Tesla smart switch on sale for a steal! You can control it by touch, app, or voice

Alza offers the Tesla Smart Dimmer Touch smart dimmer with discount code ALZADNY50 for 325 CZK, which is half of the original price of 649 crowns. It is a touch switch that replaces a classic wall switch and allows you to control light intensity with your finger, via a mobile application, or with voice commands via Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.

The dimensions are standard 86 × 86 × 43 mm, so it should fit into a standard flush-mounted box. The switch is permanently installed in place of a classic switch and requires connection to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. It supports both Android and iOS and is controlled via the Tesla Smart app, which is fully in Czech.

Touch control and lighting scenarios

The switch has a sensitive touch surface, which you swipe with your finger to adjust the light intensity from zero to maximum. You don’t have to look for your phone or issue voice commands – just touch the switch and slide the brightness up or down. In practice, it works similarly to touch controls on modern lamps.

More interesting are the options in the application. You can set up lighting scenarios – for example, “Coming Home” (light turns on to 80% every day at 18:00), “Movie” (dimmed to 20%), “Reading” (100% brightness), or “Night” (off). Scenarios are triggered either manually from the app, by voice, or automatically according to time.

The scheduling function allows you to set when the light should turn on or off – practical, for example, when you are on vacation and want to simulate presence at home. You control everything from anywhere via the internet, so you can turn off the light even if you are already at work and remember that you left it on.

Compatibility with LED bulbs

The dimmer supports LED lights with a maximum load of 220 W. It is important that the bulbs must be dimmable – not all LED bulbs have this function. If you connect a non-dimmable LED, it may flicker or not work at all. The bulb packaging should state “dimmable” or show a dimming symbol.

According to discussions on Alza, users report that the dimmer works well with common dimmable LED bulbs. One user mentions using the dimmer to control 6× 6W LED spotlights, totaling 36 W – which is well below the maximum load of 220 W, so it should work without problems.

However, be aware of the minimum load – according to Alza’s response, a bypass may be needed for very low consumption (e.g., just one 6W bulb). This is a technical matter that an electrician should address during installation.

Important: you need a neutral wire

The biggest pitfall of installation is that the dimmer needs a neutral wire in the switch. The problem is that many older households only have a live wire (L) routed to the switches, while the neutral wire (N) ends directly at the light fixture. This applies mainly to apartments built before 2000 and houses where the lighting circuits have not been changed.

If you only have two wires in the switch instead of three, the neutral wire is likely missing, and you will either have to:

• Bring a neutral wire to the switch (requires an electrician and breaking walls)
• Buy a different type of dimmer that works without a neutral wire
• Use a smart bulb instead of a smart switch

In the discussion on Alza, one customer points out that the description lacks a clear warning about the necessity of a neutral wire, and they had to return the dimmer. So, before buying, check if you have three wires in your switch (live, neutral, ground) or just two (live, switched wire).

Installation should be performed by a qualified electrician – even though the wiring itself is not complicated, working with 230V current is dangerous and requires expertise.

User rating on Alza is 4.5/5 stars, which is a solid result. People mainly praise the ease of installation (if they have the correct wiring), reliability, and the Czech application.

What do you think of this discount?