Great Video. I also want to add my ceiling fans to the mix. I'm TIRED of looking for the REMOTE for the ceiling fan ! I would much rather use VOICE control.
A few things to add/question... 1.) What happens when power is restored after a power outage... do they turn on like most smart bulbs when the power is restored, or do they follow the same status they were in when the power went out (i.e.: if the switch was off and the power goes out (or flickers) will the switch remain off when the power is restored)?? 2.) On the switches that contain a neutral wire... does that neutral wire have to be connected to the same circuit or can it be connected to any neutral wire (for example a group of 3 switches in a box with one of them being a 3 way ... say the 3 way switch was on a different circuit than the other 2 switches, does the neutral wire have to be on the same circuit as the 3 way if that's the one you're replacing with a smart switch, or can it be connected to any neutral wire that may be on a different circuit)?? 3.) On a 3 way circuit, do you only need 1 smart 3 way switch or do you need one for each side of the 3 way?? 4.) What switches can be used to turn a ceiling fan on & off and what ones can control the speed (if any) of a standard ceiling fan?? 5.) What switches toggle like a regular switch vs. having a push button effect (ex. the TP Link/Kasa switches are turned on and off by pressing the bottom of the switch vs a rocker style)?? 6.) Can the switches control more than 1 light on a circuit ... and can you dim more than one light in the circuit (ex. a kitchen ceiling that has 4 can style lights ... can you dim all of these)?? 7.) What switches are compatible with fluorescent lights?? I have around 5 on one switch that controls upper cabinet lighting and around 4 that controls under cabinet lighting... I also have a couple switches that control LED (fluorescent style) lights ... 1 on one switch and 2 on another.
You left out one issue. WiFi switches "phone home," which can be a security risk. They also put more overhead on your WiFi router, depending on how many switches you have. I prefer Z-Wave myself. They also work well in a home automation system.
Thank you for such a comprehensive video. You actually addressed all the areas that would otherwise could end in failure of the system and returns of products.
One thing you did not mention is warrantys and if you purchase a HUB you rely on the manufacturer to be in business for it to work. If the manufacturer of the HUB goes out of business like Insteon did this year then you are screwed Thanks for the great video
Hi nice video I’ve a halo hub , and I’ve a wall box with no neutral wire , now which smart switch would work , any help would be sweet , I’ve also run with google voice assistant
A lot of key points were made in this video, well done. I am an electrician looking into adding some smart switches in my older home. I was confused about the point you made about a home with a neutral. I am sure there is an practical explaination however Electrically speaking every AC circuit consists of a neutral and a load wire which completes the circuit. Some older homes like mine might no included a ground in the system making it a two wire system insted of a 3 wire. This is why I am confused at to why there would be any home considered a no neutral wiring system.
@@lablover3112 I'm guessing to are kidding or confused about what kind of neutral we are talking about. Suffice to say we are not talking about computer electronics and components.
@@Detroitblue switches without a white neutral run power through the light circuit all the time. Just at a low voltage when the switch is in the off position
@@lablover3112 My guess is you are confusing the tern neutral as applied to basic electric theory. With the word when used to label a contacts on a switch . A switch will only pass one pole or leg of a circuit. Usually the hot is wired to be controlled by the switch and the neutral goes around the The switch and it's wired directly to the light which allows the circuit to be completed when the switch is turned on. Every circuit requires a negative and a positive The positive is the hot wire and the negative is the neutral. Technically the neutral or the negative and the ground are interchangeable and can be used to complete the circuit however in electrical systems the neutral is used and the ground is normally wired as a protective measure.
I'm looking to upgrade my stardard light switching to 'smart switching'. If I do so, will I have the ability to control all of my house lights from multiple switches?
