I stick to switches for the main lights outside, since bulbs can get weird with old fixtures.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I’ve had better luck with smart bulbs in some of my flips—especially when the wiring’s a mess. Sometimes it’s just easier to swap out a bulb than mess with old boxes and questionable wiring. Yeah, there’s the occasional lag, but at least I’m not tearing into plaster walls. For me, it’s about picking my battles.
I know what you mean about old wiring—my place was built in the 1920s, and I’ve seen some real Frankenstein jobs behind the walls. Honestly, I tried smart switches at first, but half the time the wiring wasn’t compatible or the boxes were too shallow. Ended up going with smart bulbs for most of the porch and yard fixtures. Sure, sometimes they act up, but it’s way less hassle than rewiring or patching plaster. For these old houses, I’ll take a little tech weirdness over a weekend spent with a pry bar.
Smart bulbs have definitely saved me a ton of headaches in my 1930s place. I tried to do the “right” thing with smart switches at first, but the wiring was just a mess—cloth-insulated wires, random splices, and boxes so shallow I could barely fit a regular switch, let alone anything “smart.” Gave up after wrestling with one for an hour and tripping the breaker twice. Not worth it.
Swapping in smart bulbs was way less stressful. Yeah, sometimes they lose connection or need to be reset, but at least I’m not patching plaster or worrying about accidentally frying something. I do miss the convenience of using the wall switch sometimes, but I just stuck a couple of those wireless remotes around and called it good.
Only thing that bugs me is when someone flips the old wall switch and suddenly the whole automation routine goes out the window. I’ve tried to train the family, but old habits die hard. Still, I’d rather deal with that than opening up another ancient switch box and finding a squirrel’s nest of wires.
Honestly, unless you’re already rewiring or doing a major reno, smart bulbs are just less hassle for these old houses. Maybe not as elegant as switches, but my sanity’s worth more than a perfectly streamlined setup.
Totally get where you’re coming from—old house wiring is a whole adventure I’d rather skip. I’ve had similar luck with smart bulbs in my 1940s place. The switch thing drives me nuts sometimes, though. Have you tried those little magnetic switch covers to “lock” the old switches in the on position? Not the prettiest, but it helped my crew stop flipping them off. Curious if you’ve done anything for outdoor lights—are you sticking with smart bulbs out there too, or have you found a better workaround?
The switch thing drives me nuts sometimes, though.
- Totally get it—those switches are like gremlins for smart bulbs.
- I actually ditched smart bulbs outdoors after a few frustrating resets. Ended up using a smart plug for the patio string lights—way less hassle and no rewiring needed.
- For porch lights, tried a battery-powered remote switch. Not perfect, but at least nobody kills the circuit by accident.
- The magnetic covers are clever but yeah, not exactly design-forward... Sometimes function wins out in these old houses.
Keep experimenting—it’s all part of the charm of making these old places work for modern living.