Make your life easier by installing lights that automatically turn on when you walk into the room.
Lightwave is a UK-based company and, all told, a good option for UK homeowners to kick-off or build-on your smart home strategy.
There is a slight catch, however. Lightwave smart switches only work with the L2 Link Plus Bridge so you have to invest in the Lightwave starter kit. And that does not come cheap. You’re looking at a cheek-blowing £185 from Amazon.
That said, Lightwave smart switches have more pros than cons. You can create wonderful lighting scenes, personalise your lighting to match your mood (including dimming), schedule your lights to come on and off automatically, and access the system remotely directly from your smartphone.
To operate Lightwave smart switch, you can either use the mobile app or synch your lights with any of the most popular voice assistants.
As far as light switch designs go, it has to be said the Lightwave smart dimmer is a looker. The premium silver stainless steel faceplate is accentuated with a cool blue LED light which converts to red when the lights are turned off. You can also add a tidy, black plastic spacer which comes with the starter kit.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the L2 Bridge. That’s an ugly-looking white box akin to a standard smoke alarm. You’ll probably want to find a hiding place where you can tuck it away out of sight.
Installation is easy though. It’s pretty much a 15-minute DIY job - provided you know how to turn off your electric at the mains and use a screwdriver. Setup instructions are included in the starter kit. Or you could just watch this video:
Lightwaves app is not the best so once you’ve set your lighting scenes and scheduling to your heart’s desire, voice commands are the way to go. Integration with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant and Alexa Amazon is as easy as you would expect.
In addition, the IFTTT (if this then that) means you can control and automate other internet-connected devices from a central location.
All told, the Lightwave smart switch is a likeable piece of kit. It certainly has everything you want and can expect from a smart lighting system.
A price tag of around £130 for the bridge and a £60 for a single gang Lightwave dimmer on Amazon might feel like you’ve been slapped in the face with a wet fish, however. If you plump for a four-gang dimmer at £200 that face slap is going to feel like a platter.
There are more expensive smart switches of course, but there are also less expensive options such as the Lutron Caseta. Check out our other smart switch review in the smart lighting section.
