I live in a 1920s house, and honestly, half my wiring is a mystery anyway.
Man, I feel this! My place is only a little newer, but the electrical “logic” is pure chaos. I went with smart switches outside just to avoid the “which bulb died now?” scavenger hunt. Still miss those wild color scenes sometimes—Halloween’s not the same without the purple glow. But hey, not crawling around in the mud every time someone flips the wrong switch? Worth it.
the electrical “logic” is pure chaos
Yeah, I’ve seen some wild stuff in these older homes. Last job, I opened a junction box and found three different wire gauges twisted together—no rhyme or reason. I lean toward smart switches too, mostly because tracking down which bulb is “smart” and which isn’t gets old fast. You lose some of the color fun, but honestly, reliability wins out for me. Less troubleshooting, more sitting on the porch.
I get where you’re coming from—smart switches are definitely less hassle once they’re in. But I’ll throw in a vote for smart bulbs, especially outside. I had a string of color bulbs along the fence last summer, and being able to set scenes for BBQs or just mellow evenings was a game changer. Yeah, it’s more to keep track of, but if you label them in the app and stick to one brand, it’s not too bad. Sometimes the extra setup is worth it for the vibe.
I tried the smart bulb route for my patio last year, and honestly, it was both awesome and kind of a circus. The colors were a hit—my neighbor kept asking if I was running a nightclub—but I kept forgetting which bulb was “left fence” vs “grill zone” in the app. Ended up renaming them like “Not That One” and “Try Again.” Still, the vibe was worth the confusion... most days.
Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of folks run into that same “which bulb is which?” headache. The naming thing gets old fast, especially if you’re juggling more than a couple zones. Here’s a trick I’ve picked up on jobs: when setting up smart bulbs, I’ll physically label the fixtures with a tiny sticker or marker—just something subtle so you know what’s what when you’re in the app. It’s not fancy, but it saves a ton of guesswork.
That said, have you thought about smart switches instead? They control all the regular bulbs on that circuit, so you don’t have to mess with individual names or colors unless you want to get fancy. Downside is you lose some of the color fun unless you go for pricier setups, but it’s way less fiddly for basic on/off or dimming.
Curious—do you care more about the color options, or would simple control and reliability be enough for your patio? Sometimes it comes down to whether you want party mode or just easy lighting for grilling and hanging out.