We moved into a house that had the smart lights installed, but we have no idea how to use it, and are wanting to disable it. Any recommendations would greatly be appreciated
Where's the love for Insteon switches? They've been around since 2005 and the newer ones are dual-band (neutral plus RF), do not require a hub to link or use, and have more gadgets available than most other brands (like keypad switches, plug-in modules, motion sensors, door sensors, leak detectors, mini-remotes, and an optional hub that allows use of their phone app, Amazon Echo, or Google Home to control the system). They also offer two-wire and high-wattage variants, toggle as well as Decora, and 3 different colors. I installed mine over 12 years ago and have only had to replace 4 switches (I believe that 2 were killed by lightning-caused surges but I confess that I murdered one by powering too much office fluorescent lighting through it and another by installing it in an excessively humid environment - an unvented bathroom) of the original 21 that I installed. It's a mesh network so the more you add the more robust it gets. I'm very pleased with the product.
@@stephenu3833 Insteon absolutely does NOT require a hub. You can link Insteon devices with tap-and-hold, similar to Bluetooth devices. You only need a hub if you want to schedule events or control your system with a smartphone.
I've installed some led dimmer switches and it seems like they influence one another. For example in my master bath I've installed an led dimmer switch in my commode room and one in my master closet. If I have the light on in the commode room at any brightness it dims my master closet lights. I've had this problem in others of my home too. I can't figure out the problem or how to resolve it. Can you help me?
Question that I've been trying to look into. Are wifi switches ALWAYS using wifi? Just worried if I put a bunch around the house that itll slow my wifi down too much.
No, they aren't always using wifi, only when there is a command to turn on or off the light switches. I've checked the data usage on my eero system and its minimal, not noticeable and will not slow down your network. But Lutron Caseta: amzn.to/3nHdSiI doesn't use wifi at all if it is a concern of yours.
I used the Leviton Decora Z wave switches in my garage that has a four way circuit. It was super easy to install, just follow the instructions that come with the companion switch. You'll need two companion switches (PN# DD0SR-DLZ) and one main switch (PN#DZ15S-1BZ), assuming you're using Z wave switches, if you're using WIFI switches the part number will be different. Hope this helps! Any questions reply here and I'll do my best to help.
I used smart switches no neutral but with caapcitor required, and after couple of months, light starts to flicker. Can smart switches no neutral/capacitor using zigbee address my issue? What is the effect of the capacitor compared with connecting it via zigbee hub?
Fantastic Explanation. Am about to do my wiring in my new house, can you suggest any better idea that will last for a very long time in terms of the switches pls.
Lutron Caseta: amzn.to/3q8xyMK is a good option. Works with Alexa, Google Home and Siri. However it does have a 75 Device limit per bridge and does require a (hub/bridge). I would recommend that you include a neutral wire in all your switch boxes to give you the most compatibility with the most types of smart light switches.
@@OneHourSmartHome thanks a lot. Sorry for bothering you, please can you recommend some of the good switches that accept neutral wire and also is it necessary to use Hub for your smart items, if yes which hub will you recommend. Again, can I install smart sockets as well? If yes which smart sockets will you recommend. I really want to make the right decision. Your swift response will help a lot. Thanks in advance
Hi, i bought a Fiet Dimmer from Costco, it doesn't turn off the LEDs completely, although i have installed it with a neutral. is there a solution to it? Or u can suggest a switch that will fix the issue but won't break my bank. Thanks u are awesome
Hi! I have one socket that has a connection for 2 different lightbulbs. (The switch on top controls one light and the switch on the bottom control another) What is the best option to make them smart switches with Lutron?
I have 2 light switches in my living room but only one controls the light, the other doesn't do anything, it used to control a fitting in the room has had been taken out by the old house owners, it is live but doesn't do anything. My question is, can I install a smart switch the to the working light fitting, then with switch 2 that is live but doesn't do anything fit another smart switch and connect it via WiFi to switch 1 so I can control the living room light with both switches. If not I will need to take up thr floor boards and isolate the power to switch 2 to make it safe. Hope that makes sense.
