Question 1

What is the Simon i7 Smart switch series?

Accepted Answer

It is Simon's i7 wall switch platform with a Zigbee radio built in. The modules look like normal piano-key switches, sit in a slim frame of one to five gangs, and are wired into your lighting circuits. Once a Simon gateway is on site, each gang also becomes a controllable light in the app.

Question 2

Will the i7 Smart run on UAE 220-240V mains?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The modules are rated 16AX at 250V AC, and the heavy-duty 70E855TY is 20A at 250V, which is the correct class for UAE supply. Simon does not make a 120V or NEMA version of this line, so there is nothing to convert and no transformer involved.

Question 3

Does it fit the wall boxes already in my Dubai apartment?

Accepted Answer

It needs an 86mm European flush box. Many Dubai switch positions already use an 86mm box, but plenty use a UK-pattern box instead. We take a plate off and measure before quoting. If the box is wrong, the electrician replaces it, which means a small amount of plaster work.

Question 4

Can I install these myself?

Accepted Answer

No. Each module is hardwired into a live 220-240V circuit with line and neutral at the box, which in the UAE is work for a licensed electrician. There is no plug-in or battery version. Our team isolates the circuit, fits the box and frame, terminates the module and tests it.

Question 5

What else do I have to buy for it to work?

Accepted Answer

A Zigbee gateway, and it is not optional. The switches have no Wi-Fi of their own, so without a gateway they behave like ordinary wall switches. You also need the matching i7 frame for the gang count at each position, and an 86mm flush box behind it.

Question 6

Which Simon gateway should I choose?

Accepted Answer

Three routes. The 70E761TY is a wall-mounted gateway that also gives you USB-A and USB-C charging, so it takes over a socket position. The puck gateways connect by LAN (S00E0-S008) or Wi-Fi (S00E0-S009) near the router. A Homepad or Simpad86 wall panel has the gateway inside it already.

Question 7

Which app controls it?

Accepted Answer

The Simon Smart app, on iOS and Android. It handles pairing, room grouping, scenes, timers and remote access through the gateway. Naming is worth doing properly at commissioning, because a villa with forty gangs is unusable if every switch is called Switch 1.

Question 8

Does it work with Alexa and Google Assistant?

Accepted Answer

Yes, through the gateway and a linked Simon Smart account. Once connected, you can say a light or scene name to an Echo or Nest speaker. Voice runs through the cloud, so it needs internet, and the physical keys and local scenes keep working while the connection is out.

Question 9

Does it work with Apple Home?

Accepted Answer

Not natively. Simon supports Siri Shortcuts, so you can trigger scenes by voice on an iPhone, but the switches do not appear as accessories inside the Apple Home app and cannot be used in Apple automations. If a proper Apple Home tile per switch is what you want, tell us and we will specify something else.

Question 10

Can I retrofit this into an existing villa, or is it only for new fit-outs?

Accepted Answer

Both, with a caveat. A retrofit works where each switch position has line and neutral in the box and the box is, or can become, an 86mm pattern. Villas with conduit-run cable in gypsum walls are usually easy. Older stock with no neutral needs cable pulled first, which is a bigger job.

Question 11

Does it need a neutral wire at the switch box?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Line and neutral both land in the module, which is how it stays powered when the light is off. Most Dubai villas built in the last fifteen years have a neutral at the switch position. Older apartments often do not, and there is no no-neutral version of the i7 Smart.

Question 12

How many gangs can I have on one plate?

Accepted Answer

Up to five in a single i7 frame. The smart modules come in one, two, three and four gang versions (70E838TY to 70E841TY, or the 58E8001TY to 58E8004TY codes) and combine inside the frame. Frames are made in 76-type and 86-type mounting patterns. We set the layout wall by wall at design stage.

Question 13

Can it switch a water heater or another heavy load?

Accepted Answer

That is what the 70E855TY exists for. It is a single-gang 20A module, good for 4400W, which covers a typical villa water heater. The standard modules stop at 200W per gang, so a heater must never go on one. We size the module against the actual circuit before quoting.

Question 14

Does the range dim, and will it suit my LED drivers?

Accepted Answer

Simon lists dimming modules in the wider i7 Smart family alongside the switching modules quoted here. Dimming behaviour depends entirely on the driver behind the light, so we confirm the exact dimmer part and check it against your LED drivers or transformers at specification stage rather than guessing on site.

Question 15

How does this compare with the cheaper Aqara H2 switch you sell?

