Smart lighting is the cheapest way into home automation and the easiest to get wrong. This section covers bulbs versus switches, the B22 vs E27 fitting question that trips up Australians buying from overseas, dimming compatibility, and how to wire smart switches safely under AS/NZS rules.
You don't need to touch a single wire to get automated, colour-changing, voice-controlled lighting into a rental. Here's how to build a system out of bulbs, plugs and battery-powered switches — and pack the whole lot into a box on moving day without leaving a mark.
Retrofit globe, smart dimmer module, smart switch or full replacement downlight? Here is how each option works in a typical Australian ceiling, what the AS/NZS abutment and coverage markings (IC, IC-4, CA135, non-IC) actually mean, and where a licensed electrician is legally required.
Most Australian homes built before the 1990s run a switch loop with no neutral at the wall plate, which is exactly what a smart switch wants. Here are the five realistic ways around it, what each one costs, where flicker comes from, and where a licensed electrician is legally required.
Most Australian switch boxes have no neutral, which rules out a lot of smart switches. Here's how no-neutral switches actually work, why the ceiling rose is often a better place to install a module, and the renter-friendly options that need no wiring at all.
The bulb-or-switch decision shapes your whole lighting setup. Here is how to choose, plus the B22 bayonet and no-neutral problems that make Australian homes different.