I can't speak to the products he discusses in the vid but you could certainly do that with Insteon switches. In your scenario, I'd wire an Insteon 6-button keypad dimmer switch in the Switch 2 junction box and link the main on/off buttons to an Insteon Decora dimmer switch in the switch 1 junction box. I'd then add some Insteon plug-in modules to your table lamps in the room and link those to the auxiliary buttons (there are 4 of those) in the keypad switch. I'd also buy an Insteon mini-remote and link it to all of the preceding as well. No hub is required for the installation I just described. If, however, you add an Insteon hub you can also use your phone, Alexa devices, and Google smart speakers to control all of the above. If you like the system you can expand it throughout your home, adding switches, door sensors, motion sensors, leak detectors, and all kinds of fun stuff as you please.
Couldn’t you just pull a neutral wire down from the fixture to the switch junction box if you don’t have one in the box? Is it not that simple or am I missing something?
You know anything that can switch a rocker light switch on and off? Switch are won’t work with my rocker and I want something I can put on top and also works with Alexa.
I find that trying to use a smart light switch along with smart bulbs doesn’t work very well. Is that the case with most of you? Should I choose one or the other?
Robert you could go the Lutron Route: amzn.to/3do57ne and sometimes you can get a deal on it or you could use the Innovelli dimmer: amzn.to/2V6AkVU but it requires a z-wave hub which smartthings: amzn.to/2Bxjvwb is what I typically recommend for z wave hubs. Once you make the investment in the hub you won't need to get another one. My personal preference is the Lutron caseta no neutral light switch which does require a hub. Unfortunately the smart light switches that don't require a neutral wire all have hubs because they communicate with either RF, Zigbee or Z-wave which uses less power than wifi light switches for communication. The problem is switches that use wifi require full power to broadcast and communicate wifi signals which requires a neutral wire to power the wifi chip when the light switch is turned off.
Insteon switches are $50 each and are dual-band (neutral plus RF). They also offer two-wire switches (RF only). No hub is required for linking or using but adding one will allow control by phone app, Alexa, or Google Home. www.smarthome.com
That's not how ac works... Every house will have a neutral wire... Older houses may have the neutral wire in the light fixture rather than the box but the neutral has to be there
I don't understand why it is now a trend to; HAVE TO INCLUDE an UNKNOWN 3rd party (the manufacturer) into your home security?! ie. There is NO real need, or benefit, for a customer to HAVE TO signup/signin to use the app, let along requiring your location as well! It should be AN OPTION whether you want to include someone YOU DON'T KNOW into your home security or IoT! I wish people would understand that and take it seriously!
This is the best most complete explanation I have seen regarding this subject. Excellent job!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching and the comment!
IoooI
Great Video.
I also want to add my ceiling fans to the mix. I'm TIRED of looking for the REMOTE for the ceiling fan !
I would much rather use VOICE control.
A few things to add/question...
1.) What happens when power is restored after a power outage... do they turn on like most smart bulbs when the power is restored, or do they follow the same status they were in when the power went out (i.e.: if the switch was off and the power goes out (or flickers) will the switch remain off when the power is restored)??
2.) On the switches that contain a neutral wire... does that neutral wire have to be connected to the same circuit or can it be connected to any neutral wire (for example a group of 3 switches in a box with one of them being a 3 way ... say the 3 way switch was on a different circuit than the other 2 switches, does the neutral wire have to be on the same circuit as the 3 way if that's the one you're replacing with a smart switch, or can it be connected to any neutral wire that may be on a different circuit)??
3.) On a 3 way circuit, do you only need 1 smart 3 way switch or do you need one for each side of the 3 way??
4.) What switches can be used to turn a ceiling fan on & off and what ones can control the speed (if any) of a standard ceiling fan??
5.) What switches toggle like a regular switch vs. having a push button effect (ex. the TP Link/Kasa switches are turned on and off by pressing the bottom of the switch vs a rocker style)??
6.) Can the switches control more than 1 light on a circuit ... and can you dim more than one light in the circuit (ex. a kitchen ceiling that has 4 can style lights ... can you dim all of these)??
