How to control one outlet from another outlet and existing wall switch

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1

Hello, I could use some some advice/guidance.

My house has a living room where the dimmer light switch controls a single receptacle on one side of the room. I want to simultaneously control another lamp on the other side of the room.

Is there any way to toggle devices on the far (always on) outlet based on power being on or off at a switched outlet with a smart device? I want to continue using the existing wall dimmer switch to control everything (do not want to have to use a phone app).

Thanks!

2

If I understand correctly, you want to dim a smart bulb to match what a smart switch is doing. Is that correct? Could you post more of your setup pertaining to this? This is very possible to do with more information.

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3

Are both devices lamps? Could use smart bulbs in both lamps, then create a rule to have the far side bulb mimic the near side bulb

4

Hi,

The only equipment I have currently is a Hubitat hub :slight_smile:
I have not purchased any smart switches/outlets as yet.

Here is the setup:

CFL/LED DIMMER WALL SWITCH ----wired----- OUTLET-->LAMP1

OUTLET-->LAMP2 (other side of room)

Each lamp has 2 dimmable LED bulbs.

I want LAMPS 1 &2 to be turned on simultaneously when the WALL SWITCH is activated
I would also ideally like the lamps to be dimmable from the wall switch. Worst case I could forgo the dimming.

How to make this happen?

5

Here’s what you need

  1. Replace the switch with a smart dimmer (like the Zooz Zen22). That will Control the “dumb” bulb in the lamp plugged into the receptacle
  2. Replace a dumb LED bulb in the other lamp with a smart bulb (like Phillips hue or a zwave bulb).
  3. Set up rules in your smart hub for the smart bulb to mirror the smart dimmer
    Both bulbs will be dimmable and controllable via the switch

You can even set up scenes with some types of smart dimmers. So that one tap up turns on one bulb, a double tap up turns on both bulbs, and a tap down turns off both bulbs

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6

Thanks! Great advice.
Silly questions:

  1. Since each lamp has 2 dumb bulbs, for the “remote” lamp, I would need to replace with 2 smart bulbs, correct?

  2. Will the rules be able to control both smart bulbs with the on/off rules and dimming?

7

Another alternative is to get a smart receptacle for the lamp across room. GE/Jasco have Zwave and Zigbee versions. Then via Simple Automation built in app you it mirror the switch. This is what I have done in several rooms in my house.

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8

You don’t have to if the dumb bulb wired to the receptacle is dimmable. The smarts for that one can come from the smart switch.

If you want features like temperature control or color changing then you could use a smart bulb, but you would want to change the wiring so that the switch doesn’t cut power to the smart bulb when flipped (smart bulbs have to have power all the time). Pretty simple to do.

Yes

9

That’s true. You would not need a smart bulb if you went this option. You wouldn’t be able to change color temp or color with this option, but would be able to use the lamp’s own on/off switch like normal (if you have a smart bulb in it you can’t)

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10

So, your options are this:

  1. Buy one smart bulb, and one smart dimmer switch. Put the smart bulb in the lamp NOT plugged into the controllable outlet, and put the smart dimmer switch in place of the dumb switch that controls the outlet.
  2. Buy one smart outlet and one smart dimmer switch. Put the smart dimmer switch in place of the dumb switch that controls the dumb outlet, and put the smart outlet in place of the dumb outlet on the other side of the room.

Option 1: allows you to control color temperature and color of smart bulb, but must use wall switch to control lamp (can't use the switch on the lamp itself anymore)

Option 2: can't control color temp or color of bulb in the lamp, but can use the switch on the lamp itself still