I’m looking for a smart home solution use two switches in my living room (EU), in order to make them just smart enough so I can control some devices. The setup isn’t very complex in itself, and I’m pretty sure it’s doable - I’m just unsure what I’d need in order to use these switches in a ‘smart’ capacity…
This is what I had in mind:
- On-off switch, connected to a single light with three Hue filament bulbs. I’d like this one to always be powered, as to make them always controllable
- On-off switch, which should be connected to a light which isn’t in use at all. Once this one is ‘smart’, I could control all other smart devices in the living room like a ‘turn off everything’-button.
I have a Hue bridge and a Home Assistant instance running in my home.
With regards to wife-approval-factor, I’d rather leave the original switches in place, but I’m open to suggestions. I hope one of you can steer me in the right direction.
Edit: if this isn’t the right community for the question, I’d understand, but I wasn’t sure where to put it otherwise… I’d be open to suggestions to that too.
Current national electrical code in the US (since the 1980s) is a neutral in every switch box. Before then a switch loop was allowed so you see a lot of older construction with those.
You also see newer construction with those where Uncle Dave™ decided it was easier to only have to run a wire down from the light rather than fish it up through the crawlspace, NEC be damned.
It’s also a matter of saving on the wiring. I may not be (quite) that Uncle Dave, but I really regret a few places I pulled wire for a switch loop without the extra conductor for a neutral.
At the time, I rationalized it was already an improvement over what was there and I had no immediate use for the neutral. I believe the neutral wasn’t required by local code, only recommended, or I would have done it
Of course now I’m cursing my choice, trying to decide whether I need to go back and do it over, or whether I even can practically since it’s a two person job and my buddy retired to Florida. Wiring I pulled many years ago was great for dimmers, more convenient switches, and extra three-ways, but not so great for smart switches
Edit: looks like neutral wasn’t required until NEC 2011
I didn’t realize it was that recent of an addition to the NEC. Weve only lived in super old houses where everything was always needing completely redone. I was usually replacing 2 conductor and cloth-jacketed stuff everywhere.
That was around 2012 and I remember the electrician we hired at the time mentioned it being a thing so that makes sense.