There is no question that Smart Light Bulb technology has improved the quality of life for a number of users. With these products, our home lighting can become more personalized and mood friendly. This can be very soothing for those who want to relax from a stressful day at work.
Smart light bulbs can easily be controlled by a smartphone app. However, some users will wonder whether they can control smart light bulbs by instead using a physical dimmer switch — particularly for those of us that already have dimmers installed.
This article will explore all possible answers and technical views, specifically whether or not Kasa Smart Light Bulbs work well with dimmer switches.
Quick Answer: Will Kasa Smart Bulbs Work with a Dimmer?
Technical experts have a consensus that Smart Light Bulbs shouldn’t be used with a dimmer switch since it already has built-in dimming mechanisms.
We will dig deeper into the claims to see if they apply to all brands and bulb manufacturers. You can only appreciate and understand the full features of your Kasa Smart Bulbs if you know how smart bulbs function and their technology.
In this article, we will provide you not only technical information about the product but also practical tips on choosing what device you need to install at your house to maximize the full potential of your Kasa Smart Bulbs.
Overview of Kasa Smart Light Bulbs
Using multicolor light bulb technology, a single bulb alone has endless lighting possibilities. You can choose from various colors depending on your mood and preferred ambiance.
Using the Kasa Smart app installed on your smartphone, you can conveniently control your smart bulbs wherever you are. These features apply whether you use an IOS or Android phone.
You can also use a voice command to turn on and off your lights and even to dim and brighten them. This feature is available through services like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Moreover, it does not require an additional hub since you can configure the smart bulbs to a WIFI network.
The Kasa Smart Light Bulbs are also equipped with a built-in dimming function which provides control of brightness and also helps to conserve energy.
Below are other technical reasons why the Kasa Smart Light Bulbs won’t work with the dimmer switch — and may even cause damage.
Weighing in Between Smart Bulbs and Smart Dimmer Switch
The first thing you must ask yourself if you are thinking of optimizing and automating your house lighting configuration is what to choose between smart bulbs and dimmer switches. You have to weigh the advantage and disadvantages of the two.
Some experts who are also practical thinkers recommend the use of smart dimmer switches rather than smart bulbs because switches are a lot easier to use than smart bulbs. However, you can unlock a lot more functionality by choosing smart bulbs over an ordinary smart dimmer switch.
Alternatively, smart bulbs are much easier to replace when broken or worn out than dimmer switches. A dimmer switch may require a professional installer for cable configuration or if you experience difficulty screwing your switch on the wall.
So for technical and practical tips, we recommend you choose smart bulbs. This is especially true for users that are lacking in tech-savvy, since screwing in a light bulb is much simpler than changing out a switch.
Incompatibility of Kasa’s Built-in Dimming Mechanism with Dimmer Switches
The built-in dimming mechanism of Kasa Smart Light Bulbs is why it won’t work with dimmer switches.
The dimmer switch’s mechanisms, when combined with that of the Kasa Smart bulb, can interfere with and overpower each other upon usage. As a result, it can cause the bulbs to flicker from time to time as you change the dimming setting of your Kasa smart bulbs.
Even worse, it can produce a buzzing or flickering noise while the bulbs are powered on. If that’s not enough, it is likely to shorten bulb lifespan while also degrading lighting performance.
In other words, using two identical (redundant) features on one unit is already technologically unnecessary.
Conclusion
Based on the explanation we have in the previous sections of the article, we can see that connecting a dimmer switch to smart bulbs is unnecessary and simply a waste of money.
In the first place, Kasa Smart Bulbs already have the built-in technology to dim itself even without a physical dimmer switch. You need to install and pair your smart bulbs using the Kasa app on your smartphone and let the app do all the tricks.
While the dimmer switch is primarily designed to operate several lights in one room simultaneously, using a dimmer switch on smart bulbs will only reduce the life span of your smart bulbs. Therefore, the features of the two devices are incompatible.
Recommendation
We do not recommend using a dimmer switch with Kasa Smart Light Bulbs for practical purposes since Kasa smart bulbs already have a built-in dimming mechanism.
By using a dimmer switch with smart bulbs, you risk poor performance, flickering lights, buzzing lights, and shortened bulb lifespan.
