When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This 2nd-gen dimmer (model D2MSD) connects directly to Wi-Fi, eliminating the need for a bridge, with the option of wired or even wireless 3-way control. Leviton's updated motion-sensing dimmer pulls out all the stops with wired (or wireless) 3-way circuit support and impressive customization options. With both dimming and motion sensing built in; plus, support for 3-way wiring setups, Leviton's 2-gen Decora Smart Motion Sensing Dimmer (model D2MSD) in-wall smart switch has just about everything you could ask for. As its name explicitly states, this is an update to an earlier model, the main additions being improved compatibility with third-party ecosystems and support for Leviton's wireless remote control companion, which I'll delve into in a bit.

Deako takes a unique approach to smart lighting with its modular system, and now it's offering a next-generation switch and app that promises to make installation and configuration even easier than before. The appeal of Deako's system lies in its use of backplates that, once hardwired to your home's electrical system, allow you to hot-swap one type of Deako lighting control for another--you don't even need to turn off the power. If you have an on/off switch controlling your ceiling cans, for example, but you'd prefer to be able to dim those lights, you can just yank the switch out of the backplate and pop in a dimmer. Once you've installed a Deako backplate in your electrical box, you can plug in–and later hot-swap–any of its smart or simple lighting controls. Deako is celebrating its 10th anniversary by taking the wraps off an all-new smart switch: the Deako Smart Switch Gen 2 ( 100, pictured at the top of this page) features an integrated, dual-function LED light bar at its base.

If you're looking for something with more elegance and sophistication, however, you should replace the switches in your walls. Besides, the most common drawback of relying on smart bulbs with conventional switches is that someone inevitably turns the switch off. Your expensive smart bulb is now a dumb bulb that can't be controlled with voice commands or be included in any lighting automations you've set up. Don't worry, it's an easy DIY project. Be aware, however, that most–but certainly not all–smart controls depend on the presence of a neutral wire in the box.

Leviton has been one of the most reliable names in Wi-Fi smart plugs, and for years I relied on one of its first-generation Wi-Fi plugs to power my living-room lights. With this second generation, Leviton brings a streamlined setup process and HomeKit support to the party. Leviton's model D215P is a three-prong on/off switch; model D23LP is a two-prong model with a dimmer feature. Let's start with the specs, which should be unsurprising. The D215P looks identical to the first-generation Wi-Fi plug, with the familiar horizontal brick design and a single three-prong outlet on the face.

Four years after its introduction, the Brilliant platform remains an ambitious but niche product: You can replace light switches with video-enabled touchscreens, complete with a full Amazon Alexa hub, motion detection, and more. The $299 to $449 price per control panel--based on the number of integrated switches--has not budged since launch, making it one of the most expensive ways to outfit your home with smart tech. Interested in Brilliant but don't have five figures handy to kit out your entire home in touchscreens? Good news: Brilliant alleviates some of its platform's sticker shock with a dimmer switch that forgoes the touchscreen, replacing it with a simple touch slider that works just like the sliders on its multi-switch units. It sells for $70, which makes it a whole lot cheaper than a full control panel, but it's still quite a bit more expensive than smart dimmers based on other wireless technologies (Lutron Caséta, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Zigbee, et al).

Eaton's new Wi-Fi smart dimmer comes without one common component that is virtually ubiquitous across today's smart home landscape: A mobile app. Aiming for a "frustration-free setup," Eaton decided to rely on the Amazon Alexa app exclusively for setup and control. In smart home reality, of course, there's no such thing as "frustration free," and while not needing to download, register, and configure yet another smart home app on my phone (I have more than 100 of them currently installed) was freeing, performance problems and a lack of flexibility ultimately hampered my enthusiasm for this device. Let's start with the hardware. The in-wall dimmer requires a neutral wire in the electrical box where it's being installed, and it works with both single-pole and three-way installations (using either Eaton's WACD accessory dimmer or a regular three-way switch).

Most smart-home owners dim lamps by screwing in smart bulbs, but plugging your lamps into a smart plug that supports dimming is an even easier solution. Plug-in smart dimmers aren't as ubiquitous as simple on/off smart plugs, but every major electrical manufacturer has one. This Enbrighten model from Jasco is based on Zigbee technology and so depends on a smart home hub that supports the same. That can be a Samsung SmartThings, a Hubitat Elevation, an Amazon Echo Plus, or a second-generation Echo Show, among others. As with its in-wall dimmer, however, the Enbrighten plug-in dimmer is not formally certified to work with SmartThings.

Headquartered in Quebec, Canada, Sinopé Technologies might be less familiar than some other smart-home brands, but we've reviewed several of the company's products and found a lot to like. Today, we'll take a look at its new Zigbee smart dimmer switch (model DM2500ZB), and its new smart home hub, the GT130 gateway. These two products are part of a new family of Zigbee 3.0-based products that Sinopé launched this spring, a collection that also includes a smart in-wall outlet, a smart switch, and updated smart thermostats. With its embrace of the Zigbee smart home protocol, Sinopé is relegating its proprietary smart home family--the Mi-Wi series, which included the GT125 gateway--to "legacy" status. Now when you buy a DIY Sinopé smart home product, you can control it with the company's own GT130 gateway or with any other Zigbee-based smart home hub, including Samsung SmartThings or any of the Amazon Echo smart speakers and displays that are equipped with Zigbee radios.

You've figured out the basics of setting up your smart home, now it's time to raise your game. I've spent years installing, configuring, and tweaking dozens of smart home products in virtually every product category. Along the way I've figured out a lot of the secrets they don't tell you in the manual or the FAQs, ranging from modest suggestions that can make your smart home configuration less complex, to essential decisions that can save you from having to start over from scratch a few years later. Here's my best advice on how to optimize your smart home, digested into a dozen top tips and best practices. These days, an Amazon or Google/Nest smart speaker or smart display can fill the role of a smart home hub (and some Amazon Echo devices are equipped with Zigbee radios).. There are three major smart home platforms on the market, and your smart home will probably have at least one of them installed: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit.

The Leviton Decora Smart Switch integrates with Apple HomeKit to control lights, ceiling fans, and other compatible products. The Leviton Decora Smart HomeKit Switch works over WiFi and packs a special chip that makes it compatible with Apple HomeKit. It connects to an app called Leviton Decora Smart Home that is only available for iPhone. To set up the switch, Apple HomeKit uses special barcodes that you scan with your phone. We preferred the Decora Smart Home app over the My Leviton app, finding it to be more polished and intuitive.