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It's not always a binary choice between those two - there's usually a third culprit hiding in there. Cutting out intermittently often points to a compatibility issue between your smart bulbs and the dimmer, or sometimes even a power supply that's struggling to handle the load. Before you assume the dimmer or wiring is bad, what brand and model are your smart bulbs? And what type of dimmer are you using - is it a standard trailing-edge dimmer, a smart dimmer specifically designed for smart bulbs, or something else?
The reason I ask is that most smart bulbs hate old dimmers. They need either a dimmer rated for LED/smart lighting or they need no dimmer at all. If you've got a regular incandescent dimmer or one that's not compatible, the bulbs flicker and drop out because they're getting weird voltage signals. Try removing the dimmer entirely if possible and switching to standard on/off, just to test whether the bulbs stay connected.
If they work fine without the dimmer, that's your answer - swap to a compatible one. If they still cut out, then yeah, you're looking at either a wiring loose connection somewhere (check your breaker panel for any signs of heat damage, and make sure your neutral is solid) or potentially a power supply issue if you're using a hub or controller. Does the cutting out happen at specific times, or totally randomly? And do all the bulbs die at once or just certain ones?
storm_sarah asker
Thanks for the detailed breakdown! They're Philips Hue bulbs with a standard old dimmer - sounds like that's the culprit. Will try removing the dimmer first to confirm.
Have you checked whether your bulbs are even rated for dimming in the first place? Most smart bulb cutouts come from mixing incompatible gear - like non-dimmable LEDs on a dimmer, or bulbs that just don't play nice with that particular dimmer brand. The wiring's usually fine unless your whole house is acting up, not just the lights in one room!
Yeah, they're all dimmable smart bulbs. Only happening in that one room though, so maybe it's a dimmer compatibility thing.
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