7.) What switches are compatible with fluorescent lights?? I have around 5 on one switch that controls upper cabinet lighting and around 4 that controls under cabinet lighting... I also have a couple switches that control LED (fluorescent style) lights ... 1 on one switch and 2 on another.
The Chinese factory saw your question.
You left out one issue. WiFi switches "phone home," which can be a security risk. They also put more overhead on your WiFi router, depending on how many switches you have. I prefer Z-Wave myself. They also work well in a home automation system.
Thank you for such a comprehensive video. You actually addressed all the areas that would otherwise could end in failure of the system and returns of products.
Brilliant. This takes every question or confusion I've had about the switches.
Thanks for the terrific video with solid information before buying.
Can these smart switch work in bathrooms? Or bathroom fans?
Amazing knowledge. Very well explained saved a lot of trouble
Thanks for watching and the nice comment. Glad to help!
Comprehensive, great clear info. Thanks!
One thing you did not mention is warrantys and if you purchase a HUB you rely on the manufacturer to be in business for it to work. If the manufacturer of the HUB goes out of business like Insteon did this year then you are screwed Thanks for the great video
Great video. Thanks
ThankYou - very informative and well done.
Helpful video! Thank you for answering a lot of question that I was struggling to find elsewhere..
Hi nice video
I’ve a halo hub , and I’ve a wall box with no neutral wire , now which smart switch would work , any help would be sweet , I’ve also run with google voice assistant
A lot of key points were made in this video, well done. I am an electrician looking into adding some smart switches in my older home. I was confused about the point you made about a home with a neutral. I am sure there is an practical explaination however Electrically speaking every AC circuit consists of a neutral and a load wire which completes the circuit. Some older homes like mine might no included a ground in the system making it a two wire system insted of a 3 wire. This is why I am confused at to why there would be any home considered a no neutral wiring system.
The Chinese factory saw your message.
the neutral allows the switch to be self powered and connected to wifi and used without a hub while away from home
@@lablover3112 I'm guessing to are kidding or confused about what kind of neutral we are talking about. Suffice to say we are not talking about computer electronics and components.
@@Detroitblue switches without a white neutral run power through the light circuit all the time. Just at a low voltage when the switch is in the off position
@@lablover3112 My guess is you are confusing the tern neutral as applied to basic electric theory. With the word when used to label a contacts on a switch . A switch will only pass one pole or leg of a circuit. Usually the hot is wired to be controlled by the switch and the neutral goes around the The switch and it's wired directly to the light which allows the circuit to be completed when the switch is turned on. Every circuit requires a negative and a positive The positive is the hot wire and the negative is the neutral. Technically the neutral or the negative and the ground are interchangeable and can be used to complete the circuit however in electrical systems the neutral is used and the ground is normally wired as a protective measure.
Very informative video,helped me understand a lot. Although im still curious if any light bulb will do? Do you have a video for that?
If you choose dimmer smart light switches its best to get dimmer lights that are compatible, not to say ones not listed won't be compatible though.
what about wifi usage. I want to hook up about 10 lights. will it slow down my speed
ive watch many video this one is by far the best good job !
Great video, answered all my questions!
I'm looking to upgrade my stardard light switching to 'smart switching'. If I do so, will I have the ability to control all of my house lights from multiple switches?
What's a good switch that I can wire 2-4 zones?
We moved into a house that had the smart lights installed, but we have no idea how to use it, and are wanting to disable it. Any recommendations would greatly be appreciated
Thank you for all your help!
You're welcome!
Where's the love for Insteon switches? They've been around since 2005 and the newer ones are dual-band (neutral plus RF), do not require a hub to link or use, and have more gadgets available than most other brands (like keypad switches, plug-in modules, motion sensors, door sensors, leak detectors, mini-remotes, and an optional hub that allows use of their phone app, Amazon Echo, or Google Home to control the system). They also offer two-wire and high-wattage variants, toggle as well as Decora, and 3 different colors. I installed mine over 12 years ago and have only had to replace 4 switches (I believe that 2 were killed by lightning-caused surges but I confess that I murdered one by powering too much office fluorescent lighting through it and another by installing it in an excessively humid environment - an unvented bathroom) of the original 21 that I installed. It's a mesh network so the more you add the more robust it gets. I'm very pleased with the product.
