HomeKit Looking for Homekit solution for basement light....

[gpspad]

I have basement light where the switch is upstairs inside the house. Its getting annoying to constantly go upstairs just to turn the cellar light on and i was thinking I might be able to use my phone to turn the light on and off if I had a homekit switch.

The switch has a pilot light to tell if its on, so its the one switch I know has a neutral. Its just an on and off type of switch, I don't need a dimming switch.

I don't want to have to use a bridge; and don't want to go with a bulb solution because people are constantly turning this switch on and off as they walk by it.


Any suggestions on a basic homekit switch and or a unit that lets you place extra remote switches so it would work as a three way switch?

I am not really sure whats out there that would do this without a bridge....

 

[sclawis300]

Leviton switches. Or any other switch that works with HomeKit will do exactly what you want. You do need a hub though (Apple TV, HomePod, etc)

 

[gpspad]

I have a HomePod and an apple tv, just don't want to use a bridge.

I also don't need a dimmer, just an on and off, I didnt see any Leviton's that were dimmers, but ill look again.

 

[Itinj24]

I have a HomePod and an apple tv, just don't want to use a bridge.

I also don't need a dimmer, just an on and off, I didnt see any Leviton's that were dimmers, but ill look again.

The Levitons definitely come in regular switches (15A) and two types of dimmers (600W and 1000W). They work on WiFi so a a bridge is not needed. Also you only need a Hub (Apple TV, HomePod or iPad) if you want out of home control or automations.

 

[cynics]

I have a HomePod and an apple tv, just don't want to use a bridge.

I also don't need a dimmer, just an on and off, I didnt see any Leviton's that were dimmers, but ill look again.

DH15S-1BZ is the part # for a 15 amp Leviton smart switch for Apple HomeKit.

https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-DH15S-1BZ-Decora-Switch-HomeKit/dp/B06XKKRLNP

Leviton switches connect directly to the wifi network without needing a proprietary hub.

The HomePod and/or Apple TV can be set up as HomeKit hubs for remote access and/or automating the switch.

 

[gpspad]

By accident I confused Lutron with Leviton while researching this, I ended up looking at both.

I ended up going with the Lutron because of the Pico Remote Switches they have. It does require a bridge for home kit access, but if the Pico remotes work, I wouldn’t need to use my phone to control the light anyway.

The thing that sold me was being able to mount a 2nd Pico remote in a switch plate for finished look, I couldn’t seem to do that with the other switches I was looking at.

ulitimatly I need the switch to work as a switch for anyone in the house, the home kit part is secondary, and the real issue was not having a three way switch in the basement, not really turning it on and off remotely.

If the Pico remote switches don’t work, I’ll go to plan B, ang try the Leviton. Fingers crossed the Lutron switch with Pico remote have the range On its own.

 

[Itinj24]

Leviton makes a true 3 way switch remote (dimmer or switch) to be used with the regular dimmer or switch and is about half the price. It does require some knowledge in 3 way switch installation though. The Leviton remote does require a wall box whereas the Pico can be mounted anywhere. I prefer the Leviton for the not smart switch look and the very little green LED to locate them in darkness. The paddle color can also be changed to match your decor.

 

[gpspad]

Thanks I saw that and was a little bit confused by the Leviton three way switch.

The current switch I am using is only a single pole switch. I would have to turn it in to a three wy switch by having a electrician come and wire another switch in the other basement door. Which would cancel out the need for the pico remote.

This stuff really does get confusing, and may even get outdated as new things come out. I did miss the fact that Leviton has a wall boxed remote.

I'll keep it in mind if the Pico remote doesn't work out, I'd rather just replace a wall plate, than cut a hole in the wall to put in a three hang box.

 

[PastaPrimav]

It sounds like you landed on the right decision.

I have about 2 dozen Leviton Decora Smart switches and/or Dimmers, several that are wired as 3-way and even 4-way, but all of that was already wired that way, so I simply replaced what was there.

Given that you wanted 3-way-esque control but didn't have a 3-way configuration, going with Lutron w/ a Pico remote was the wise choice.

There are probably other ways that you could have gone too, to get a single HomeKit switch to replace the wall switch and then a variety of other digital/wireless-only switches to work as a second switch....but nothing as straightforward as just going with Lutron.
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Leviton makes a true 3 way switch remote (dimmer or switch) to be used with the regular dimmer or switch and is about half the price. It does require some knowledge in 3 way switch installation though. The Leviton remote does require a wall box whereas the Pico can be mounted anywhere. I prefer the Leviton for the not smart switch look and the very little green LED to locate them in darkness. The paddle color can also be changed to match your decor.

I have a drawer that has about 2 dozen almond color paddles that came with them, lol. Why I keep them, I don't know. Honestly, I hate that they did this. By making the paddle swappable, they created a real weak point in the design. It is way too easy to pop the paddle off, and it makes the switch itself feel a little chintzy. If they had just molded it to the device it would feel much more solid. No one really needed this choice. White is fine. If you're that nuts, just paint it.

 

[AustinIllini]

I'm a lutron guy. Levion is also great for a better price.

I'm so darn tired of hubs, though.

 

[Itinj24]

It sounds like you landed on the right decision.

I have about 2 dozen Leviton Decora Smart switches and/or Dimmers, several that are wired as 3-way and even 4-way, but all of that was already wired that way, so I simply replaced what was there.

Given that you wanted 3-way-esque control but didn't have a 3-way configuration, going with Lutron w/ a Pico remote was the wise choice.

