I’m almost done with my home renovations, and now I’m ready to dive into some Smart Home solutions.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reading a lot of articles and doing my research, but I’m still struggling to find the perfect setup for what I want—lighting that automatically follows the Circadian rhythm.
I’ve been looking into the Aqara ecosystem, especially the H1 switches, because they seem to offer a lot of the products I might need in the future (like presence sensors, smart outlets, and roller shades). But here’s the catch—the H1 switches don’t seem to work directly with smart bulbs (at least not as far as I know).
Here’s what I’m hoping to achieve: I don’t need physical dimmers or color-changing switches. Ideally, I want smart switches that control the power to the bulbs, so there’s no issue where someone accidentally flips the switch and messes with the smart bulbs. Then, through the app, I want the brightness and color temperature of the bulbs to automatically adjust based on the time of day. I’d like the option to manually tweak things in the app if needed, but I don’t need a physical control for that.
A few details that might help:
I have a neutral wire.
I’m using an Android device, so HomeKit isn’t necessary.
I plan to use LED bulbs throughout the house, specifically GU10 and E27 types (I will include photos below if the naming isn’t consistent in English).
Any advice or recommendations would be much appreciated.
Alright, here’s what you do… Get Home Assistant running, then install this adaptive lighting integration: GitHub - basnijholt/adaptive-lighting: Adaptive Lighting custom component for Home Assistant. It’s awesome. It automatically adjusts your lights based on the time of day and remembers any changes you make manually, holding off further adaptations until you turn the lights off and on again. Plus, you can tweak everything to fit exactly what you want.
Jerome said: @Giselle
That sounds perfect! What kind of hardware do I need to make that work?
Home Assistant can run on pretty much any computer, but if you’re new, Home Assistant Green is a solid option: Home Assistant Green - Home Assistant. It’s beginner-friendly but powerful.
@Giselle
You might want to think twice about Home Assistant. It has a ton of integrations, but the interface can be a bit scattered and hard to learn at first. I tried it with a Raspberry Pi 4 and connected it to my Hubitat setup. Honestly, it was more of a hassle than anything, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re just starting out. Hubitat is easier and still gets the job done. You can always add Home Assistant later if you need it, but for now, I’d suggest sticking with something simpler.
@The
It wasn’t confusion—it was duplication. I already had Hubitat handling my automations, so adding HA didn’t bring anything new to the table. Both systems do the same things, just in different ways. I don’t think HA is all that special, but it works for some people. It just wasn’t worth the extra complexity for me.
@Donovan
I see your point, but Home Assistant really is the best for adaptive lighting, especially with the customization it offers. Hubitat’s UI doesn’t even compare. Plus, having two systems running together just adds more points of failure. HA keeps everything under one roof.
@Giselle
I wouldn’t say HA is the ‘best.’ It’s just an option. I tried it and didn’t find anything it could do that Hubitat couldn’t. Sure, the adaptive lighting feature is nice, but I can write my own scripts in Hubitat to handle that. And about the UI—it’s not that I didn’t like it; it just felt scattered. Everyone who tries HA says it’s amazing, but I wasn’t impressed. Plus, the paid subscription for cloud access and Alexa/Google integration was an unpleasant surprise. Hubitat offers those features for free.
HA’s adaptive lighting is great because it detects manual light changes and stops adjusting until you turn the lights off and back on. It’s super customizable and works with any light in HA without needing a proprietary system. And it’s a popular integration—over 2,000 stars on GitHub!
The UI might’ve been worse when you used it, but Nabu Casa has improved it a lot in recent updates.
HA is free, but the cloud subscription just makes things easier. You don’t have to pay for cloud access if you don’t want to.
@Giselle
I’m not doubting HA’s capabilities, but I’ve built my own adaptive lighting solution on Hubitat using light sensors. I can easily add features like ignoring manual changes. Plus, Hubitat is constantly updated, and the community is always creating new integrations. So, for me, Hubitat checks all the boxes. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all decision—both systems have pros and cons.
@Donovan
So, OP, after reading all this, what are you thinking? Just remember, you don’t need a fancy hub to use Home Assistant. Any computer, even an old laptop, can run it. And HA gets monthly updates and weekly fixes.
@Giselle
I think OP needs to research all the hubs available and choose based on what fits their needs. There’s no rush to jump into HA or Hubitat without checking out other options. And while proprietary systems might seem limiting, they usually offer a smoother user experience.
@Giselle
Thanks, everyone, for all this info. I was initially asking about what switches and bulbs to get, but this discussion has helped me see the bigger picture. I’ll update you all when I decide between HA and Hubitat. For now, I’m leaning toward a Raspberry Pi with IKEA TRÅDFRI bulbs and Aqara T1 modules. Seems budget-friendly and practical.
Amir said:
How are you syncing your lights to your body’s circadian rhythm? I’ve only seen things that can adjust based on sunrise/sunset times.
I’m not trying to get too complicated with it. I just want the lights to adjust based on sunrise and sunset, but I’m struggling to find the right setup. I’m looking into Aqara switches with smart bulbs like Philips Hue or IKEA TRÅDFRI. Still doing my research.
@Jerome
Google Home and Tapo also have sunrise/sunset triggers. I use Kasa switches to create a personal sunrise every morning, even before the actual sunrise. My outdoor lights turn on at sunset automatically.
For the switches, go with something like Innovelli. They can control smart bulbs without cutting the power, so you can keep the bulbs’ automation intact. You’ll want bulbs that can change color temperature for the full circadian rhythm effect.
