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Down to a glow for movie night

Dim the lights from the couch for movie night

How it works

A Shelly Dimmer Gen4 goes behind the wall plate, and the push button already there wires to it. A press switches the lights and holding it dims them, the way a dimmer should. Any dimmable lights work, not just downlights.

The Dimmer Gen4 also has a button preset: a double-press jumps straight to a brightness you choose, 10% here, which is movie-night glow. The setting is stored on the dimmer. From the couch, the brightness slider in the Shelly app or a voice assistant gets you to the same place.

  1. Shelly app Device settings for a Shelly Dimmer Gen4 named Living room, with Button Presets open, On button double push turned on and brightness at 10%. 01

    Your phone or voice

    Tap the scene or the slider from the couch, or ask a voice assistant.

  2. Dimmer Gen4 02

    The Shelly kit

    Takes the lights straight to a low glow.

  3. 03

    Your living room

    Comes back up when it's time to tidy.

What it looks like on your phone

  • The movie-night preset. A double-press on the wall button takes the room to 10%.

  • One button does it all. Press to switch, hold to dim, double-press for the glow.

Step by step

How you'll set it up

Add the device to Wi-Fi from your phone, or straight from a browser.

Download Shelly Smart Control on the App Store Get Shelly Smart Control on Google Play

  1. Fit the dimmer behind the wall plate

    Mains goes to L and N. The downlights connect to O and neutral, and the push button goes to S1, so a press switches the lights and holding it dims. Use dimmable lights only.

    Wire map Dimmer Gen4
    • Active (supply) L
    • Neutral N
    • Dimmable light O
    • Push button S1
    Circuit overview
    LN230 V~ 50 Hz1Dimmable light2Push buttonLLNOOS2S1Shelly Dimmer Gen4
    1Dimmable light2Push button
    Active (supply)Neutral / 0 VSwitched loadSwitch signal / dry contact

    In Australia, fixed 230 V wiring is licensed-electrician work. Use these diagrams to plan the job and brief your electrician.

    Showing the whole circuit

    Shelly Dimmer Gen4

    100%
    LN230 V~ 50 Hz1Dimmable light2Push buttonLLNOOS2S1Shelly Dimmer Gen4
    1Dimmable light2Push button

    Select a terminal to follow its wiring.

  2. Add it to the Shelly app and name it

    Add the dimmer in the Shelly app and name it for the room, Living room here. The first time it switches on, it calibrates itself to your lights, which takes up to two minutes. The light stays on for 10 seconds when it's done.

    Learn how to add a device to the Shelly app

  3. Check the button is set to dim

    Open the dimmer's Device settings and expand Input/output settings. Button should be selected, with One button dimming control as the output type, so a press toggles and a hold dims. In the web interface, it's Input/Output settings: Button, with Single input dimming control; click Save if you change either.

  4. Set the double-press to a glow

    In Device settings, expand Button Presets and turn on On button double push. Slide the brightness to 10% and tap Save. In the web interface, open Button presets, tick Enable brightness preset, set Brightness to 10% and click Save. Now a double-press on the wall button takes the room straight to a glow.

  5. Add it to your home app for voice control

    Matter is built in, so scan the QR code on the device label with Apple Home, Google Home or SmartThings. Then ask your voice assistant to set the living room to 10 percent, and to bring it back up when the film's over.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use Shelly or Philips Hue?

Use Shelly if you're happy with the dimmable downlights you have: the dimmer fits behind the existing wall plate and the button keeps working for everyone. Use Philips Hue if you'd rather swap the bulbs and run the room from your phone, with a switch on the coffee table if you want one. Hue bulbs need a Hue Bridge. Both work in Home Assistant as well, if you'd rather run the room from there.

Does the wall button still work for everyone else?

Yes. A single press switches the lights on or off and holding it dims them up or down, as before. Only a double-press goes to the preset, so nobody gets the glow by accident.

My wall switch is an ordinary on/off switch. Will it work?

It will switch the lights, with Switch selected in Input/output settings, but hold-to-dim and the double-press preset need a push-button (momentary) mechanism. Most wall plates take one in place of the standard switch.

How do I bring the lights back up?

Hold the wall button to dim back up, or drag the brightness slider in the app. A voice assistant can set any level you ask for. A single press switches the lights off, and they come back on at the brightness they had.

Will my lights work with it?

They need to be dimmable. The Dimmer Gen4 is a trailing-edge dimmer and handles up to 150 W of dimmable LED lamps, or up to 200 W of incandescent or halogen lamps, dimmable electronic transformers or iron-core transformers. If you change the lights later, run the calibration again from the dimmer's main screen in the app.

Do I need a neutral wire?

Not strictly: the Dimmer Gen4 works without one, but then it needs at least 20 W of lights or a Shelly Bypass, and it can't show power readings. Where a neutral is available, use it.

What happens if the internet drops out?

The button, hold-to-dim and the double-press preset are all handled by the dimmer itself, so they keep working. Control from the app or a voice assistant while you're away from home needs the internet.

Do I need a Hue Bridge?

For the Hue app, yes: the kit includes one. The Bridge supports up to 50 lights and 12 accessories, and the Bridge Pro 150 or more lights and 50 or more accessories. In Home Assistant, the bulbs can pair straight to its Zigbee instead.

What if someone switches the lights off at the wall?

The bulbs need power to answer the app, so leave the wall switch on and turn the lights on and off from the app, a voice assistant or a Hue switch. On the Tap dial switch, holding a button turns the room off.

Can I stop the dial turning the lights off?

Yes. Open the living room, tap the switch under Controls and select the dial. In the Behavior section, tap When lights are on and choose Dim to minimum brightness.

Does the Tap dial switch work with Apple Home?

Partly. Apple Home can set what the buttons do, but not the dial, so dimming with the dial is done through the Hue app.

What battery does the switch use?

A CR2032 coin cell. The LED flashes orange when it's getting low and red when it needs replacing soon.

Does the wall button still work?

Yes. The press, the hold-to-dim and the double-press glow are all handled by the dimmer itself, so they work whether Home Assistant is running or not.

Can Home Assistant set other lights in the scene too?

Yes. A Home Assistant scene can hold any lights it controls, so a lamp or a lightstrip on another system can drop to a glow with the downlights.

Why go through the Hue Bridge?

The bulbs and the Movie night scene stay in the Hue app, and the Tap dial switch keeps working through the Bridge. Pairing straight to Home Assistant's Zigbee skips the Bridge, but then the bulbs are only in Home Assistant.

What do I give up without a Hue Bridge?

The Hue app and the Tap dial switch. Paired straight to Home Assistant, the bulbs only run from there, so the scene is a Home Assistant scene rather than a Hue one.

Do I need a Zigbee adapter?

Yes. Home Assistant talks to Zigbee devices through a coordinator plugged into the machine it runs on. If you already run Zigbee in Home Assistant, the adapter you have will do.

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