There are probably other ways that you could have gone too, to get a single HomeKit switch to replace the wall switch and then a variety of other digital/wireless-only switches to work as a second switch....but nothing as straightforward as just going with Lutron.
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I have a drawer that has about 2 dozen almond color paddles that came with them, lol. Why I keep them, I don't know. Honestly, I hate that they did this. By making the paddle swappable, they created a real weak point in the design. It is way too easy to pop the paddle off, and it makes the switch itself feel a little chintzy. If they had just molded it to the device it would feel much more solid. No one really needed this choice. White is fine. If you're that nuts, just paint it.

Think they come in other colors too that can be purchased like black and gray, which look nice 😀

 

[gpspad]

Over the last few day I have received all the parts to my lutron solution, but still waiting for the pico on and off remote (w/o dimmer).

Seems these might be discontinued or hard to find, but so far everything looks like it will fit perfect, even got a special three gang cover that will lock the pico onto the wall.

Just waiting for the remote to come in to try it out.

 

[JR17358]

I hope your experience with the Lutron "solution" turns out as well as mine has. I've had no problems with range with the Pico and the Smart Bridge works very well for me. While I believe it uses the 2.4M frequency to communicate with switches the protocol is not the same as the 2.4M used for WiFi so interference from WiFi is a non-issue and the Lutron app is relatively easy to navigate. In it you add the Pico as a device and can pick other Lutron devices (dimmer or simple switch) that the Pico will control (more than one is easily possible). I have a dimmer Pico controlling a dimmer switch AND also an on/off switch (wired as a 3 way with a mechanical switch as the remote) and the same Pico can dim the lights on the dimmer Lutron AND turn on the on/off Lutron switch.

One reason that the on/off Pico's might be so hard to find is that the dimmer Picos work fine through the Smart Bridge even with a non-dimming switch.

ETA - just to clarify something I posted that is wrong: The Caseta "system" communicates not over the 2.4 MHz WiFi frequency but over the "low-use 434 MHz frequency band" - completely independent of WiFi. WiFi is only used by the Smart Bridge to connect a Caseta system to a smart hub and allow remote control of lighting devices via WiFi.

 

[gpspad]

I finally received all the hardware, but when I took a pic of my old wiring and switch for my electrician friend., he wasn't sure I actually have a neutral. While I have a light switch with pilot light and three wires connected to it......

The switch and light are so old he has too check the wiring with a mater. Which will happen some time in January when he gets back from vacation.

I did figure out the Lutron has a basic on and off switch that doesn't require a neutral. I ordered one of those just incase the electrician can't use the third wore going onto the switch as a neutral.

I started out thinking this was going to be a DIY, its gotten more complicated, unless i just use the no neutral required switch, but since i have someone willing to check a few things out for me, I might as well see if I can get a neutral to the switch.

To be continued, who knew I would learn so much about electrical wiring.....

 

[JR17358]

Hopefully you DO have a neutral; if the box with the existing switch has any white wires in it, then you most likely have a neutral as the "hot" wire (with power) would normally be black and the neutral wire would normally be white. The black wire would be switched and would connect the black hot wire to the load. But really best to have en electrician check this all out with a meter before you start tearing into it. I did a 3 way replacement and had two black wires and one red wire at one end and two red wires and one black at the other and the Lutron instructions were useless - I had to meter everything out and wire per the circuit diagram and totally ignore the instructions. But it works great!

ETA - the PD-6WCL Smart Dimmer Switch (I have one) does NOT require a neutral, and the fact that it is a dimmer does not mean you can't just ignore the dimming buttons and use it in a simple on / off role. With a Smart Bridge, any Pico can control any switch - the Lutron app allows you to pair a Pico with a switch - or more than one switch if you want it to.

 

[zhenya]

The Lutron Caseta system seems pretty overkill for a single light.

Not sure why you are resistant to simply changing the bulb - this would allow you to achieve your goal with no wiring needed. Simplest would be to use a guard to physically lock the switch in the on position and pair the bulb with a motion sensor downstairs.

If you don‘t want the switch locked out, and it’s the typical US-style switch, you could use a Lutron Aurora dimmer and a Hue bulb. Pair that either with a motion sensor and/or another wireless switch downstairs.

 

[gpspad]

Not sure why you are resistant to simply changing the bulb - this would allow you to achieve your goal with no wiring needed. Simplest would be to use a guard to physically lock the switch in the on position and pair the bulb with a motion sensor downstairs.

Because I still want to be able to turn the cellar light on and off at the original switch location, a cover over the switch wouldn't allow that or I would have to cover the switch and install two wall mounted remotes. One remote by the basement door, and one remote on first floor. Right near the one I covered to lock it on.

I can probably see myself using more of the Lutron Caseta stuff if this works out, Im just trying to use it for the place I need it the most right now.

 

[Itinj24]

Because I still want to be able to turn the cellar light on and off at the original switch location, a cover over the switch wouldn't allow that or I would have to cover the switch and install two wall mounted remotes. One remote by the basement door, and one remote on first floor. Right near the one I covered to lock it on.

I can probably see myself using more of the Lutron Caseta stuff if this works out, Im just trying to use it for the place I need it the most right now.

If the Lutron stuff works out for you, that’s great. Just seems like it’s giving you a hard time so trying to throw out some suggestions. What Zhenya suggested was that you would still have full control of the light at the switch point. The Lutron Aura Dimmer locks the original switch in the on position, then you use the Aura to control on/off and dim with a push button rotary dial. There’s also this solution using the Hue dimmer switch
Light Switch cover for Philips Hue Dimmer - adapter - cover - plate... (SM212 - Single Rocker) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V2NK86S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DN6.DbEH6FAZP

 

[zhenya]

Exactly. The Lutron Aurora and a Hue bulb would solve your issue with no wiring, while retaining control at the original position, and offering the ability to add an additional switch, motion sensor, etc.