3 bulbs, one glows dimly when the others are off
These are Calex smart bulbs, which I control using Alexa (and/or the Calex app). When the routine turns these bulbs off at night, this one remaining bulb stays dimly lit. If I change the bulbs around, one random bulb stays dimly lit. I've even replaced the offending bulb with a new one, and another bulb lit up dimly.
When I turn the bulbs off at the wall switch they all go out completely.
What is happening here and is it an easy fix?
Comments
4 comments
Hi Dave,
The behavior you’re describing is indeed quite strange. A defect in the smart bulbs themselves seems unlikely, since you mention that the issue occurs randomly with any bulb and doesn’t follow when you swap them around.
Could you let us know whether this problem occurs only when switching the bulbs off via Alexa, or does it also happen when you turn them off manually using the Calex Smart app?
Could you also check what status the lamp shows in the Calex Smart App when it keeps glowing dimly? Does the app indicate it is ON or OFF?
The fact that your lights turn off completely when using the wall switch, assuming it is a conventional switch, is understandable as the switch simply interrupts the power supply to the lights.
Kind regards,
Brian.
Hi Brian,
Many thanks for replying to me.
Just one note of clarification: It is always the same bulb that does this, unless I swap them around and then it can be another bulb / or bulb socket, if you know what I mean? And then it will always be that one that lights dimly. Also it remains dimly lit, all night and day until it is switched on again.
This happens regardless of using the Alexa app or the Calex app, the results are the same.
This ONLY happens with this light fixture in this room. We have many Smart bulbs elsewhere which have no issues.
When it is glowing dimly it shows as OFF in both apps.
The wall switch is indeed a conventional switch.
I tried Googling this issue and came across some very odd results including:
Residual current - surely that would dissipate with time though?
Bad earthing - that's plausible I suppose
Something about the neutral carrying some current that I didn't understand.
I thought I would ask here to see if anyone else had experienced the same phenomenon.
Hi Dave,
Based on your description, the issue does not seem to be with the lamps themselves, but with that particular socket. For conventional LED lamps, this could be caused by residual current, induction from a nearby power cable, or an in-line dimmer without a neutral wire.
For smart lamps, however, this should not occur, as they must be connected directly to 220V and require a constant power supply to operate. Smart lamps turn off via their internal module and are completely off when, for example, switched off with a conventional wall switch.
The recommendation is therefore to have that specific fixture checked. Ensure it is connected correctly and that no ballast, transformer, or similar device is attached to or installed in the fixture.
Gr,
Brian.
Thanks Brian, I will have an electrician look at it soon, as he has to do some other work for me in the next few weeks.
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