Smart Lamp Switches?

[ipodmusicman]

Hi folks,

I have bedside lamps that I would like to automate, but I want to simply replace the switch itself that is located within the power cable between the lamp and the plug with a single smart switch that contains a button to control it and can control using Home Assistant. I really don't want to install a relay and have a separate battery operated button to control it - I want everything in one small package.

For instance, I want HA to turn them on, but when I'm in bed, me just hitting the switch to turn it off is a lot quicker.

Seems that something like this does not exist. Anybody come across a switch like this?

 

[chickenbeef]

Sonoff basic will work

 

[ipodmusicman]

Sonoff basic is a relay and does not have a button.

 

[Tinuva]

Shelly1 in a shelly button.

 

[ipodmusicman]

Shelly1 in a shelly button.

Oooo this does look interesting and exactly what I need, but can one get the button itself in South Africa?

 

[bwana]

Sonoff basic is a relay and does not have a button.

Mine does.

 

[Tinuva]

Oooo this does look interesting and exactly what I need, but can one get the button itself in South Africa?

Not yet. Waiting for it myself.

 

[HvRooyen]

I have Shelly's in most wall switches, but Sonoffs on lamps and leads. Both work fine, although I have had fewer problems with Sonoff than Shelly (lastly almost exclusively the 2.5's though).
I ordered my Shelly's directly from manufacturer - arrived within a week (ymmv with lockdown).

 

[calypso]

As sonoff basic can to this job if you run the wires from the switch to the GPIO pins. Requires some soldering.

 

[ipodmusicman]

As sonoff basic can to this job if you run the wires from the switch to the GPIO pins. Requires some soldering.

The idea is to have a unit that does not require soldering, hacking, etc. simply put, a smart lamp switch.

 

[HvRooyen]

The idea is to have a unit that does not require soldering, hacking, etc. simply put, a smart lamp switch.

Sonoff basic has a (small) switch button. Also, no soldering or hacking required. Very simple to wire, and works out of the box - no flashing needed. Worked with HomeAssistant when I tinkered with that on a RPi.

 

[HvRooyen]

As sonoff basic can to this job if you run the wires from the switch to the GPIO pins. Requires some soldering.

Not sure what you mean here. I have it that the GPIO pins are only used for flashing?

 

[bwana]

As sonoff basic can to this job if you run the wires from the switch to the GPIO pins. Requires some soldering.

Why do you need to run the wires any differently than normal? Or do any soldering? It's got a button on it that will switch it on and off when pressed.

There is no reason I can see, apart from perhaps aesthetics, to prevent someone replacing an inline switch with a Basic as is.

 

[ipodmusicman]

Sonoff basic has a (small) switch button. Also, no soldering or hacking required. Very simple to wire, and works out of the box - no flashing needed. Worked with HomeAssistant when I tinkered with that on a RPi.

Yeah, I see the Sonoff R3 has a really small little push-button on the top. The Sonoff is not something that would excite the "aesthetics committee" although the R3 is a lot prettier than the old basic. So far the Shelly Button on the aesthetics front leads the pack for now. Of course the other option is going with a Sonoff R3, but using a the round Xiaomi wireless button which talks to a Combee II Zigbee stick via Deconz to HA (which I have as a use Xiaomi sensors), but hoping to simplify this rather by using a stand alone smart switch.

 

[calypso]

Why do you need to run the wires any differently than normal? Or do any soldering? It's got a button on it that will switch it on and off when pressed.

There is no reason I can see, apart from perhaps aesthetics, to prevent someone replacing an inline switch with a Basic as is.

Aesthetics is pretty important, this was one of the first HA projects I did and I wouldn't want an ugly Sonoff Basic on my bedside table. I wanted to keep the original switch while allowing it to control the lamp and at the same time have the basic being able to control the lamp. What's nice about this setup is that it still works independently of Home Assistant or Wifi being up. Did it with a 4 core cable and effectively the lamp switch is an external switch to open and close the relay on the basic.
I did this many years ago when options where fewer, but if I had to do it again today, I would just buy a Shelly Button.

 

[bwana]

Aesthetics is pretty important, this was one of the first HA projects I did and I wouldn't want an ugly Sonoff Basic on my bedside table. I wanted to keep the original switch while allowing it to control the lamp and at the same time have the basic being able to control the lamp. What's nice about this setup is that it still works independently of Home Assistant or Wifi being up. Did it with a 4 core cable and effectively the lamp switch is an external switch to open and close the relay on the basic.
I did this many years ago when options where fewer, but if I had to do it again today, I would just buy a Shelly Button.

Or you could just use a mini and wire that back into the original switch.

 

[Steamy Tom]

Basic makes the most sense. Shelly, meh, isn't even compliant.

 

[calypso]

Or you could just use a mini and wire that back into the original switch.

The mini didn't exist when I did this.

 

[bwana]

The mini didn't exist when I did this.

Fortunately it does now. The mini fits nicely in the base of many of my lamps, which is a bonus.

 

[ipodmusicman]

Or you could just use a mini and wire that back into the original switch.

Thankfully, with them being lamps, the "state" of the physical switch does not bother me (it would if I had to use Sonoff/Shelly for lights in conjunction with existing wall switches which I don't). It seems that going with @calypso's idea with using 4-core cable, but placing the Sonoff Mini out of sight perhaps stuck on top of the 3-pin plug itself could work thus retaining the existing switch as well. An option to consider.