thewillows
DIY
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Hi, I had my home entirely rewired 5 years ago had some outside lights added to the front of the house. I’d now like to add these into my SmartThings setup and have come across the Aeotec nano switch which appears to add smart control without needing to replace existing switch.
The photo below shows my existing 4 gang switch. From left to right:
1. 2 way control of a chandelier-style light at top of stairs
2. 2 way control of the downlights in my hall
3. Porch lights which are triggered by a PIR sensor
4. 1 way control of lights on front of house
Connections 1 and 2 go up to a 3 gang switch at the top of my stairs (2 of which control the candalier and the downlights in the hall, and the 3rd controls another run of downlights on my landing). The final end of that circuit is a single switch at the end of the landing.
I’d like to wire the Aeotect Nano into the 4th connectoin to control my outside lights. The Nano also needs a neutral connection and I suspect I’ll need to add a deeper backbox.
Can anyone help with the following questions:
1. Is the blue cable that runs into the junction box in the top right the neutral connection? I usually go from the cable colour but my electrician has added some brown tape onto the grey and black cables which I assume means they are live, hence wanting to double-check about the neutral!
2. The Nano will only make one of the circuits “smart”. Are there any other options that would let me gradually replace other switches around the house in time? I’d prefer to stay on SmartThings if possible as I’d like to avoid lots of different smart hubs around the house but would consider another option if necessary. I did come across the LightWave series but that appears to need it’s own hub and to replace all 3 switches on the circuit, which would end up costing around £600-700 and was outside my budget for some simple home automation.
The photo below shows my existing 4 gang switch. From left to right:
1. 2 way control of a chandelier-style light at top of stairs
2. 2 way control of the downlights in my hall
3. Porch lights which are triggered by a PIR sensor
4. 1 way control of lights on front of house
Connections 1 and 2 go up to a 3 gang switch at the top of my stairs (2 of which control the candalier and the downlights in the hall, and the 3rd controls another run of downlights on my landing). The final end of that circuit is a single switch at the end of the landing.
I’d like to wire the Aeotect Nano into the 4th connectoin to control my outside lights. The Nano also needs a neutral connection and I suspect I’ll need to add a deeper backbox.
Can anyone help with the following questions:
1. Is the blue cable that runs into the junction box in the top right the neutral connection? I usually go from the cable colour but my electrician has added some brown tape onto the grey and black cables which I assume means they are live, hence wanting to double-check about the neutral!
2. The Nano will only make one of the circuits “smart”. Are there any other options that would let me gradually replace other switches around the house in time? I’d prefer to stay on SmartThings if possible as I’d like to avoid lots of different smart hubs around the house but would consider another option if necessary. I did come across the LightWave series but that appears to need it’s own hub and to replace all 3 switches on the circuit, which would end up costing around £600-700 and was outside my budget for some simple home automation.