The Best Smart Light Switches

We humans may be getting dumber, but our homes’ technology just keeps getting smarter. Whether it’s a garage door that opens automatically when you get home, or a set of kitchen scales that counts your calories, evolving smart home tech is brightening our domestic lives. We’re living in a world of smart ideas and smarter gadgets.

The real light bulb moment, though, was the introduction of smart light switches. These handy, intelligent devices let you control your home’s lighting remotely through your smartphone, or with your voice. 

Through a range of innovative settings and features, smart light switches allow you to transform your home with immersive colours, and set the mood with various brightness settings.

So, is your home ready to make the switch? Read on, as we shed some light on the best smart light switches in the UK. Find out more about what smart switches can do, and how much they’re going to cost you.

Smart light switches make lighting your home feel like child’s play

What is a smart light switch?

Smart light switches let you operate your home’s lighting via a mobile app, from your phone or tablet. In most cases, smart light switches will also let you dim your bulbs, and change the colour of your lighting to reflect your mood, or the time of day.

And, by working with other components of your smart home, these super-powered light switches can be controlled with your voice, for the ultimate level of home convenience. 

Smart light switches also offer energy-saving benefits, too – you can turn them on or off remotely, and know when they’re being used – even when you’re not in the house. That means you’ll never have to get home to the soul-sucking, wallet-sapping sight of a whole living room’s worth of lights having been left on.

What are the costs of smart light switches?

Smart light switches can cost anywhere from £20 to more than £60, depending on the brand and model. Some smart light switches will also require a smart hub, to enable voice control via a virtual assistant such as Apple Homekit’s Siri, or Amazon Alexa – sadly, though, you’ll need to buy these separately. 

Don’t fret, though – there’s good news. Amazon offers a range of affordable smart speakers that act as hubs as well as stereos, and will look good on your shelf, too.

What is the best smart light switch? 

We looked at the range of smart light switches available to purchase online in the UK. With you in mind, we prioritised the switches offering the smoothest blend of style, value, and reliability. We also took into account the ease of use of each switch, as well as that of the mobile app it pairs with. 

With all that in mind, the best smart light switch for UK homes is the Lightwave L21 Smart Series Dimmer. It’s feature-rich, looks good, and is as straightforward to set up as it is to control. 

That said, it’s expensive, and won’t be right for everyone’s budgets – or bedrooms. What other options are out there?

Top 5 smart light switches

Along with the Lightwave, four other smart light switches available in the UK made our shortlist. Lighting up the other spots in the top echelon of smart switch excellence are models from Innens, Meross, Masamala, and Moes. 

Let’s find out why.

Lightwave

Best smart light switch for features

As we just mentioned, this smart light switch from Lightwave won’t suit the bargain hunters among us. But, for those with functionality at the top of their smart light switch priority list, the Lightwave should tick all the right boxes. 

Installation of the smart switch is a DIY job, but it’s once you’ve connected your switch to the Lightwave app that the real fun begins. Create ‘scenes’ – personalised lighting configurations to match the mood you’re in, or the activities you have planned for the evening. A mix of blues and greens might be great for yoga, perhaps, whereas yellow might be your colour for reading. A rosy pink hue… we’ll leave that one up to you.

When you’re not preoccupied with all of the above, though, you’ll want to be further exploring Lightwave’s slick app. As well as timers and remote access to your lights, you’ll also be able to track your lights’ total energy consumption, and chart it over time.

Every Achilles has a heel, though, and this one has two. As we’ve already mentioned, it’s pricey. But also, the Lightwave is hamstrung by its reliance on a hub (the Lightwave L2 Link Plus) to work. Plus, if you’re set on integrating voice control (which, let’s face it, you should be) you’ll need to spring another £34.99 for an Alexa device like the Echo Dot. 

Innens

Best smart light switch for style

If you’re an appreciator of the aesthetics in life, then you’ll love this smart light switch from Innens. With a light chrome finish, aluminium alloy frame and elegant, ‘less is more’ feel, the Innens should complement your current decor, while adding a touch of class to any room.

The Innens smart light switch works in tandem with both Alexa and Google, enabling voice commands. For control from your smartphone, though, you’ll use the highly rated Smart Life app from world-leading Internet of Things (IoT) provider Tuya. 

That means that you’ll be able to control your other smart home devices from the same app (providing they’re compatible with Tuya’s technology) – and, crucially, be able to access all your smart gadgets from a single, central hub.

The Innens also weighs in as one of the most affordable smart light switches on our list. Oh, and did we mention how good it looks? 

Meross

Best smart light switch on a budget

Not only is the Meross smart light switch a highly capable piece of technology, but it shatters the unfortunate misconception that smart devices have to be expensive. 

That’s right – some are cheap as chips. 

Take the Meross as an example. You can own this smart light switch for just £20.99, and it works with Alexa and Google Assistant – though you’ll need to pair it with a hub for voice control. Aside from this, the Meross smart light switch offers an excellent wifi connection range, meaning you won’t get any of that pesky, patchy service other smart switches might experience. 

And, though its app has a fairly basic look and feel, it still offers most of the features as the big brands. You’ll get timers and schedule-setting, and should find the app pretty simple to use, too. 

Masamala

Best smart light switch for reliability

The Masamala may sound like your favourite British take on a classic Indian dish, but actually… it’s this smart light switch. Serving up a tasty mobile app and a range of spicy features, the Masamala brings to the table a satisfying blend of durability and convenience. 

With a tempered glass touch screen, a highly sensitive touch interface, and glass that’s scratch, fire, water, and shatter-proof, the Masamala is built to last. If it doesn’t, though, you’re covered by a one-year warranty, and a generous helping of after-sales support to boot. 

Better still, the Masamala smart light switch is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Homekit. So, whatever your current smart home setup, you can be confident that your Masamala smart light switch can slot straight in without hassle. 

Moes

Best smart light switch for ease of use

Powered by Smart Life (the same mobile app that works with the Innens model), this smart switch from Moes is as straightforward as they come.

Working with Amazon Alexa and Google Home – and sporting an unobtrusive and unpretentious design – the Moes smart switch should slot straight into the current setup of any home. Better still, it’s available at a reasonable price – you can snap it up for just £26.99. 

FAQs

Do smart light switches save you money?

Smart switches can help save you money, because you’ll always know when your lights are on. You’ll also be able to turn lights off remotely, which is a big help when you’ve got forgetful teenagers, or profligate parents. 

Some smart light switches also let you monitor energy usage, so you’ll be able to see exactly what you’re paying, and phase out any egregious wastes of electricity.

Do smart light switches save electricity?

Smart light switches won’t necessarily shave huge amounts off your electricity bill, but there is something you can do to easily cut costs when it comes to lighting – install LED bulbs.

LED bulbs cost about an eighth as much to run as their incandescent counterparts. Sure, they cost a tad more to buy, but are also better for the environment, and more sustainable in the long run. It’s a no-brainer!