If I use something like this how would I wire it up to control the fan or the light or both at the same time
The dual in-wall relay that you linked to (shown below) should not be used with a fan. Fan speed control switches are very different from light dimmers.
This will burn a fan motor .....
Read the instruction manual. It comes with a wiring diagram to control two independent lighting circuits.
1 Like
My GE/Jasco toggle switched house has been holding up.
I think I might regret that I didn't go all dimmer, and maybe paddles, or whatever that's called.
Should I? Could the relayed toggles be more robust?
Something like the one I pictured. I want separate fan control and separate light control. So when I tell Google to turn the bedroom light on fan stays on or when I tell Google to turn the fan off lights stays on or when I say turn bedroom ceiling off both go off. Is it possible. To do on the cheap side so that I can still use the light switch and no matter what position it is in control still work with Google or Hubert.
As has been mentioned, that drastically depends on your wiring and the ceiling fan itself.
If you only pull 14-2 for the fan, wall switches are out. If the motor for the fan is DC, most likely speed control from a switch is also out.
You cannot use a standard dimmer for a fan regardless. They aren't rated for that type of load.
You're trying to put the cart before the horse. If you know what fan you'll be installing, then post that here. If you know for sure that you can pull 14-3, then answer that as well and we can help.
3 Likes
If your fan has a remote, you can use this. No changes in wiring required. But you'll need a Broadlink RM4 Pro.
2 Likes
Always shop on eBay so what is my best option? I was thinking about getting some used WeMo devices.
You want cheap or good, you cannot have both in my opinion. I always recommend Lutron Caseta because they're tanks. I've never had one go bad and I've never even changed the battery in a PICO in my oldest which is around 12 years. They are roughly 50 bux a switch but wholly worth it. Next would be Zooz and Inovelli. Both great z-wave switches. Next I would look at Enerwave. Simple but they work. (Z-wave) Bottom of the barrel are the Jasco/GE. I only say that because they're caps have a tendency to blow. Some have no probs with them at all. You won't find z-wave/zigbee switches at a $10 price point. It just doesn't exist. I'll also say the old adage "You get what you pay for" applies tripply so for iot.
2 Likes
Gosund Smart Dimmer Switch Smart WiFi Light Dimmable Switch 4Pack Brand New
would it work whit hubitat?
No it's cloud based. Cloud based devices are opposite of what Hubitat wants. If it's a cloud based device and has an open api, hubitat leaves it to the community to integrate but even the community isn't interested in cloud based switches. The switches you are looking for are zigbee, z-wave, or Clear Connect (lutron)
3 Likes
Can somebody point me to one that would work on eBay? So I have a reference point to start from. I am new to hubitat and don't know much about the platform.
I thank you for your guyses help up to this point.
The tplink Kasa line are designed to be either cloud or local LAN controlled over WiFi.
The non dimming switches are $32 for a 3 pack at Amazon. kasa smart light switch hs200p3, https://a.co/d/1wckwye
Dimmers a bit more. https://a.co/d/4eq0ai7
There are community drivers for Hubitat to support them in a local LAN mode without the cloud.
This is about as cheap as you're going to get for a UL listed device, or something you don't have to flash the firmware with something like Tasmota.
1 Like
And bear in mind, @user5035, that if your Wi-Fi network is down you'll loose hub & automation control over your lights. If there are areas in your home where your Wi-Fi signal is weak, that may affect responsiveness.
1 Like
What about Tasmota flashed devices?
I have plenty of them and they work great.
And are off-the-cloud devices.
Thereās a different approach possible, that could be less expensive and is rock solid reliable. If youāre focused on cheap, some of the requirements will put a lump in your throat, but in the long run itās less expensive than smart dimmers and far more reliable that Z-Wave.
If you buy a Lutron Smart Bridge Pro and use Pico buttons for the control of smart bulbs, you can use many different smart bulbs and fully control them as if you had installed a smart dimmer. I prefer Hue bulbs with a Hue bridge and the Hubitat Hue Bridge integration. Picos are around $15 each and are highly customizable.
For fan control you can use the CasĆ©ta fan controller, or any number of other compatible controllers out there. Thereās a Pico for fans if youāre wanting a separate control of the fan at another location and want the fan icons on it (but itās not a different Pico in any other way). For things like exhaust fans, you can use a regular switch or a regular fan timer with a Shelly 2.5 installed behind it.
If you need a smart dimmer on a light that cannot use smart bulbs, then you can add one to the mix, but still control it from multiple locations with a Pico. Picoās can be programmed to control multiple light in multiple was from a single Pico if you want.
The advice to do it in small chunks is good, but if you want to drop the cash and do it all at once, that is your prerogative to do so. I can tell you for sure my setup is almost exactly as Iāve just described, and it works without a single issue day after day. However, this is my third smart home build, so Iām was able to approach it from a place of experience. If someone had recommended I buy all this stuff and do it as Iām suggesting (and actually @mike.maxwell sort of did, but I didnāt listen at the time), then I might not have learned as much. However thereās no question I would have saved a lot of time and had more money for playing with the fun stuff, instead of wasting it on lighting projects that didnāt pan out.
1 Like
The other note, specifically for Kasa devices at least, is that they will not push events to Hubitat. Hubitat has to pull updates. So if you turn a switch on manually, it will be delayed showing up in Hubitat. That has real impact on automations.
Zooz 700 switches are the best bang for the buck. 5 year warranty, excellent customer service, VERY decent pricing, and a litany of configuration options thanks to @jtp10181's drivers. They all support smart bulbs if you decide to go that route in the future.
The other VERY important part of most cheap switches, most have no electrical certification rating. Have one catch fire and burn your house down, and good luck with an insurance claim.
2 Likes
They're an amazing bargain at their price point.
Solid advice.
2 Likes
Disagree. See my post above.
This is the advantage. I removed all the single, 3-way and 4-way switches in my house and wired the load and hot permanatly together in box for any light fixture that was going to have a smart bulb. For any light switch that would require a smart dimmer (Insteon in my case), they were installed where the light load was, and a Pico took the place of where the former 3-way switches were. This has the avantage of my not losing any control I previously had, changing it how I want, anytime I want, and adding extra control on the same Pico for the existing light, and/or other lights.
Other functions are possible too. For example, certain Picos have the off button programmed so holding it down runs the goodnight sequence to turn off all the lights I want to go off and lock the doors.
You might, but I don't personally thing this looks clumsy.
2 Likes
I don't think Lutron is going to be in the ~$10/switch range he wants to stay near. The Lutron smartbridge pro hub is about $120(?) and Picos are now running about $20 each on Amazon. Other part I don't like is I lose direct control of the lights from the switch if my hub goes down. Much preferred (at least for me) that my smart light switches are directly connected to the circuits and can control lighting regardless of the status/existence/function of my hub(s). My own subjective comments about my preferences aside, I don't think Lutron hits the OP's price target.
3 Likes
