Yeah my den is all Sengled Color+ BR30's plus Sengled Color+ A19s for table lamps and truthfully other than showing off there is no real purpose. Was cool for all of about a week or so, now pretty much unused. I guess I could use it for alerts etc. Color changing works well with little or no popcorning - I am using Zigbee group messaging.
My kitchen lights are straight up dimmable LEDs controlled by a smart dimmer. That works great too..
Your probably right lol, I'm probably just looking for things to do just for the sake of it! Isn't showing off half the fun?
Absolutely!!!
It also makes a good demo for my residential clients interested in home automation ... "Alexa, turn den lights magenta!"
• Run low voltage wiring for shades. Even if you don’t use it now, it will be a blessing to you or new owners if installing motorized shades in the future.
• Run low voltage wire for door and window contacts. You’ll save a lot on the contacts and you will never need to worry about batteries.
That is SUCH a good idea.. also you could use the low voltage connection for window candle lighting if that is your thing... not mine nor my wife's but others in our neighborhood apparently..
Is low voltage wiring the same as the 4 wire wiring used in my old alarm system in this house?
Yes. Cat 3 can be used and only two of the four wires can go to the contacts, but you can also just run one cat 5 to each window and door, then split off the pairs for both the shades and the contacts. This will give you more flexibility for the shades, and anything else you want to add at the same spot.
I previously ran cat 5 to my front door, and used one pair for power to a camera, one pair for power to a motion sensor, and one pair to a doorbell button that closed a contact sensor on the other end of the cat 5.
Running CAT 5/6 is cheap and good if it is handy. However, it is solid strand wire. For LED strips. or just about anything you may need to solder, stranded wire is easier to work with.
I found alarm wire, either 2 or 4 conductor is good.
A few runs of empty conduit from basement to attic. You might not have a use for it today, but its super cheap to do and great if you need to add anything in the future.
I'd list this in the "great updates under $25" category!"
Same here! Just completed 750 metres of CAT6 on our in-progress reno. CAT6 is fine for my use cases for the next 20 years. Shortish distances you can still manage 10Gbps trust me. And remember if you can put one cable, then you can put four. Don't skimp. Also using the CATs for PoE and powering devices such as tablets/cameras. You can get small PoE to USB (C and other) adapters which comes in handy. No need to start pushing USB leads through studs.
Regarding the devices (dimmers, switches etc). We've gone for a non-standard approach where all the gadgets are in-ceiling or in-stud access panels per room. It means if these devices aren't up your expectation or the companies go bust or something you can one day switch them out and they'll be in fewer places rather than behind every switch on the wall. (It means more cable yes).
Some nano leaf products?
Outlet near any door you might put a lock on. That gets you a great place for a repeater.
Download the Hubitat app
