There is no shortage of smart outlet adaptors for HomeKit. In the past, I reviewed products from VOCOlinc, Eve (with Thread), Meross, Wemo, and more. The one thing they are all missing is support for dimmable bulbs. If you need that feature, keep reading to learn more about the Legrand Smart Switch.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
When looking at HomeKit lighting options for lamps, you have to decide if you’re going use HomeKit bulbs or your existing bulbs and install adaptors. There are multiple options for dimmable bulbs with products like Philips Hue, but there aren’t many dimmable bulbs with just an adaptor.
Support for dimmable bulbs is what makes the Legrand Smart Switch unique among other outlet adaptors.
Setup experience
Outlet adaptors are some of the easiest products to install with HomeKit. The product works without needing another app, so all you need to do is plug in and scan the HomeKit code using the Home app.
Unlike some other adaptors, the HomeKit code on the top is the adaptor, so it’s easy to scan while the device is plugged in. My real pet peeve with HomeKit products is when they are on the underside or – even worse – the back, so it’s a difficult dance of scanning it and plugging it up quickly before it times out.
Once it’s in HomeKit, it’ll automatically show up as a light in HomeKit. However, unlike other switched outlets, it can’t be changed to a fan or just a regular outlet, so only buy this switch if you’re planning to use it as a light.
How to use the dimmable feature
As I mentioned initially, the unique feature of the Legrand Smart Switch is the dimmable aspect. There are two hardware buttons on the device, so I am including how to use it below:
Of course, the Home app is the perfect place to use it, though. You can control the brightness of the bulb using the Home app slider. You can set it using Siri on Apple Watch, iOS, macOS, or using a HomePod to be off, on, or at a certain percentage of brightness.
Top button: Press to turn the light on or double-tap to raise the dimming percentage to 100%.
Bottom button: Press to turn the light off.
Press and hold any button to quickly change the dimming percentage by 20% per second.
To return the dimmer to factory default, press and hold both buttons for 15 seconds. Then, remove the device from the Legrand Home app (or Apple Home app)
HomeKit functions
The Home app includes a lot of preset automation suggestions depending on the room you place it in. The suggestions are an aspect of HomeKit that has improved in recent years. For example, I have an Eve Motion sensor in the room. I have the Legrand Smart Switch, so HomeKit recommends an automation to flip the light on when it detects motion and flip it off when it stops detecting motion.
If you enable these automations, you can then have more fine-tune control on how these automations operate.
Wrap-up
The Legrand Smart Switch is on the higher end of prices compared to other products and is comparable to the Eve option that includes thread support, so it’s not going to be the lowest-cost product. However, if you want a HomeKit outlet with support for dimmable bulbs, then it’s the best product on the market.