Yeah Insteon is ignored by all the home automation reviewer‘s unfortunately, but yes, it does require a hub.
@@stephenu3833 Insteon absolutely does NOT require a hub. You can link Insteon devices with tap-and-hold, similar to Bluetooth devices. You only need a hub if you want to schedule events or control your system with a smartphone.
I've installed some led dimmer switches and it seems like they influence one another. For example in my master bath I've installed an led dimmer switch in my commode room and one in my master closet. If I have the light on in the commode room at any brightness it dims my master closet lights. I've had this problem in others of my home too. I can't figure out the problem or how to resolve it. Can you help me?
What’s the brand of the switch with the display in the middle? I don’t think you’re listing everything you are talking about.
Question that I've been trying to look into. Are wifi switches ALWAYS using wifi? Just worried if I put a bunch around the house that itll slow my wifi down too much.
No, they aren't always using wifi, only when there is a command to turn on or off the light switches. I've checked the data usage on my eero system and its minimal, not noticeable and will not slow down your network. But Lutron Caseta: amzn.to/3nHdSiI doesn't use wifi at all if it is a concern of yours.
Question.....I have a 4 way switch setup in my kitchen. What smart switch do I need to get?
I used the Leviton Decora Z wave switches in my garage that has a four way circuit. It was super easy to install, just follow the instructions that come with the companion switch. You'll need two companion switches (PN# DD0SR-DLZ) and one main switch (PN#DZ15S-1BZ), assuming you're using Z wave switches, if you're using WIFI switches the part number will be different. Hope this helps! Any questions reply here and I'll do my best to help.
I used smart switches no neutral but with caapcitor required, and after couple of months, light starts to flicker. Can smart switches no neutral/capacitor using zigbee address my issue? What is the effect of the capacitor compared with connecting it via zigbee hub?
Fantastic Explanation. Am about to do my wiring in my new house, can you suggest any better idea that will last for a very long time in terms of the switches pls.
Lutron Caseta: amzn.to/3q8xyMK is a good option. Works with Alexa, Google Home and Siri. However it does have a 75 Device limit per bridge and does require a (hub/bridge). I would recommend that you include a neutral wire in all your switch boxes to give you the most compatibility with the most types of smart light switches.
@@OneHourSmartHome thanks a lot. Sorry for bothering you, please can you recommend some of the good switches that accept neutral wire and also is it necessary to use Hub for your smart items, if yes which hub will you recommend. Again, can I install smart sockets as well? If yes which smart sockets will you recommend. I really want to make the right decision. Your swift response will help a lot. Thanks in advance
Do metal boxes degrade performance in the sense of wifi connectivity to wifi?
4 way / 3 way smart dimmer switch do they make such a thing? If so which company?
Hi, i bought a Fiet Dimmer from Costco, it doesn't turn off the LEDs completely, although i have installed it with a neutral. is there a solution to it? Or u can suggest a switch that will fix the issue but won't break my bank. Thanks u are awesome
Thanks for the video. What is the typical size of a ‘deep’ box?
Greater than 2" but the deeper the better. If you can fit a 3" or 3-1/2" box thats ideal and it will fit in most 2x4 stud cavities.
One Hour Smart Home getting ready for a new build, appreciate your info and help! 🙂
Hi! I have one socket that has a connection for 2 different lightbulbs. (The switch on top controls one light and the switch on the bottom control another) What is the best option to make them smart switches with Lutron?
The Chinese factory saw your question.
I have 2 light switches in my living room but only one controls the light, the other doesn't do anything, it used to control a fitting in the room has had been taken out by the old house owners, it is live but doesn't do anything.
