There is one lighting automation I have been putting off for a while because it looks like it may be a little more difficult (like cutting holes and wiring) or expensive that I would prefer. I'm wondering if someone here might see a solution that hasn't occurred to me.
At the top of my basement stairs is what I believe is called a single gang box (just room for a single device) with a double light switch in it. One switch goes to a light fixture in the ceiling of the stairwell, the other to a light socket in the ceiling of the basement. Both have bulbs (A19) that I think are higher light output than I have seen for zigbee or z-wave bulbs.
The only solutions I can think of is to cut a bigger hole in the wall, wire and install 2 boxes and put a smart switch in both. Or, I have see smart devices that screw into a light socket that let you screw in a standard light bulb. Those would be less than ideal though. The basement ceiling is only 6.5 feet, leaving the current bulb already pretty low. And the stairwell fixture has a horizontal socket, so the smart adapter may not fit (even without the cover).
I keep feeling like I'm missing another, simpler, option here, but maybe it's a device type I'm not familiar with. Any suggestions?
I think there are a few options, depending on what you need. Here are some that I can think of:
Option 1:
Put the two bulbs on the same switch - Do they need to be separated?
Option 2:
Hard wire the connector leading to one of the bulbs, and connect the other to a scene controller (Like the Inovelli Red Dimmer or Switch or the Zooz Zen32).
Add a smart bulb in the hard wired socket and control the other with the switch
Setup a rule for one of the scenes (double tap, button, etc.) to control the bulb. The switch will control the connected load.
Option 3:
Like option 2, hard wire one of the connectors leading to a bulb, but use a Lutron remote to control the bulb (assuming you have a Lutron Pro 2 hub.
Well, there's one pretty obvious solution that I didn't even consider. I rarely turn them on separately. I don't think I can use a single smart bulb for ether location, one is a 1500 lumen bulb (I don't think there are A19 smart bulbs that bright, but I didn't do the homework here either), and the other has a total of 4 bulbs (I think they are 800 lumen each, but some may be lower) screwed in using an adapter.
See above, but I don't think there are zigbee or z-wave bulbs of the required output available. Hmmm, I could replace the basement light socket with an outlet, then plug in a smart outlet (or just buy a smart outlet) then purchase a basic 'fluorescent tube' style LED light and plug it into that. I've already got a few of those in other areas of the basement. Good idea!
BTW, for on/off control, I use Google/Alexa frequently, plus was hoping to add a few more motion sensors to the house anyway.
FYI - Lifx has one that is close at 1100 lumens, and these are compatible devices since 2.3.0.
These are definitively the way to go in my opinion. I now have some in every room and most of my lighting is automated using them (either auto on/off or just auto off). Zigbee will typically respond faster. Z-Wave will typically have more functionality.
Hue introduced an extra bright 1600 lumen bulb, but it never arrived in the US or Canada. However, if you don't need to turn the lights on separately, you can just put both loads on one smart dimmer and then automate to your heart's content. If there's a separate hot for the other light, just cap it with a wire nut. You only want one hot going to the dimmer.
I work in electronics, but have little experience in house wiring. Still, I should be able to figure it out :-). Actually, the house wiring needs some updating and I was thinking of bringing the electrician back, maybe this is a good excuse to do so. Thanks.
I would definitely suggest hiring an electrician if you’re in doubt of your ability to do it safely, or if local code doesn’t allow homeowners to do the work.
Some jurisdictions allow the homeowners to do the work, but the insurance companies require an inspection. That’s how it is where I’m moving.
Wow, this is possibly perfect! Wasn't expecting this!
OK, now I have too many options. This double switch is intriguing. Maybe I could swap out the smart bulbs in the bathroom ceiling fixture, replace that double wall switch (light/fan) with this. Then finish ducting the exhaust fan so I can actually use it. That would be a nice setup, I could set automations or use voice control for the fan.
That’s what I have in my bathroom. I have the fan on an Inovelli Red switch, have a humidity sensor in the bathroom and another in an adjacent room. If the humidity is more than about 30% higher in the bathroom than it is in that room, the fan turns on.
I also have a relay that controls the “turbo” mode of my air exchanger so that it will exhaust air at a higher velocity (and not just circulate it) if the humidity in the bathroom is 10% (humid summer) or 20% (dry winter) higher in the bathroom. I use this as the first step since it has a built-in heat exchanger and I expect to lose less heat in the winter that way than I would by just blowing the warm air outside with the bathroom fan.
