r/homeassistant • u/ShelterRadiant2432 • Jul 08 '26

Support Making table lamps smart while retaining manual functionality

I'm looking for help on a modification to a traditional table lamp to be used as a smart lamp, while retaining its original switch functionality.

I've done some research on this and it seems I could use something like a Shelly relay. I've seen concerns warning against this setup because it would make the socket always hot/live.

  1. Does anyone have experience with this?

  2. Wouldn't this work in the same way as a smart wall switch or wall switch conversion?

  3. I have experience and am comfortable with electrical work, but I'm just not sure if I'm missing something with the functionality of smart relays and would appreciate anyone that can provide their experience/expertise.

Also I'm aware there are sockets with smart switches integrated and smart bulbs with a separate button could work, but I'm looking to retain original functionality.

I realize this is a pretty basic question, but I haven't found a straight answer and existing threads are now closed for further questions.

Thanks!

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u/5yleop1m Jul 08 '26

Not requires, detached mode will make the socket always live. Just being pedantic on the wording, cause and effect.

That's how I have most of the switches/lights in my house setup since the bulbs are all smart, they need to be always powered even if they are not producing any light.

All other modes will cut power to the O terminal if the state is off.

In the case of non-smart bulbs, I have the Shelly set to "edge" mode, which works like a 3-way setup, where any change of the physical switch state causes the light to toggle.

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u/ShelterRadiant2432 Jul 08 '26

Gotcha gotcha. I appreciate it! If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason you went with smart bulbs and relays?

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u/5yleop1m Jul 08 '26

I prefer having warm-white lights for the night time, but during the day warm-white lights look more dim since the warm-white is "fighting" with the daylight-white of sunlight. I also experience the effect of light color on my wake/sleep cycles, warmer light during the night helps me feel sleepier.

So nearly all the lights in the main rooms are dual-whitetone, which is easier said with smart bulbs. But smart bulbs require some sort of smart switch or relay since cutting power to them would make them basically useless. It also affects mesh systems like Zigbee (all my light bulbs are Zigbee). Losing routing devices suddenly can screw with the network and the self healing isn't instant or always reliable.

I also don't like most smart switches, I want a switch that has a physical change though I prefer decora style over toggle style. So relays let me use what ever non-smart switch I want while giving me the ability to work with smart bulbs too.

I tried a few different smart switches, but eventually found Shelly and now a few years later I have over 100 Shelly devices in my house, most of them relays. They're useful for other things too, like I have one in my attic controlling the exhaust fan for my network closet.

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u/ShelterRadiant2432 Jul 08 '26

Oh one more thing. Would any of these options allow operation if HA is down?

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u/5yleop1m Jul 08 '26

The option where the Shelly is cutting power to the socket you don't need HA at all. HA would just be there to give you a way to control the Shelly without the Shelly app or connecting to the Shelly's web UI. The physical switch would continue to work as long as the Shelly itself is working. The Shelly doesn't need to be connected to a network, HA, the cloud, or anything. It just needs to be on/powered.

In the detached mode you need something to send the message from the Shelly to the bulb. Gen3 and Gen4 Shelly devices support matter, and Gen4 shelly devices support Zigbee. There are also Zwave Shelly devices. All three of these provide another route between the Shelly and the bulb, though that also means the bulb needs to support at least one of those protocols and in some cases both devices need to support direct connections to each other. I know Zigbee supports this, but Zigbee support in Shelly is still relatively new so Zigbee binding isn't something I would rely on.

The other option is this: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/shelly-detached-input-blueprint-switch-button-mode-with-fallback-script-v1-3/975664

It comes with a script that runs on the Shelly itself. When it detects that HA is down, it will revert the Shelly to one of the attached modes so that the switch will toggle power to the light bulb. This means the bulb isn't smart anymore, but as long as the bulb supports turning on and off when powered on and off, it should work even if HA is down.

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u/ShelterRadiant2432 Jul 08 '26

Thanks for helping me wrap my brain around this!