The 5 Best Programmable Light Switches of 2018 [Reviewed]

If you are in the market to find a programmable light switch, then you are at the right place. To begin, everybody’s daily busy life requires that you invest in various items and equipment that saves time and energy.

A programmable timer switch for LED lights eliminates the unintentional waste of electricity costs by switching off lights during the day.

It also saves you from coming home to total darkness after a busy day, where it could be difficult to find the light switch (Source).

Such importance explains the surge in demand for these products on the market. The best programmable light switches should be functional, have an attractive design, be compatible with your smart home, and offer an app to control it.

In this guide, we will review each programmable light switch and provide some key insights on what you should look for.

Top 5 Best Programmable Light Switches

1. Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B Light Switch – Best Overall Smart Switch

Having exterior home lights provides two benefits. The first being that lightning enhances an ambient glow of your home and property. Secondly, it gives a sense of security and safety. However, this would be much better with the Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B Light Switch.

Switch by location

The Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B Light Switch doesn’t sense the presence of light like other automated switches does. However, for functionality, users are required to enter their longitude and latitude of their location as well as the time and date. With this info, the switch calculates the exact sunrise and sunset times.

Programming

Programming any automatic light switch timer can be daunting, especially for beginners. Setting up the latitude and longitude can be easy. However, getting the switch to auto modes and other menu items might be quite daunting. Nonetheless, once the switch gets to auto mode, you won’t have to touch it again.

Manual and vacation modes

The Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B Light Switch’s manual mode is just as it sounds. If you don’t need much automation, you can switch to this mode where it turns to an ON/OFF switch.

On the other hand, the vacation mode is specifically designed to make the house look occupied. It randomly turns the lights on and off throughout the day. Additionally, it uses the saved longitude and latitude details to switch on the lights at sunset for some minutes, between 60 and 90 minutes.

It may then turn off the lights for 20 to 30 minutes and repeats the cycle until it turns the lights off finally near midnight. This is a great way not to waste electricity during the day as well as have the security of a “lived – in” house while away.

Interface

The initial setup and operating modes of the Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B Light Switch are solid. Visually, this automatic light switch appears more upscale compared to other products of the same caliber.

Its design is sleek and fits well with the wall plates. The switch has three buttons with intuitive use. It comes with an LCD screen that is large and easy to read with a blue-black light whose brightness can be adjusted.

The best part of this device is the tiny blue LED light at the lower corner that illuminates when the switch’s circuit is turned on. This makes it easy to confirm if the switch is turned on.

Other modes

The Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B Light Switch can also be used as a standard timer. Users can program up to 7 varying programs in the switch. However, only one program can be active at a time. The programs include the manual mode and vacation or random modes mentioned above among others.

Power Loss

Unlike other mediocre switches, the Honeywell Econoswitch doesn’t lose its settings in case of power blackouts. This includes the internal clock that keeps working. When the power comes back, the switch functions normally.

2. Leviton ODS10-ID Switch Occupancy Sensor – Best Switch for Commercial & Residential Applications

The Leviton ODS10-ID Switch Occupancy Sensor is an ideal energy saving method of choice for automatic lighting control in various commercial and residential applications. It expertly controls a wide variety of load types.

The device certainly can’t win the design awards as it features a low profile design but has a no-nonsense approach towards lights control.

Automatic light control

For a fact, turning off the lights when leaving any room is the simplest way of cutting down energy use. However, it isn’t a convenient method nor is it easy to remember. This is true especially in places where people frequent or coming in and going out all day long.

The Leviton ODS10-ID Switch Occupancy Sensor eliminates the problem of selecting load types by providing automatic control of fluorescents, low-voltage lighting and incandescent lamps using magnetic and electronic ballasts.

This device provides an adjustable 180 degrees field of view with uncompelled sensitivity alterations, delayed off time and ambient light override. It also features a manual override switch that can be used to keep lights off when necessary.

For enhanced energy saving, this switch has a light sensor that provides ambient light override option, which can be set between 2 and 500 or more foot candles to prevent the sensor from switching the lights on when the room has sufficient sunlight.

PIR Technology

The switch uses a passive infrared detection technology through segmented Fresnel lenses to monitor the room for occupancy. These lenses divide the field of view into sensor zones such that when a person passes through one zone, the zone detects motion and switches the lights on.

