Smart hallway lighting advice

WeegyAVLover

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Hi Al,

Trying to figure out how best to setup smart lighting in my hallway as it is not the most straight-forward.

I have a few 2 way light switches and I know this is going to sound totally neurotic but I have found I hate the fact that with normal light switches that you cannot have them all aligned so ou have some in the switched on position and others in the switched off position and the lights all be off... Very OCD I know.


So I am normally install smart light switches but 2-way light switches on smart light switches does not seem to be a thing. I think I am therefore left with installing maybe something in the light fitting to allow for smart control/ Then along with this a touch light switch that I assume will go off/on when the smart control in the light turns th elight on/off?

Can anyone help with a smart solution that would work at either the light fitting end or at the socket end?

Word of warning - I have basic grasp of electricity and that is about it.

Thanks
Colin.
 
There's a few different options that are modules wired in behind a switch or in the ceiling, examples would be Shelly and Fibaro.

These modules use normal switch plates for control and can be used with 2 way wiring for control at 2 different locations.

These are best used with retractive switches so would be perfect for your switch OCD as they can be pressed on the top and bottom but always return to the middle.

More information here, there's a section specific to 2 way lighting with 3 position retractive switches near the bottom.

 
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If you us the Shelly Dimmer 2 here is the diagram i put together using retractive switches

1604668046610.png
 
The other advantage of the Retractive switches is you can dim at the switch by pressing and holding
 
thanks, I am a touch switch guy and have no need for dimmer switches. but thanks that diagram, it may come in hand for my electrician, he is not that up on smart lighting but is a very good electrician so I am sure seeing (what I assume is) a 101 in electrical diagrams he will be fine with that.
 
You can use Momentary switches with Shelly relay as well, which arent exactly touch switches but close

1604682335931.png



1604682301437.png
 
I'm not that familiar with the Shelly kit but if you look at the Fibaro link I posted above that also has a section for using a single momentary switch. That would give you on and off control with a tap at each switch but you'd still be able to dim the lights using other methods (app etc)
 
If you did want dimming you can with both Fibaro and Shelly dimmers also dim at the switch with a Momentary switch by pressing and holding
 
So here is a question about the shelleys:

as i understand it the light switch can be off & yet if you use app or alexa voice control you can still turn said light on/off - correct?

if that is the case and the light switch, in my case is a touch light, is off & app or voice controls turn it on would the light inidicator change from off light colour (blue) to on colour (red) ?
 
You wouldn’t be able to use a touch light switch only a mechanical one

hence the advice above regarding retractive and momentary switches from me and @Jamie
 
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as electronic switches they usually can’t deal with a module that removes power from them
 
With modules the physical switch becomes just a mechanical contact closure for activating the module .
 
Do they have to dim ?
I just had my hall lights on a sensor so if my son needs to go through it in his wheelchair they just come on and a few minutes later they go off again.

You probably already thought of this but I thought I would mention it.
 
Put in some Hue bulbs and a motion sensor (or two) and never touch the switches again 👍🏻
 
I think I may have found a rather novel but riskier strategy that allows me to keep the 2 way switches and the smart light switches.

Watched a video where you wire up the 2 way switch as a 1 way then use the intelligence in the app / wifi to control them as a 2-way only limitation is if the wifi drops so does the 2-way capability but that is not a massive issue for me as my wifi is pretty solid. However if there was an outage of power or wifi then I would have a bigger issue than if my 2 way light switch was working as a 2-way.
 
Good luck

really don’t see why the touch switch is so much better than the momentary switch that does exactly what you want and isn’t plastic
 
Good luck

really don’t see why the touch switch is so much better than the momentary switch that does exactly what you want and isn’t plastic
matches what I have in the rest of the house and I like them... Only reason I need :D

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions - I will back back in a few weeks to explain how my plans never worked and a momentary switch is what I ended up using :D
 

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