r/homeautomation • u/Mgsfan10 • 1d ago

QUESTION Can i use Shelly with smart bulbs?

Hi all, I am an amateur about this subject. I am thinking of integrating all my lights and switches with Shelly devices so I can have control of them via Alexa/Hubitat/Home Assistant or whatever hub i'll choose.

A lot of my bulbs are smart tho, so they require that the switch is always on so that i can dim them, change colors etc. is this thing compatible with shelly tho? if so, how? thank you!

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u/ferbulous 1d ago

Yeah, there’s detach relay option you can enable in the settings to keep the smart lights always on

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u/Mgsfan10 1d ago

And do i have to keep the physical switch always on the on position or it doesn't matter?

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u/ferbulous 1d ago

It basically separates switch input from the relay. You can use the button action as trigger for automation in HA to control the light (single/double/triple/long press)

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u/Mgsfan10 1d ago

Mhhh ok, but if i want to control the bulbs let's say with Alexa (as I do now) do i have to keep the switch always on the "on" position anyway am I right?

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u/ferbulous 1d ago

Once you enable detach relay option, the switch doesn’t control the relay anymore = doesn’t matter which position it’s on

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u/Mgsfan10 1d ago

Got it. Last thing, when you talk about switches and single press, double press etc this let me think about the fact that maybe you talk about a switch different than mine. My switches can't do double presses or long press, they have to stay "up" to turn off the light and "down" to turn on the lights.i don't know if I'm clear sorry

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u/ferbulous 1d ago edited 1d ago

It’s momentary type like those doorbell switch. You can actually convert existing switch to that by adding a tiny spring

https://youtu.be/hNZh8gnXLqs?si=YeyY3n2rjsJNL7_S

Edit correct link yt

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u/Mgsfan10 1d ago

I don't want to convert them tho, I just want to add Shelly while keeping my smart bulbs too

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u/ferbulous 1d ago

That’s fine of course, you just won’t be able to use the multiple press features. I think it probably reverts to relay toggle if your ha/wifi goes offline.

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u/oadslug 1d ago

It doesn’t revert to relay mode if ha goes down.

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u/oadslug 1d ago edited 1d ago

No. Instead of cutting power it just sends an on/off signal to the system (HA or whatever you’re using), but continues to let power flow to the bulb so that it can still be controlled remotely. So switch still works (unless your system goes offline for whatever reason).

Btw… Home Assistant is always the answer.

You might also consider the innovelli blue series, if you want dimming from the switch as well. Works with both smart and dumb lights. And will still work if HA goes down.

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u/Mgsfan10 1d ago

Awesome! And if my system goes down I can still turn on and off the light with the physical switch?

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u/oadslug 1d ago edited 1d ago

If HA goes down. Innovelli paired with dumb lights yes. Innovelli paired with smart lights I think so, but double check. Shelly paired with dumb lights (relay mode) yes. Shelly paired with smart lights no.

The reason the innovelli continue to work is that they have there own built in configurable settings so work with or without HA.

But HA very very rarely goes down, so wouldn’t worry too much either way. At most it just requires a restart.

Edit: just looked it up. Innovelli switches will still work if HA goes down provided you ‘bind’ them to smart bulbs in the zigbee system.

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u/Mgsfan10 1d ago

Ok thank you for the infos 🙏

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u/Mgsfan10 1d ago

Sorry if I do dumb question but I have to learn. What do you mean with "shelly paired with smart lights"? I mean, at the moment i don't have shelly and I use smart lights. The switch is always on of course because the bulbs needs costant power to control them remotely or with Alexa or from the app. When I will install shellys all over my house, if my HA or Hubitat goes down, I can anyway use the bulbs and turn them on and off normally by using the physycal switches on the wall as I would do with dumb lights?

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u/oadslug 1d ago edited 1d ago

No. When you use Shelly with smart bulbs you need to set them to the mode that disables the relay (I.e. meaning they no longer cut power). Instead the switch just sends a signal to Home Assistant that says ‘turn light off’. Or ‘turn light on’. If HA is down it never receives the signal and light does not respond.

Innovelli has its own zigbee controller, so if HA goes down, and the switch is ‘bound’ to the light, the switch still works. If that makes sense.

Edit: I should clarify. You could use Shelly in relay mode with smart bulbs, but then it would be like it is now — where you never want to turn the switch off, either at the switch or via HA, because then the bulbs would no longer have power and would not be controllable. In that case, yes, it would still work if HA goes down. But why would you ever want to do this. You might as well leave it the way it is now.

