I have recently been experimenting with various smart switches. I'm going with switches rather than bulbs because I have a LOT of bulbs and most are already LED. These GE switches caught my attention because they're one of the few solutions which also have on/off TOGGLE switches and are multi-way capable.
I was hoping that these would work out great, however, due to the horrible C by GE app and their dependency on Bluetooth mesh, I decided that these are much worse than other switches that I have tried so far.
Physical button issues:
- Dimmer switch has a recessed on/off button. This is more difficult to press and requires more focus. Not that it is difficult, but you have to consciously think about it more.
- Dimmer's dim/bright levels can't be adjusted. The minimum dim level was comparable to other switches 10-15% levels (my bulbs are GE bulbs too).
- Toggle switches have no on/off status indicator (actually this seems to be the norm for smart switches). Usually its not a problem, but in my case I wanted to control some outdoor lighting which isn't visible without walking into a bedroom to look out a window. The toggles have a tiny LED light, but that is ONLY used to indicate an issue with wifi connectivity. There is no option to do anything else with it.
Software issues
- The switches and the app depend on bluetooth to be configured. Bluetooth has a fairly short range, but these seem to be able to relay off other bluetooth mesh capable devices similar to how z-wave/zigbee devices work. In theory, not bad, however these still have a much shorter range than some z-wave switches which I have tried.
- Of all my smart devices, only the C by GE devices frequently loose connectivity.
- C by GE app offers very sparse options. Next to no customizations.
- C by GE app can't be used for scenes and schedules unless within close proximity to a C by GE device and bluetooth is enabled (at least it didn't work for me).
The good:
- Well, the buttons have a nice click to them and the switches are very easy to wire up.
- They have wifi toggle switches which don't require me to swap out our decorator wall plates.
- Dimming was smooth and flicker-free (with my GE LED bulbs...)