My question is, can I install a smart switch the to the working light fitting, then with switch 2 that is live but doesn't do anything fit another smart switch and connect it via WiFi to switch 1 so I can control the living room light with both switches.
If not I will need to take up thr floor boards and isolate the power to switch 2 to make it safe.
Hope that makes sense.
I can't speak to the products he discusses in the vid but you could certainly do that with Insteon switches. In your scenario, I'd wire an Insteon 6-button keypad dimmer switch in the Switch 2 junction box and link the main on/off buttons to an Insteon Decora dimmer switch in the switch 1 junction box. I'd then add some Insteon plug-in modules to your table lamps in the room and link those to the auxiliary buttons (there are 4 of those) in the keypad switch. I'd also buy an Insteon mini-remote and link it to all of the preceding as well. No hub is required for the installation I just described. If, however, you add an Insteon hub you can also use your phone, Alexa devices, and Google smart speakers to control all of the above. If you like the system you can expand it throughout your home, adding switches, door sensors, motion sensors, leak detectors, and all kinds of fun stuff as you please.
My house only has one black wire, one white wire, and a ground wire….
I am super confused on what to choose, I don’t know what to do, please help
Bro looks like a gorgeous lumberjack.
You kept turning my Alexa on lol
Couldn’t you just pull a neutral wire down from the fixture to the switch junction box if you don’t have one in the box? Is it not that simple or am I missing something?
You would have to knock down walls for that I believe which could be costly if you want to do this throughout the house.
You know anything that can switch a rocker light switch on and off? Switch are won’t work with my rocker and I want something I can put on top and also works with Alexa.
Electrical boxes limit you to how many wires you can have in there. That is why every box has the volume stamped on the inside.
What about bluetooth light switches?
I find that trying to use a smart light switch along with smart bulbs doesn’t work very well. Is that the case with most of you? Should I choose one or the other?
Can you recommend a smart light switch that isn't $100 for a, no neutral wire? I don't have a hub. I use Google assistant.
Robert you could go the Lutron Route: amzn.to/3do57ne and sometimes you can get a deal on it or you could use the Innovelli dimmer: amzn.to/2V6AkVU but it requires a z-wave hub which smartthings: amzn.to/2Bxjvwb is what I typically recommend for z wave hubs. Once you make the investment in the hub you won't need to get another one.
My personal preference is the Lutron caseta no neutral light switch which does require a hub. Unfortunately the smart light switches that don't require a neutral wire all have hubs because they communicate with either RF, Zigbee or Z-wave which uses less power than wifi light switches for communication. The problem is switches that use wifi require full power to broadcast and communicate wifi signals which requires a neutral wire to power the wifi chip when the light switch is turned off.
@@OneHourSmartHome you say I should get hub? And I should be fine with that?
Insteon switches are $50 each and are dual-band (neutral plus RF). They also offer two-wire switches (RF only). No hub is required for linking or using but adding one will allow control by phone app, Alexa, or Google Home. www.smarthome.com
That's not how ac works... Every house will have a neutral wire... Older houses may have the neutral wire in the light fixture rather than the box but the neutral has to be there
Wish I found him before I went through a smart switch phase only to be disappointed
I have neutral wires for all switches, but no neutral for the threeway switch. Annoying af.
You light up my switch!
LOL
I don't understand why it is now a trend to; HAVE TO INCLUDE an UNKNOWN 3rd party (the manufacturer) into your home security?! ie. There is NO real need, or benefit, for a customer to HAVE TO signup/signin to use the app, let along requiring your location as well! It should be AN OPTION whether you want to include someone YOU DON'T KNOW into your home security or IoT! I wish people would understand that and take it seriously!
😬 i'm sitting here watching with my damn useless switches!
Oh !
Just for US...
🤦
Really, had to say “Alexa” so all,of our echo devices go off... don’t do that please, mr smart device guy!
Alexa, IGNORE!
Still too long.
Excellent info beard looks fake
Way too much explanation to answer the specific questions i have. Keep it simple bro, not rocket science.