Accepted Answer

The Aqara is cheaper, sold retail, fits a UK box and appears in Apple Home natively, which suits one apartment. The Simon is a specified electrical line: European frames, matched gang layouts, a 20A option and one finish across a whole villa. You are paying for the design and the look, not extra function.

Question 16

Is this the same as Simon iO?

Accepted Answer

No. Simon iO is a different product line with its own ecosystem, and the two do not talk to each other. If iO is already in the house, adding i7 Smart means running two separate apps. Tell us what is installed before we quote so we can keep you on one system.

Question 17

Can I mix it with the Simon M7 series?

Accepted Answer

Yes. M7 and i7 Smart share the same Simon Smart Zigbee ecosystem, the same app and the same gateways, so they sit inside one system. Some projects use M7 in the main rooms and i7 elsewhere, or the reverse, depending on the plate design the client prefers.

Question 18

Do the lights still work if the internet or the gateway fails?

Accepted Answer

The key on the wall is a real switch, so the light works regardless. Zigbee scenes and automations stored on the gateway keep running without internet. If the gateway itself fails, you lose app control, voice and automations until it is replaced, while manual switching carries on as normal.

Question 19

How do you price it, and how long does delivery take?

Accepted Answer

There is no retail price for this line in the UAE, so we quote per project. We count gangs per wall, fix the finish and layout, add frames, the gateway and the electrical work, then confirm price and lead time with the distributor before you commit. Foreign listings you find online are not UAE prices.

Question 20

What about warranty and support in the UAE?

Accepted Answer

Support runs through the appointed distributor, Stable Link in Dubai Silicon Oasis, rather than a published consumer policy. That is normal for a project-specified European electrical brand. We raise any claim on your behalf and handle the swap, because we hold the job records and the exact module codes.

Question 21

Who should not buy the i7 Smart?

Accepted Answer

Anyone who wants to buy a switch today, fit it at the weekend and see it in Apple Home. Also anyone in an older apartment with no neutral at the box, and anyone doing only two or three switches, where the gateway cost is hard to justify. Aqara suits those cases better.

Question 22

Which colours can I have, and can I put USB charging in the same frame?

Accepted Answer

White, Grey and Champagne are the main finishes, with Black in the wider i7 colour range. Select modules carry USB-A and USB-C fast charging, and the 70E761TY gateway is itself a charging point, so a bedside position can hold a switch and charging in one frame.

Question 23

Will Dubai heat and dust cause problems?

Accepted Answer

These are indoor wiring devices sitting in a plastered wall inside air-conditioned space, so summer heat is not the issue. Site dust is. On a fit-out we leave the finish plates off until painting and sanding are done, then fit modules and frames near handover so nothing arrives grey.

Question 24

Can I use it in a bathroom or outdoors?

Accepted Answer

Not inside a wet zone and not outdoors. There is no weather or splash rating on these modules. Standard UAE practice puts the bathroom light and water heater switch on the dry wall outside the door, and that is where we fit them. Outdoor lighting is switched from an indoor position.

Protocol / App	Zigbee 3.0 mesh; controlled via the "Simon Smart" app, with voice control through Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Siri Shortcuts
Gateway required	Mandatory Zigbee gateway: Simon Smart Zigbee wall-mounted USB A+C gateway (70E761TY), a LAN/Wi-Fi puck gateway (S00E0-S008 / S00E0-S009), or a Homepad/Simpad86 panel with gateway built in. The switch has no standalone Wi-Fi
Power / voltage	220-240V AC mains, hardwired Line + Neutral; switch mechanism rated 16AX @ 250V (standard 1-4 gang modules) up to 20A @ 250V on the 70E855TY heavy-duty version
Load rating	Up to 200W per gang on the standard i7/M3 smart switch modules (70E838TY-70E841TY, 58E8001TY-58E8004TY); up to 4400W (20A) on the single-gang 70E855TY
Mounting / box format	Slim 84x84mm switch module fitted to a European 86mm flush wall box, using the matching Simon i7 1- to 5-gang frame (76-type or 86-type mounting box)
Finishes	White, Grey and Champagne (Black also exists in the wider i7 colour range); select modules add USB-A + USB-C fast-charge outlets
Installation route	Hardwired mains device. Installation by a licensed electrician into a live lighting or appliance circuit is required; this is not a DIY battery or plug-in accessory
Ecosystem compatibility	Shares the Simon Smart Zigbee ecosystem and app with the Simon M7 series; not compatible with, and separate from, the Simon iO product line

Simon i7 Smart Switch Series

What it is and where it fits

Specifications

What to check before you order

Questions about the Simon i7 Smart Switch Series

Fitted and configured by our Dubai team