Lutron Aurora Review: The Hue Light Switch You Need in Your Life

The Lutron Aurora is an awesome Hue light switch.

The Lutron Aurora is a smart light switch for Philips Hue lights you've been waiting for. If you own Hue lights, you need the Aurora in your life. This handy little gadget snaps onto your light switch, turning it into a smart switch that can turn your Hue lights on, off, and dim them.

This solves the biggest problem with Hue lights for most people. If you have Hue lights, someone in your house has inevitably turned off the switch, meaning no smart controls are possible from your phone. Yes, you can attach a switch blocker, the switch, but that's not elegant and doesn't add physical controls that guests and other people in your home need.

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For ease of use, intelligent control, and solving a big problem with Hue lights, the Lutron Aurora Smart Bulb Dimmer Switch deserves a 100% Must Be Mobile Editor's Choice award.

The Lutron Aurora Smart Dimmer looks and works like a regular dimmer knob, making it easy for guests and family members who just settle for your smart lights to use.

You can buy a cheaper Hue dimmer switch, but this option only works when the light switch is on and doesn't look right next to other lights. The familiar button design pairs perfectly with traditional lever or paddle switches.

Installing the Lutron Aurora takes about a minute. The back clips onto the light switch, locking it in the on position, and then the button clicks into place. From there, the Hue app connects it to your bridge and you can tell the app which room it controls.

I installed these in my basement where I have 7 Hue lights and a Hue light strip. The Aurora controls all of these lights, allowing anyone to quickly turn the lights on and off and dim the lights.

The system is powered by a small CR2032 battery, which Lutron says should last about three years. When the battery runs out, you can replace it.

This small part holds your switch on and the button attaches to it.

This switch is awesome in its simplicity. I've installed Lutron Smart Switches in many rooms in my home because they allow anyone to control the lights while still offering voice control and app control. The downside to using smart switches is that you miss out on the Hue colors, which are perfect in a basement media room. With the Lutron Aurora Smart Dimmer, I get the best of both worlds.

For now, the Aurora only comes in white, but we should see other colors at some point. This worked fine as all my faceplates are already white, but you may need to replace your faceplate to match the color. Switching a faceplate takes seconds and requires no wires to be touched.

The only other catch is that this only controls Hue lights. It's designed to control Zigbee 3.0 certified lights, but for now, Hue is the only real option.

The Lutron Aurora Smart Dimmer Switch costs $39.99, which is pricey for a single switch. That means it's an easy DIY install that works better directly with Hue lights than the Hue dimmer. I'd love to see it for $29.99 and a two-pack for $50, but even at the current price it's worth it if you have a room full of Hue lights that you need to add physical controls to.

By: Lutron Aurora Review: The Hue Light Switch You Need in Your Life