What kind of Alexa compatible Smart Switch do I need to replace this please? Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[Hoohar21]

Hi,

I want to replace the wall switch with a smart switch, but I don't know which type / spec to look for?
I've taken some photos which are hopefully self-explanatory. Grateful for any help in understanding this.
Cheers

[Mr White]

You can turn the light on from this switch, and turn the light off from a different switch. (Called 2 way switching)

You have 2 problems:
1) There is no such thing as a 2 way smart switch
2) There is no neutral at this switch position.

The most reliable smart switches that work all the time, every time require a neutral.

You do however have 2 choices

IF you ever read this, please ask for more information.

[ericmark]

There are smart switches which need no neutral, and work as master/slave so can work with two way, the Energenie MIHO090 is an example, at £34.80 not cheap, plus £52.20 for hub. And of the 5 I fitted only 2 still working, so rather an expensive route, but can be worked with both phone and PC and I know Nest Mini's will turn lights on/off as I do it every day.

Other makes use wireless connections between the two switches, the slave only has line and neutral to power it, no control wire, so you need to follow the instructions for the switch selected.

Personally after the failure of smart devices, I would go for smart bulbs when ever possible, easy to revert to non smart, and easy to install.

There is also the smart relay, [attachment=0]DSC_6061r.jpg[/attachment] I used this twin unit as could retain the existing two way system although it becomes extra low voltage, and it uses zigbee hub so cheap, and I can select just centre lamp or outer four lamps or all five, using smartlife or google home, and the latter connects to Nest Mini's so hey google turn on landing lights turns them on so don't need to put coffee down to switch on lights.

The relay can be fitted at the lamp where you do have a neutral, the problem is the room needed to fit it, it has worked well with voice commands, and using phone, but the emulator to run smartlife on the PC is useless, so phones and tablet only. Also it seems to have moods, some times switches work, other times they don't, but since rarely use switches anyway, not looked into why.

So if the bulb holder will take smart bulbs, and you need 4 or less, for that circuit, then smart bulbs is the answer, if either the bulbs can't be bought as smart bulbs, like the silly G9 bulbs, or you have a lot on that circuit, my living room has 8 bulbs, then smart relay or switch, if room for relay than that's the better option, any relay or switch using a neutral seem to work better than those not requiring a neutral, and you have no neutral at switch. But if no room at lamp no option.

A warning, many require some re-wiring, if your not happy with that, then go for bulbs, on forums we see loads of people who have bought Chinese switches which they can't get to work, Varilight switches seem to get good reports, but I have never used one.

[Mr White]

IF you ever read this, please ask for more information.

I guess Hoohar21 never came back, I wonder why us regulars even bother posting.

Answers on a post card please.

[ericmark]

You find other simply read and act on the replies, this is why I try to make the reply so when others read it, they will not due to a small change cause danger.

The smart revolution seems to have turned things on their head, the worry to me is the two and three gang switches which have just one feed for all outputs, where it was normal in the past to have three independent switches on the same plate.

I know with my landing light which goes into a 4 gang switch, we have at least two circuits, maybe three, and one is extra low voltage, these can't be grouped together with one feed, specially with all RCBO consumer units, it will trip the RCD, but at least it does trip so you know there is some thing wrong, with the old one RCD to many MCB's the fault can go unnoticed so we have a borrowed neutral situation.

Books like BS 7671 are rewritten every few years to encompass the changes, but most books are not updated so have loads of errors as time has moved on, in fact I looked at a science 'A' level book, and it showed a fluorescent fitting with the ballast completely missing.

And this is for advanced level? Such a blatant error, and thousands of school levers are being taught wrong to start with.

I was talking to an electrician at work about the LED replacement for fluorescent tubes, and I was saying how you needed to wire the two ends in series so the tube can be inserted either way around, but it seems they have changed how the tubes are wired, the two I have bought one end was feed and other end short circuit, but it seems new ones the other end is open circuit, so replace the tube when wired in series and they no longer work. But don't wire in series and put supply to one end only and put tube in wrong way around, and you have a short circuit.

It seems only advice one can give is read the instructions that come with the tube?

[Mr White]

You find other simply read and act on the replies,

I believe you will find that is not the case, people come here and ask a question seeking advice / solution, they can not look at a reply that is not dedicated to them and understand it, if they could, they would not have asked in the first place.

Furthermore the majority of posters only ever make ONE post, I would say that a lot of it is in the way this forum holds back posts until approved, have you ever noticed the way a post will appear at a time that is prior to the last time you checked in, and so a new person will make a post, not see said post, so go else where and ask.

This forum also does not have a pm facility or emojis.

[ericmark]

This was the first forum I started to use, and have continued to use it other than for a short time I was kicked off after some one complained my post was dangerous.

The problem with the vet first method is that the sysop can't really say we removed it as soon as we realised, as the sysop sees it first.

But I have seen so many old posts reactivated, it seems people do a google hunt and get the old posts, so add to them, so I read some thing I have said in 2006 or some other old date, and realise that is no longer true.