TREATLIFE3 Way Smart Light Switch 4 Pack, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Smart Switch Works with Alexa and Google Home, Neutral Wire Required, Remote Control, FCC Certified, No Hub Required

I was asked to review Smart Life Switches by Treatlife so here goes. Originally, I purchased a number of Echo Dots and Echo Shows as part of my security system. Pretty much, that worked out great for me. Then I got to thinking that since I have the Echo’s, why not try out some smart light switches and see if they could overcome some shortcomings in the house light switching configurations. For instance, my wife wanted to light up the downstairs of the house with great frequency, but it was always inconvenient because it required a trip downstairs accompanied by a return trip back upstairs just to flip a switch on or off. Similarly, there is a 3-way dimmer switch downstairs paired with a 3-way on-off switch upstairs that turns the lights on for the staircase. The problem is that the lower level dimmer is used often, controls upstairs light levels and is most inconveniently placed. It would be great to have the switches reversed, but that was impossible because the existing wiring shortcomings.Enter Treatlife’s switches and dimmers. In the first instance above, I replaced the lower level on-off light switch with a single pole Treatlife switch. Now I can control the downstairs lighting both manually or by using Alexa while downstairs, plus I can control that same lighting by using Alexa upstairs or from any place in the world. Problem fixed and my wife loves the solution.In the second instance above, I replaced the 3-way switch at the top of the staircase with a Treatlife dimmer switch and captured the hot wire which was only downstairs by jumpering the downstairs switch a certain way and using one of the travellers as the hot. The bottom line: Now I had a hot, neutral, ground, and load all in the upstairs box with the Treatlife dimmer switch. I can control the staircase lighting upstairs both manually or by using Alexa. From downstairs, I can control that same lighting by Alexa or from any place in the world, also. Again, problem fixed and my wife and I both love the solution.Because of the first two experiments, I now have nine switches and dimmers in strategic locations. They all do their jobs as I intended.Now for the integration part. Happily, it was all good. Using my Android phone, I was able to connect the switches and dimmers to the SmartLife app by Tuya with ease. (Do not confuse SmartLife app with SmartHome app by AT&T. For whatever the reason, a misunderstanding in this regard can confuse things easily. Even Alexa displays “SmartHome” when it’s actually SmartLife that’s required. The icons are similar just to add more confusion. Readers have been warned.). Then I was able to link SmartLife with my Alexa account. Once that happened, the fun really began. I could dream up any routine I wanted, complete with variations. For me, it was much more than just programming a single switch to do something. Instead, I have basic switch commands. Then I have multiple groupings of switches the turn on and off at voice or Smartphone commands. Then I have all lights turning on or off at voice or Smartphone command. If I choose, each switch can be programmed with schedules to turn on or off automatically and the dimmer levels can be altered similarly. This would be very useful when we are out-of-town.For what it is worth, I use Alexa Routines to the fullest to achieve the results I want.From my perspective, you cannot go wrong with the Treatlife switches and dimmers. They look good; they have status led’s; they work perfectly both manually and with SmartLife and Alexa apps. Not only that, their packaging is superb; the instructions clear and complete; and I had no reason to contact tech support.Funny how, for all my years, I never thought about having my hands full of groceries, tools, whatever, went I needed access to a light switch. Now I think about it often when I enter our utility or laundry rooms, or the garage or the front door, and just say “I’m Home” or “Utility” or “Downstairs” all prefaced by Alexa. It’s like magic and so convenient.The only issue I found is that I needed to use my existing plastic switch covers, not the ones shipped as part of the switch package, because of our home aesthetics. This, in certain instances, caused minor problems because some switch covers just did not fit perfectly. It turns out that some switch covers have a little built-in spacer at the screw hole that needs to be removed by whatever means you might have. For me it was a real nothing because I had the right tools to do it easily. Once done, the existing covers fit perfectly. This does not reflect on Treatlife in any way.Great product, great integration, great packaging, and great instructions. What more could you ask for?

This review focuses on 1) integration with Apple's HomeKit through Homebridge, and 2) ease of physical installation of the switches.1) Homebridge-HomeKit integration:I previously purchased two wemo switches, before their integration with Apple's HomeKit. With these switches, I learned of Homebridge and learned how to connect most non-HomeKit compatible devices to Apple's Home app. I like to use Siri to say "Goodnight" and have lights turn off, my garage doors close (MyQ) and my alarm to turn on (Envisilink).I wanted to expand my lighting control, but was turned off by Wemo's price tag. I stumbled across TreatLife after a general search for wifi switches. Although their price is good (about half a demo switch) I did not buy them right away. I teach the Homebridge forums (NPM and Github) to see what scripts were written for their integration. Treatlife is a cloud based system using Tuya, similar to MyQ for garage doors. For security purposes, I was looking to see if there was a script that grabbed the wifi broadcast of the switch locally, and avoided using the Smart Life app (one app that works with these switches, there are others - Jinvoo, Ucomen, etc.). To do this approach, you need to find the switch ID and Local_Key to put into your Homebridge config. file. In previous versions of all these app, the ID and Local_Key were easily obtainable. I was going to use homebridge-tuya-lan -npm.Recently, all the apps were updated. I don't fully understand the update, but it appears they now encrypt the communication of the device and hid the Local_key. That is good as I understand that this increases the security of the device. The bad is that I couldn't use homebridge-tuya-lan -npm. There were various methods to get the Local_Key, but were beyond my computer skills.So, I ended up using homebridge-tuya-web 2.0. This package gathers the status of the lights through the Smart Life app's cloud based system. The config file is easy to write, and I didn't have any issues with the lights appears in HomeKit. I see no delay in the light response from the commands on the phone. It passes the wife factor which means we are all happy. I attached a screen shot of the HomeKit on my iPhone and you cannot tell the difference between the demo switches and the Treatlife Switches.2) Physical installationThe instructions that come with the lights are very well laid out and clear. The labels on the back of the lights switches are also very helpful. I installed a dimmer switch, a single-pole switch, and 2 there-way switches! I have 6 more there-way switches to install. The three-ways are by far the most tricky, but only because your house wiring isn't as perfect as all the videos shown on tube. I found a video that tell me how to identify the line wire and the load wire between two switches. Using the labels that come with the light switch (nice touch) I was able to resolve a switch that only had red wires going to it!!!Another nice feature of this is that the box behind the switch is smaller compared to the demo switches. There will be many wires and wire nuts that you need to shove into the electrical box. I found the demo switch size made it very challenging to tuck everything in. Not so with the Treatlife switch. Their smaller form factor allowed for more wire nut connects to be shoved into the electrical box.Overall, these switches have been a very good purchase. They are economical, the app works well, and installation was made easier by the small form factor of the box behind the switch. I will be buying more and I will recommend these to others.