Home under construction will have about six "switch controlled" outdoor floodlights, most mounted under the eaves and a couple mounted on gable end walls. They will not be controlled by motion sensors or dusk-to-dawn sensors.
I would like to control all the floodlights from a single, central location. Without any HA devices, that would mean mounting six switches in a single location, then running switch legs from each switch to its corresponding floodlight, which means pulling a lot of Romex wire.
An alternative I'm considering is having each light controlled by a hardwired smart switch that is in fairly close proximity to the light it is controlling (but still indoors). Next, I would mount six more smart switches in the "central location". These switches would not control anything directly, i.e., no switch legs connected to them. Instead, each would control one of the hardwired switches via the Hubitat environment. So, each floodlight could be controlled individually by its nearby associated hardwired switch or by its associated switch in the central location.
I understand that probably the worst downside to this design is that if the Hubitat controller is down (or there's some other HA problem), the central switches won't function. I also understand that hardwiring the central switches is more reliable than depending on a HA solution. Are there any other downsides to doing this? Is there a better way to accomplish this, other than hardwiring everything?
When I purchased my current home, the previous owner, who built the house, had the floodlights hardwired with a dusk to dawn motion sensor on each. There was no switch. I had a switch added, and put it right next to the breaker box. It's not a convenient location if you need to manually turn it on, but I never do that. Since the outside floods are always controlled through HE.
So you could put all you manual smart switches at the box, very little extra wire to run. If you want switches at a more convenient location use a some type of remote switch, or scene controller. This method does have the problem of not working if your Hub goes down, but with a spare hub on hand that can be fixed quickly. Since the HE hub is local, loss of internet will not effect anything, so it's like anything else sometimes hardware breaks and you have to fix it. Granted a manual switch will have a much higher reliability rate.
You could also get switches that could be bound together and would function even if the hub is down. Inovelli blue is one possibility and I believe there are also Z-wave options
You could always run 14-3 wiring that will allow you to have two floodlights on the same wire. You would run 14-3 to the closest floodlight to the switch location. Then run 14-2 from that light to another. They would share the same white neutral but black could be one switched light and red the other.
Other thought is do these floodlights all need individual switches? You could combine multiple to one switch instead and daisy chain the wiring if the 14-3 idea doesn’t work.
You could use the Zooz Zen34 remote switches in this location since there is no load. Or better yet go down the Lutron route and install Pico remotes. But my advice is to make sure the switches are easily accessible in case the lights need to be serviced.
Not necessarily! As @Rxich mentions there are z-wave switches that can pair outside of the HE environment - known as a z-wave association. Lutron Caseta Picos can also be used that way - they can be paired directly to a Lutron switch. However, once you do so, the Picos are no longer visible to HE, though the master Lutron switch definitely is.
I ended up putting Hue LED floodlights outside. They do not have individual switches, but I can turn them all on with various devices scattered around the house - including Alexa. I also use Hue outdoor motion sensors and - even better - a Camect intelligent NVR. The Camect can distinguish people, animals, and vehicles, and presents that information to HE as a motion sensor. So I can have the front lights turn on if they detect a car or person, but not a cat. The rest of the lights will only turn on for people. Or I can have them respond to the Hue PIR. Or both. The lights are divided into several zones, so only the zone that detects motion will light up. Unless the house alarm goes off, in which case the house lights up and the two front lights flash red. It's quite dramatic at 3am.
On Halloween I have them alternate between purple and orange. It's tacky but hey what the heck. The kids love it.
The lights will not come on if the hub is down, though in a pinch I can manipulate them from the native Hue app.
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I'm new to HE and z-wave, and I wasn't aware of associations. That helps a lot.
I left out a few facts to keep this from being too confusing, but I don't think it affects any replies.
First, I'm strongly leaning towards z-wave devices, although others aren't out of the question if there is a good enough reason to use them.
All of the flood lights will be 0-10V dimmable lights. Based on Zooz support's suggestion, the plan is to have a switch box (in an easily accessible location) near the light that will contain a ZAC99 switch and a ZEN54 0-10V dimmer. The dimmers haven't arrived yet, so I don't know if they support z-wave associations. I may also have to wait a while to fully bench test this stuff (specifically, the ZEN54) because it's still in Beta.
Some of the lights will operate in tandem, e.g., two lights on the corners of the back porch will be controlled from a single switch.
The cables between the ZAC99/ZEN54 boxes and the lights will be Romex 12/2 with control wires. One manufacture calls it "PCS Duo" cable because the power and control/switch conductors are "combined". Search Lowes or HD for "PCS Duo Romex" for more info. All other wiring, e.g., "line in" is Romex 12/2. Electricians don't use 14/2 on new homes in this area.
Many folks have a lot of success with z-wave switches. I went with Lutron Caseta to retrofit an older house, mostly because many of their switches do not require neutral. They are absolutely rock solid and you'll find they are very popular here. They are more expensive than other options and they do require the PRO Lutron hub. They have also recently released a line that has the standard "decora" look and feel for those that like it. Their Pico remotes are also very popular. If I were to build new I think I would go with Lutron again even though the neutral wire isn't an issue on new construction.
Whoa! Is that a local code requirement? 12-2 is such a pain to deal with since it’s so stiff and thick. Around here 14-2 is all that is required for lights. I get that more lights would require a 20A circuit which would require 12-2 but wow if that’s default.
Curious is your whole house 12-2 and 20A circuits? Quite an expense if so.
My reaction as well. In these days of LED bulbs, 14 gauge is already far above actual need for lighting fixtures, so I can't imagine a move to 12 gauge by default.
I don't know if 12/2 is code or not, but it's what is used in this area. My house is outside the city limits, so there isn't any electrical inspection. I've been in a lot of houses under construction around here, and all are 12/2, except where larger is called for. One reason may be that light circuits are seldom isolated from general purpose wall receptacle circuits in this area. All lights will be LED, so the light load will be minimal on any circuit.
At the big box stores, 12/2 is about 30% more than 14/2. The real killer is 12/3, which is about $290 for a 250 foot roll vs $160 for 12/2. I have quite a few 3-way and 4-way light circuits that will take a lot of 12/3 due to the distance between switches. I mentioned the PCS Duo cable earlier, which is 12/2 with 16/2 control wires. It's the same price per foot as 12/3.
My house came with pairs of exterior floodlights mounted on each of the four sides. They are on a single circuit and are controlled by three and four-way switches located throughout the house.
My solution: 8 smart bulbs and one smart switch. I use rules to get the result I want. For example: a) turn the switch on; and b) turn 3 sets of bulbs off. Result - front entrance side lit. Not neat, but it works
My house is on a fairly large piece of property (11 acres) "in the country". The floods are each 60W, so about 7800 lumens each. If necessary, I want to make the area within 100' feet of the house look like mid-day. Since they are all 0-10V dimmable, I can turn them down if necessary.
