To just want to use a fucking light switch

I can assure you, my severe mental illnesses, caused by trauma, a chemical imbalance in my brain, and a hormonal imbalance, are not in the least bit concerned with how I turn on the bedroom light.

I can't even be doing with an ordinary lamp let alone something smart. I will only use a simple switch at a handy height on the wall.

Tbf despite my grumbling upthread I did enjoy my Tapo smart plugs for my Christmas lights this year 😆
although a non smart timer plug would’ve been ok too.

but I set it to a routine of switching on and off but could also do it other times on my phone (or by voice) but prefer phone. And ditto for the outside Christmas lights where the plug was in an awkward place in the garage.

But since Xmas I’ve transferred the plugs onto some lights and it’s just annoying me in the main!

I haven’t lived in a house where most rooms just had one light on one light switch for nearly 30 years. Almost every room in my home is lit by several lights - ceiling lights, uplighters, lamps, under cabin lights, picture lights, etc. And quite a few of those are on dimmers. With automation I can set several different modes for a room, suitable for different uses or times of the day, and switch everything to a particular mode, or switch everything off, with just one command. It’s a lot less faff than going around my living room switching on all the lights and lamps and setting the right brightness.

I have never ever understood the appeal of this barring physical impairment. I get using it for timer / empty house situations or heating on remote but to be in a room or walking past the door where the switch would be and then having to unlock your phone or interact with a speaker that may or may not listen is bonkers. I completely agree with a pp that we seem to constantly make life more complicated and then wonder why everyone is so stressed and annoyed all the time.

Alexa never used to respond to my SIL. I think Alexa was the other woman!!!

I didn't know this stuff existed.

Great for people with disabilities/mobility issues. But for everyone else, why?!

I like switches. Buttons. Toggles. Knobs. Dials. Tactile, intuitive, fast, simple and easy. Very little to go wrong.

I want stuff that performs better than ever and is more energy-efficient. But I don't want using it to be over-designed, fussy, difficult and long-winded, for the sake of faux-convenience.

All the tech bollocks, such as described here with lights,🙄 a light switch is simple enough for majority of people.
No wonder so many people complain of anxiety and depression when they are worrying about shit like this, likes /lack of on fb and so many other pointless things in modern life, it helps make mental health much worse ime
john upthread, summed it up in one sentence.

My neighbour is always on trend with technology. When they are away and I feed the cats it seems great to not to have to touch the switches (more hygienic tbh). However I can only get the kitchen to work because I cannot remember what they have called the corridor (?corridor or hall) and lounge (sitting room, family room, lounge, drawing room). Easier to just wave in front of their hygienic contactless switches.

We don't have Aklexa or similar but when friends have demonstated it seems a bit like asking a cat to do something - it might do it, it might not or it might do something different. I suppose it is one way of bringing some excitement and mystery into one's life

I have a couple (and a couple of hive bulbs) and use them in lamps when we are away for the night. The rest of the time I’m a switch person.

Not anti tech but they’ve always struck me as pointless. I mean manually flicking a switch is actually quite satisfying.

I worry that with all these smart things we’re gradually taking away the need to move at all! All those little movements to go and switch on my lamps manually probably use a lot of calories over my lifetime!

If it's Hue, get the dimmer switches and stick them on the wall on / next to the physical switches! We have that in every room and mostly use those but can instruct Alexa when needed or use the app on our phones when we want to do something more clever or specific. Best of both all worlds! I love it!

I did, but have since pretty much binned them. At very least, they are all on switches. There are so many devices these days that can be used as entry points to the network, it's scary.

You clearly don't have teenagers who go to bed after you. They seem to be incapable of turning off lights when they leave a room so I have gone downstairs and found all the lights on more than once. Not that smart lights would help since I'm asleep long before this happens.

That’s really annoying. I can see why it would put you off. I haven’t had any problems with my smart light switches, though have had plenty of sockets die on me.

I didn't even know that was a thing. What a faff!

Set Alexa up for my chair/bedbound Mum and it was so good for her and everyone she could control lights/heating/xmas tree lights/tv - she had previously avoided even using a mobile but learned really well. I did however have to go up a lot when 'Alexa wouldn't listen' and sometimes had to reset the lights, which was a pain - also bulbs are extortionate and didn't all last as they should, but ultimately helped her stay in her home tbh.
However, I've been staying whilst sorting the house now and just didn't carry on using it - the 4 different light sets in the room are too much for me 🙈🤣 - it takes ages to turn on/off and just seems clunky and odd. I can't be doing with her telling me she has/not done things too lol. I do very occasionally wish I used the light one if I'm half asleep on the sofa!
I'm a fan for where it's needed but not personally, but I guess it will improve over time and might be better and I perhaps didn't try hard enough to get used to it.

Well my husband has extremely limited use of his arms and hands, so yeah, whay is the world coming to.

I'm coming around to ours. We use it to switch lights on around the house when we're away (via the phone app), and we also control the heated airer and our electric blanket. Nice to be able to switch that on just before we come home from a night out in the winter!

My husband loves it all, I'm not so into it. I feel it does not work more often that it does! Every room has alexa lights, the heating, the doorbell, tvs and now the shower!! Apparently I'm old fashioned because I like a nice lamp 🤣 Boys and their toys.

Absolutely get rid of your Alexa it boggles my mind how many people pay to set up a surveillance unit in their homes.

I'm such a Luddite. I don't have any of this stuff.

I have a mixture of smart lights and traditional lights and I’m in 2 minds about this. Sometimes I find smart lights a bit faffy and I rarely take full advantage of all the colours, modes, automations etc. however being able to turn the light off via an app is so useful, especially in bedrooms