LIFX Smart Switch, 2 Button in-Wall Wi-Fi Smart Touch Switch (White)

A slick looking smart light switch
I have many LIFX light bulbs around my two houses, which is the main reason why I went with this particular switch. I needed to replace an old automatic timer switch that the previous owner installed for a flood light that seemed to come on randomly no matter how I messed with it.The smart switch does have some overlap with my typical use of LIFX smart bulbs around the house. Typically I use the bulbs on a strict schedule in areas where I want them on or off at those times regardless of what day it is. However, there are applications where you want a light to be manually operated at times, perhaps in combination with a schedule. My flood light was exactly that. I’m generally not at that property, and don’t need to be wasting electricity. This smart switch gives myself or anyone else the ability to turn on the light without the phone app. The physical switch has a really nice look and haptic feel with a satisfying click. I also like the glow around the two buttons that makes it easier to find in the dark, though this may not be desirable for all people.My biggest complaint is that no where on the switch or in the instructions does it tell you “hey, there are 2 buttons and the top one can be programmed but the bottom one always toggles it.” So, you may have a guest that wonders what the heck button does one, and it may be reasonable to assume the top button is On and the bottom button is for Off, which is not the case. In fact, the top button is meant to activate a scene in your LIFX app, which could be any combination of things. That can be super useful, but confusing or not necessary in my case.Though not specific to the switch, I also have problems with the LIFX setup via iOS in general. For one, it’s always trying to force me to setup through Apple Homekit, which I will not use. But the big issue is it doesn’t always work with my phone. I’ve tried every troubleshooting tip for my iPhone 12 and it won’t work 90% of the time. Sometimes I’ve tried the setup over 10 times and it fails at the last step until then. This has been going on for years, on multiple phones, so usually what I have to do is try on my wife’s phone and her Android seems to have better luck.The physical installation of the switch is pretty straight forward and similar to any timer switch. Your local government may require you to use a licensed electrician, and definitely do not attempt without verifying power is off at the wires no matter what you think you did with the breaker. It’s also important to note that the switch, like most smart or timer switches, required a neutral wire so that it can draw power at all times. It’s common for simple light toggle switches, especially in older homes, to be wired without one and this will not work. It’s also somewhat of a large device and will need a box big enough to fit everthing.

Doesn’t work with Google WiFI
First thing’s first, this wasn’t the easiest installation for someone who has never installed a lightswitch in their life. Things weren’t made any easier when the colors of the wires on the switch didn’t exactly match up with the colors that were in my wall. After some research I was able to figure it out and successfully get the switch installed. It even worked right away with my dumb lights that the previous lightswitch controlled. Unfortunately that was just the beginning of my problems.No matter what I did, no matter what instructions I followed, no matter what suggestions I found online, I was not able to ever get this switch connected to my Google WiFi. The app saw the switch, could connect to the switch, could even update the firmware on the switch, but when it came to connecting it to my home WiFi network it would fail 100% of the time. Homekit found the switch, wanted to try and connect to the switch, but wanted a code for the switch which was not present in any of the materials provided. Apparently you need to connect the switch to the WiFi first before it can generated a Homekit code to connect it that way. Very backwards.I went back and forth with LIFX support to try and get this working, even providing them a bunch of requested logs, but ultimately they deemed a return was needed. This is disappointing because I really wanted this switch to work since it worked with my dumb lights, which was the entire reason for purchasing it.

Nice switch, great customization, terrible manual
I’ve put a few of these into my home recently, and I quite like them. You can customize the color of the switch’s own backlighting, as well as its haptic feedback, and each of the switch’s two buttons has multiple customization options. It can run in an always-on mode for LIFX lights, or it can behave like a normal (but WiFi controllable) lightswitch. Different actions can be set to single press, double tap, and triple tap on each button, and the buttons can be assigned to drive different LIFX lights than the specific ones on that circuit as well. It’s an incredibly flexible device for the price, and like the bulbs, it’s hub-free so a LIFX system is way more extensible than the competition’s smart lighting.My only complaint is that the installation manual’s diagrams for the one-gang switch only show pictures of the two-gang switch which makes it seem like you’re supposed to open the bloody thing up (you’re not).

Switch set up was a lengthy process as my switch arrived with the older Firmware. The LIFX in-app instructions were good with links to their support page for additional assistance. I had to play around with the router to get the switch to connect. (Switched the router to 2.4ghz during set up). Once connected, the switch has been great to use. Kids love the ability to use the bottom button to set scenes on LIFX bulbs in our kitchen. The top button is set up for a non-smart LED under the kitchen cabinets. We have the Ecobee set up to automate the lights at night. So far the connection has been very responsive. The physical switch looks and feels like a quality device (not like the cheaper smart switches with weird squishy buttons). Switch has a lot of different options for customization. LED button colours can change, buzz feedback can be set to different levels, 6 different actions can set for various types of button presses. Within the 6 types of button presses there are a lot of different options for further customization. Great switch. I will buy again.

1st the wire-to-wire connection adds unnecessary bulk and it barely fixes into the switch box. Lifx needs to use pole connections like all other switches out there. 2nd the Wi-Fi setup of this device is idiotic! it says to use HomeKit, but they provide no QR code, and it won’t detect when the phone is close to the switch. You can try to set it up without HomeKit but you have to wait 15min (WTF). You can’t go directly to a manual setup, you must try HomeKit first (again WTF). After that 15min, with the phone connected to the switch’s WI-FI connection, it does nothing, you can’t move past the new product setup. Someone seriously dropped the ball during the design process.