Lights remain on as long as the occupant is in the room. However, if the space being monitored by the sensor is unoccupied during the preset time chosen, the unit maintains its lights on.

3. Philips Hue Dimmer Light Switch – Best for the Money

Since its inception, Philips has been in its own class when it comes to connected lighting. The Philips Hue Dimmer Light Switch makes this technology much simpler to adopt, especially for new users. This switch comes with dimmable bulbs and two configuration options.

This device is a wireless and battery powered switch based on the Philips Hue system that controls the dimness of scenes from bright to extra low dim. It offers simple remote hue lights control through an intricate user interface yet at a reasonable price.

Setting Up

Setting up the Philips Hue Dimmer Light Switch is pretty easy. You can follow the user manual through the steps outlined. You need to have the hue app to ease pairing the system with your bridge. The hue dimmer has four buttons that are self-explanatory. As labeled, they are the on, brighter, dimmer and off button.

Ease of use

Once you have connected the Philips dimmer to the hue bridge, you need to configure it with the app. Here, you can set your favorite light scene even without using the smart device.

The dimmer can be used as any other typical wall switch. For this, you can place it at any convenient spot on your house, holding it to the wall using screws or adhesive tapes. This device runs on batteries making the whole process of setting up quite easy.

Design

The Philips Hue Dimmer Light Switch features a magnetic base or a wall plate that allows users to mount it using magnets. Once connected to the Hue app, you can use the app to control the lights just at the touch of a finger.

This system is continuously upgraded with new design features and improvements, especially with the software and firmware components.

Uses

The Philips Hue Dimmer Light Switch is perfect for those who need to alter the lighting scene such as adjusting brightness. It is perfect for dining and living rooms. You can cycle through various preset scenes and easily change both the color scheme and mood as you use the brightness buttons to adjust the dim level.

4. Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimmer Light Switch – Best Feature-Packed Light Switch

The Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimmer Light Switch has various features that make home automation desirable in all angles. Some of the most noteworthy include the one in-wall switch, wireless remote and smartbridge hub that can be used to control Lutron Caseta shades and fans too.

From its design, the switch looks high-tech with several control buttons laid out for numerous option offers. Factually, Lutron can be described as better in fashion over function but doesn’t let down on its performance.

The white and grey buttons placed front and center with touch-sensitive controls are not only intriguing but eases its use. Other features include geofencing, that implies that the switch will automatically turn the lights on and off when leaving or arriving at home.

It provides an option for scheduling when your lights turn on and off at particular times or days. Dimming capabilities and compatibility with various smartphone home systems will make it easy to use. Users can also control the Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimmer Light Switch using voice commands through Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and other apps.

5. Wemo Dimmer Wi-Fi Programmable Light Switch – Smartest Light Switch

The Wemo Dimmer Wi-Fi Programmable Light Switch is perhaps the best designed smart switch of the era, with a wide range of new and thoughtful features. Some of the outstanding features of this product include:

• Control from anywhere – you can control the Wemo Dimmer from the wall, Wemo app or even using your voice from Google home app and Amazon Alexa.
• Sync with your schedule – you can easily set a schedule so that your lights do what you want at the right time.
• Night mode – this device allows you to have desired low light level protecting the eyes from bright light.

Things to Consider Before Buying a Programmable Light Switch

As mentioned above, there are various programmable light switches options to choose from.

This calls for a thorough search, looking into the specific features of each product. Some of the key factors to consider include:

• Design – is the light switch attractive? Note that the best often comes in multiple colors. You can choose one that matched your home décor.
• Functionality – does the switch support three or four connections? Always consider a switch with the best functionality in terms of connections.
• App – most programmable light switches can be controlled using smartphone apps. Ensure that the app is easy to work with and provides a wide assortment of features.
• Smart home compatibility – inquire if other smart home devices can work with the switch. The more, the better.

Our Final Review

Home automation is perhaps the best technological advancements that benefit various homes. With the programmable light switches, you can easily control your home or commercial building lights to save on energy and time.

Various products, such as the Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B Light Switch provides an additional sense of security through its various programs, especially the vacation mode.

Go for a product that has an intriguing design, feature-packed functionality, easy to control using the app and compatible with various smart home techs.

That said, have you tried one of the products we’ve mentioned above? Which was your favorite? Share with us below!