Leviton Stage Controller Could Be Smarter

What if, instead of a smart plug, the outlet itself was smart? What if all your retail outlets were smart? Leviton , a legacy brand of outlets, light switches and dimmers, is adding connectivity to its products , making the smart home more accessible to everyone. Now, instead of installing smart lights or fans, you install smart controls .

The Leviton Decora Stage Controller Switch has a lot of potential, but it comes with some caveats. This is a four-button wall switch that replaces the conventional single-button wall switch. Of the four buttons, the bottom one is hardwired as a new light switch. You can control one wired device, be it a light or a fan, as usual, but now this switch can be activated virtually. Three additional buttons can be programmed as desired to activate another device.

The problem is that Leviton assumes that you only want to interact with Leviton devices, which is not possible since their impact on smart technology is very small. (In addition to sockets and light switches, they also sell plugs for indoor and outdoor use.)

Leviton smart products are designed to work primarily with other Leviton products.

While Leviton products, including this one, are compatible with Matter , you’ll still need the My Leviton app to take full advantage of their features. From here, you can set up “scenes,” which are presets of your Leviton products—maybe you turn off the living room lights during the day, but at night they turn on 80%. You can manage multiple Leviton products or just one, but it’s all within the Leviton ecosystem.

Leviton also allows you to use IFTTT to program these buttons, which, if you’re crafty, is a decent but hackish solution. For example, I used a switch in the kitchen and connected it to a “dumb” overhead light. I have two wifi lights above my stove and I needed a button for them. Luckily these lamps integrate with IFTTT (many brands like Meross don’t) so I was able to write an applet for this. But first I had to write a scene in the native application to turn them on, and another one to turn them off, and then drag them into IFTTT. So, instead of one button, I have to use two: one to turn them on, the other to turn them off. If you are not familiar with online hacking, it is unlikely that you will use the IFTTT option.

For me, the promise of a button with which I could do almost anything would be impressive in, say, Google Home, where I could use it as a trigger for a variety of automations. While you can call the wired switch through Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa, you can’t call the other buttons through those services.

Installing the Leviton stage controller was easy.

Unlike most smart products, Decora switch installation consists of two parts: the smart integration and the physical connection of the switch itself. I figured out the wiring myself, and it’s no more difficult than changing any other switch. However, check the socket before purchasing as you will need a ground wire and if you don’t know how to do this, hire an electrician or consult a how-to . Safety comes before smart switches! Pairing was simple: you scan the product barcode on the box with your phone and it sets up the product in your app. All my Leviton products connected on the first try. Additionally, I liked that Leviton allows you to use biometrics (your fingerprint) to log in. Not many other smart home apps do this.

Slow response time but stable pairing

One of my main complaints about the Leviton shifter is its responsiveness. While wired switching is quite fast, it’s not as instantaneous as physical switching, but I expect it. There is a brief delay, but it doesn’t compare to the significant delay of the virtual buttons on top. Perhaps it’s that the logic has to go through IFTTT first, but there’s a two-second delay on each virtual button, enough time for you to think, “Does this actually work?” It doesn’t interfere, but it is annoying.

The switch stayed paired as long as it was connected, and even with the delay, it’s nice to have a physical switch for smart lights that otherwise don’t have one. If you like the Leviton brand and turn off some, many or all outlets and light switches, then this makes more sense. But if you’re buying them piecemeal for a single solution (this light ), then it will make much less sense. In such cases, I would probably go for a smart button that would allow you to program anything through the hub.

Reliable switch replacement, less expensive than smart buttons

At the end of the day, Leviton is still a neat and clean product that doesn’t require any extra wall space. This gives your existing switch a smart upgrade that you can add to your home routines, and hopefully Leviton will open up the additional button functionality to more options in the future.