smart dimmers come in a wide range of neutral wire and no neutral wire models and designs from which you can select depending on your lighting needs. The following are the two main types of wireless smart dimmers.

Smart Switches: A smart dimmer switch is often hard-wired into your home's electrical works. It is a more reliable alternative to the ordinary wall switch, providing the convenience of controlling all the lighting in your home or different layers of light in the room all from a single platform using a wide range of controls, apart from the manual control. 

Smart Plugs: Wireless smart plugs allow you to control individual plug-in picture lights and lamps from a remote control or an app. They allow for an easy plug-and-play installation by simply connecting your art lighting fixture to the smart plug, and connecting the smart plug to the existing socket. Installing a wireless smart plug to a lamp with dimmable bulbs will enable you to control your lighting, switching it on and off from anywhere, adjusting the lighting levels, and tracking your energy use. 

Read Also: Bedroom Wall Art Lighting

2.     WiFi Requirements
 

Smart wireless dimmers operate on WiFi networks. Therefore, you will need to ensure that your dimmer is compatible with the type of WiFi network in your home. You may find that most wireless dimmers only support 2.4GHz WiFi networks and may not work with 5GHz networks and over. Similarly, confirm if your dimmer can support 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G WiFi network as appropriate to avoid having to upgrade or downgrade your WiFi network during installation. If your smart device does not have a WiFi chip, you can install a Smart Bridge as appropriate to allow you to control your lights from anywhere in the world. 

3.     Available Controls

Depending on the features you want, most smart wireless dimmers support a vast combination of control options. These may include the following:

A.    Voice Control

Voice control is one of the most common types of dimmer controls, allowing you to use voice commands to control your smart lighting in conjunction with voice recognition software and devices such as the Amazon Echo and Apple HomePod. You can use voice control with any smart device with an internet connection and is thus great if you want to control your smart bulbs and art lights remotely from anywhere in your home. You simply tell your device what you want for your light or switch, and it will do it for you.

There are a good number of voice assistants that are compatible with smart wireless dimmers, such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, which you can integrate into your home system. 

B.     Remote Control

If you want a wireless control option that is conveniently easy to use but does not require any training whatsoever, the wireless remote control might be the way to go! You will simply use a physical remote to control your dimmer by pressing the relevant button assigned to the function you want. 

Remote controls allow you to switch your lights on or off, increase or decrease your light output, and switch between different features and presets depending on the capabilities of your wireless dimmer switch. Check the maximum distance coverage of your remote control and whether it has strong enough signals to go through obstructions such as walls and doors before purchase. 

C.    App Control

You can control your wireless dimmer switches from your smart devices, whether your mobile phone or tablet, simply by configuring your smart home device and installing an app. Ensuring that your devices have the App support required, such as iOS or Android compatibility, is, therefore, a key consideration when purchasing your wireless dimmer.  

Just as with remote controls, there are brand-specific apps such as Avatar Controls that work only with particular models, and universal apps that would generally work with most wireless dimmer switches. The four most commonly used universal apps for wireless dimming controls include the following:

Amazon Alexa:   The Alexa app is capable of connecting to smart switches, allowing you to group your lights and control them remotely with a single tap. Although it does not support smart plugs, it is highly compatible with a good number of wireless switch models. Additionally, with Alexa Routines, you can automate your lighting with schedules, timers, and routines to maximize the energy efficiency of your home. 

Google Home: The Google Home app is a convenient way to control all the smart wireless dimmers connected to your Google Assistant without any extra manual configuration required. It works with most smart devices, allowing you to control all your lighting from a single screen. Furthermore, you can also use Routines with your Google Home app to automate several lighting commands for your home. 

Apple HomeKit:  For Apple lovers, Apple HomeKit offers a revolutionary solution to adaptive lighting and smart light switches, automating your lights to emulate the color temperature of natural daylight throughout the day. You can also group different light fixtures for easy control and dim them as desired, attaining a warmer temperature as you reduce the lighting levels. 

Samsung SmartThings:  Another great app that works with smart wireless dimmers is the Smart Things App. Designed by Samsung, the app has an exceptionally user-friendly interface that works with many smart devices outside the Samsung brand. Additionally, it can support several third-party services, making it highly versatile in its functionality as a brilliant smart home control solution. 

D.    Manual Control

Having a smart wireless dimmer switch does not rule out the use of manual control where necessary. You can still walk physically to where your wall smart dimmer switch is located and control the lighting from that point. This presents the advantage of functionality even when the WiFi is disconnected. 

4.      Supported Products and Devices

For every smart home wireless remote control dimmer and app, there are limitations to the products, devices, and bulb types it can support. For instance, some wireless dimmers can support LED Dimmable bulbs, CFL Dimmable Bulbs, and Incandescent Bulbs of a given wattage, but not smart light bulbs. Similarly, lighting control apps and devices often come with a list of the brands they can support, failure to which, you can go for the brand-specific solutions. It is, therefore, crucial to check the supported products and devices for every dimmer and app before purchasing. 

5.      Automation Capabilities

Automation is a feature that allows you to enjoy the convenience of your smart wireless dimmers to the fullest. When investing in your smart dimmers, remote controls, and apps, check for the automation capabilities they come with, and whether they will be able to meet your lighting control needs. 

The best smart light switch should allow you to schedule your lighting for specific days and set timers for turning your lights on and off while you are away, including your home security lights. Having multi-user control also allows you to share your devices with your other family members. Additionally, having dimmer switches, remote controls, and smart apps that come with custom scenes with ready dimming presets will give you the flexibility of instantly setting the ambiance of your room as desired in a single tap. 

Read Also: Luxury Interior Lighting

Smart Home Wireless Control Dimmers and Apps in Art Lighting Solutions

As top providers of dimmable art lighting solutions, Perfect Picture Lights advocates for smart home wireless dimmers in making your art lights more energy efficient. Having the ability to adjust the lighting levels of your art lights ensures that your art receives just the right amount of illumination to make it stand out throughout the day without washing it out. 

A smart dimmer that allows you to automate your art lighting levels according to the hour of the day and the daylight conditions while automatically switching it off during late night hours can save you tons in energy costs. Therefore, go for a smart wireless dimmer switch with full-range dimming capabilities, all the control options you desire, and automation features to make the most of your Perfect Picture Lights' dimmable art lights. 

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Winny Okoth is a practicing Construction Project Manager and Interior Designer. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Construction Project Management. Winny Okoth has a great passion for every form of design as well as 3D visualization skills for architectural and interior design.