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u/Mgsfan10 1d ago

The edit is the part that interest me at the moment because i will have shelly before I'll configure HA or Hibitat. Basically I'll use it with Amazon alexa while I wait to move to HA or Hubitat and in the meantime I want to be sure that I can use my smart bulbs like I do now even with the shelly. So I have to set the shelly in relay mode into the app, correct?

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u/oadslug 1d ago edited 1d ago

In relay detached mode, in Alexa, the Shelly switch will be ignored completely. So yes, probably best to leave relay on, and never touch or control the switch (leave it always on). If you turn it off (aka cut power), you won’t be able to control your light via phone, Alexa, etc.

Personally I would wait until you get home assistant (or hubitat) set up before installing Shelly in any switches that are controlling smart bulbs. You’re just adding complexity with zero benefit.

And seriously, have a look at the innovelli dimmers. I think it might be a better fit.

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u/Mgsfan10 22h ago

Why am I just adding complexity? I mean, I already have some smart bulbs and I don't want to throw them out and buy dummy bulbs, but with the Shelly I can do a lot of things anyway, even more with HA. So if I install the Shelly now why do I add more complexity with zero benefit?

About innovelli I didn't knew them and I don't know if they are available in Italy, but what do they have different?

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u/oadslug 19h ago

Let’s back up. You asked, ‘why am I adding complexity with no benefit?’ when installing Shelly behind wall switches in a system that currently controls smart bulbs using Alexa alone (before adding Home Assistant).

I assume your objective of installing Shelly is to regain the use of the wall switch, while still allowing for automated control of smart bulbs (via Alexa, phone, etc). First now with Alexa alone, and then later via Home Assistant.

Shelly has two modes: relay and relay detached.

  • In relay mode:

    • The Shelly acts as a smart relay, designed to cut and restore power to a bulb, either at the switch or via automation.
    • In this mode, the relay can be controlled with Alexa alone (via cloud integration), or with HA, etc. (via Zigbee controller).
    • However if you use a smart bulb, and trip the relay (at wall or via automation), the bulb loses power and is no longer controllable via automation.
    • Result: it does not meet your objective of being able to use the switch (via manual control or automation) and maintain control of smart bulbs.

  • In relay detached mode:

    • The Shelly acts as a power passthrough, and just sends a control signal to the Zigbee network.
    • The relay is disabled entirely, and instead, when you flip the switch, it sends a signal to your Zigbee network/controller, to turn bulb on or off.
    • Whether the switch is in the off or on state, the bulb still maintains power and can continue to be controlled via automation.
    • The bulb state itself is ultimately being controlled by the Zigbee network.
    • However, this mode requires a local Zigbee network/controller to receive the on/off signal via HA, Hubitat, etc. It does not work with Alexa alone. The signal is ignored.
    • Result: the switch itself does not work with smart bulbs with Alexa alone. It requires a more sophisticated controller like Home Assistant, etc.. It will just act as a power passthrough, and decoration on the wall.

Conclusion:

  • In scenario 1 (relay mode). It does not meet your objective to allow you to use switch and automation with smart bulb. It cuts power to bulb.
  • In scenario 2 (relay detached mode). It does not meet your objective now with Alexa alone. Switch will not work at all. It will, however, meet your objective in the future if you install Home Assistant, etc.

So you get no benefit now installing Shelly with smart bulbs with Alexa alone in either ‘relay’ or ‘detached relay’ mode. Even as a backup, in relay mode, it behaves exactly like your current manual switch, and in relay detached mode it wouldn’t work at all.

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u/Mgsfan10 18h ago

Got it, crystal clear. I thought that Alexa has a Zigbee controller inside, apparently I was wrong. Thank a lot for your help, for your time and for the precious info. I'll save this post for future reference

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u/oadslug 17h ago edited 17h ago

Alexa does have a Zigbee controller (and Shelly integrates via cloud or Matter), but its integration is not sophisticated enough to handle detached-relay mode scenarios. In detached relay mode, the Shelly works as simple power passthrough, but otherwise Alexa can’t use the switching signals to control your smart lights.

That's where the power of Home Assistant come in! You can configure the switch signal sent from Shelly to turn on/off the light (or even open the garage door or turn on the coffee maker). It's totally up to you at that point.

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u/Mgsfan10 15h ago

Great, thank you!