Make sure the electricity is turned off at the main fuse box before proceeding! Take a box cutter to widen the space in the drywall and accommodate the new switch before installing. If your dimmer switch is too large for the box space, use a measuring tape to gauge the difference. Have an older home with a single-pole switch? Box dimensions have changed over time. Older or historic homes can have different wiring and need special care to install. If you have less than three wires, stop and call an electrician. Older homes may only have a hot lead and a ground wire. Single pole switches will have 3 wires: a hot lead wire, a ground wire, and a traveler wire. If you can turn your lights off using a different switch than the one you used to turn them on, skip down to the 3-way switch section. You have a single-pole switch if you can only turn on/off your lights using a singular switch. They control the electricity to one light source.

Single pole switches are your standard light switches. Test the wires with the voltmeter to triple-check voltage levels. Remove the old switch from the wall, carefully unwrapping the wires from the rubber section.Expose at least 1 - 2 inches of copper wire to ensure a tight seal with the wall wires. Open the dimmer switch and strip the rubber coating from the wires.Check your new dimmer package for dimensions to make sure it will fit. Most dimmers come with a plate to fit the new dimensions, but some are made to fit standard plates. Unscrew the switch plate and save it if you are reusing it.Test the light switch afterward to make sure the electricity is off. Before touching the original light switch, turn off the power at your fuse box.If you want to control lights from multiple switch locations (for example, at the top and bottom of the stairs) or in any other nonstandard layout, you need to shop around.$42 at Home Depot Credit: Klein Tools Remove the old switch More control options: Only a few companies offer smart switches and dimmers that work in three- and four-way configurations or have alternative button layouts.Wireless technology: Most of the smart switches and dimmers on our list use Wi-Fi, but we also consider models that use other wireless technologies, such as ClearConnect, Zigbee, and Z-Wave.None of the models we’ve tested currently support Matter or Thread, two wireless standards intended to increase compatibility and make the smart home work better (for a deeper dive, see our article about Matter). Some models can also tie in to Apple HomeKit, IFTTT (If This Then That, which lets you create your own smart-home rules, called “recipes”), or Samsung SmartThings. Smart-home and voice integration: Most of the models on our list offer some type of voice control, with support for Amazon Alexa and Google Home being the standard.We consider it a bonus if a model offers scheduling based on sunrise and sunset or the status of other devices, as well as scheduling for every day of the week or an Away Mode (for security that simulates occupancy by turning lights on and off randomly). Scheduling: All smart switches and dimmers offer scheduling capabilities, so you can turn lights on and off at predetermined times of day.One of these typically costs around $2 to $10 more than the standard in-wall smart switch. Dimming: If you have a dimmable light, you need a smart dimmer.The only downside is that the DN6HD requires that Wi-Fi bridge, but you can buy it as part of a starter kit that includes both the bridge and one dimmer and slightly reduces the cost. Leviton’s companion app is notably easy to use, allowing you to set up the switch and create Schedules and Scenes we especially like that you can control the light directly from the dashboard of the app without having to search for it first, as you do with some other dimmers.

This Leviton smart dimmer is also compatible with more smart-home platforms than any of our other picks, and its support for installation in three-way configurations (with an add-on switch or dimmer) allows for more creative lighting-control scenarios.

We like that the bridge and app allow you to mix and match non-neutral-wiring devices like this dimmer with other items in Leviton’s Decora line, such as switches and dimmers that do use a neutral wire, as well as other dimmers, in-wall outlets, and smart plugs.

It communicates wirelessly with the $20 plug-in Decora Smart Wi-Fi Bridge, which lets you add and control up to 25 dimmers and switches using the My Leviton app. The Leviton Decora Smart No-Neutral Dimmer DN6HD is the least expensive smart dimmer switch we’ve tested among those that don’t require connecting to a neutral wire. Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings

Lutron dimmer switch wiring