A full apartment renovation is the best time to make smart lighting boringly reliable. Before choosing a relay brand, decide which circuits really need smart dimming, which need simple on/off switching, and which should remain manually serviceable if a hub is down.
Start with the electrical plan
- Keep neutral wires in the wall boxes wherever code and the electrician allow it.
- Choose modules that are rated for the actual load: LED drivers, dimmable bulbs, switched outlets, and mixed loads are not interchangeable.
- Label every relay, circuit, and physical switch before the walls close.
- Prefer hardware with a documented reset procedure and local integration path.
Separate lighting from general plugs
Use smart relays for lighting circuits you want in scenes, day curves, and room controls. Treat plug circuits more carefully: many appliances should not be hidden behind automation, and a switched outlet is not the same as a dimmable light.
After the room is controllable
Once Home Assistant, Hue, or a compatible Matter path can see the lights, bring those rooms into Rhythm for everyday brightness, color-temperature, Sleep behavior, and scene defaults. Rhythm can coordinate the lighting state, but it depends on the underlying relay, Zigbee mesh, and electrical installation being stable first.