the only decent dimmer that i found is the shelly dimmer.
otherwise, they all require proprietary apps, proprietary protocols, or both.
+1 for the shelly dimmer
Good point about the proprietary apps, I'll check it out.
Ultimate partner-approval-factor is Lutron Caseta. The Diva line is what I used.
We had two of the dumb versions in the kitchen and I was forbidden to install anything smart in there until I found something similar. Then a year later, they made the smart version.
10/10 would recommend, it's expensive since you'll also need a hub, but I've had less issues with them than my Hue's at this point.
I've got a z-wave dimmer and every now and then it'll just flip out and start dimming the light for no reason (goes to 1% and then rises to 100%) and needs to be power cycled to fix.
I've got my Kasa dimmers, but they just feel cheap. I've started hiding those away for locations they're not really needed to be touched (attic lights, closet lights, etc...)
OP -- I would whole heartedly second @lemming741 's recommendation. They're very good and very intuitive to use in a non-smart fashion as well.
ETA: I've had internet die and they continued working as well.
There are some Zigbee dimming relays/modules which should work with your Zigbee stack of choice. I haven’t used them myself as I use Zigbee dimmer switches instead, but I’ve seen others recommend them. There’s a few different brands depending on your country.
I can also second the recommendation for the Shelly Dimmer 2. Works out of the box with the HA Shelly integration, and can also be flashed with ESPHome or Tasmota if you really want. It can also be used in detached mode to work with smart lights I believe too. My home is mostly Zigbee but I have a few Shelly devices and they have all been solid.
I believe detached mode refers to having the wired switch act independently from the light, so what you want is attached mode
If you go the zigbee route I recommend this one, works well and supports direct binding too: https://zigbee.blakadder.com/Gledopto_GL-SD-001.html
Stay away from the Moes, takes like 1.5sec to get to full brightness when turning on and you can't get rid of the delay.
If you are fine with relays as well look into Nous modules, I got a dual channel relay module from them that works very well, also supports direct binding. They might have dimmers too, but I haven't used them myself.
All these require neutral though, can't speak of their non-neutral versions.
The easy one with preinstalled Tasmota:
https://templates.blakadder.com/athom_SD01-EU-TAS.html
The one that I actually bought earlier (and replaced the CPU and installed Tasmota):
Based on what other people are recommending, I may be misinterpreting what you mean by "relay". This has 2 switches - a dimmer on/off switch, and an on/off dry contact relay. I use it in my bathroom, with the dry contact switch controlling the exhaust fan. https://www.getzooz.com/zooz-zen30-double-switch/
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