Wifi light switches

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fruitbat

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Hi,

Has anyone got or found wifi light switches that work?

I'm keen to try and get these in my home just cos I think it will be fun to do some ifttt type of thing.

Also I have seen plugs that are wifi, or rather the adapter is wifi. But nothing in the Za plug format. Anyone seen or got something working?

I did see qlikswitch, but it didn't tickle my fancy.

Thanks
 
Why not use a raspberry Pi with a web interface as a project? Should be a nice and easy project if you have some programming experience. All you'd need is a Pi3, some MOSTFETs and 5V switches.
 
I bought a few various sonoff switches etc just to see. Setup of light fitting was a bit of a mission but once I figured it out its was easy to replicate.

Works well I would say.

I got them at communica so a bit more pricey. Will get more of them direct so will be much cheaper.

The only negative I see is that its quite bulky. And no dim function as far as i can see.
 
Are these not a risk if they are not sabs approved? Would insurance still pay out in the event of an electrical fire?
 
They won't catch fire, more likely just stop working. I installed some in a customer's house 2 years back and he said, of the 6, one works properly, 2 won't switch off any more and the other 3 stopped working

They were not SABS approved but were constructed quite well, decent plastic parts and the circuit board well made. They are said to be auto-detecting the mains from 100 volts to 240 volts and I suspect this is the problem
 
Rather get a quality Philips Hue smart lighting setup. Not cheap but can be voice activated and has lots of customising options.
 
agentrfr said:
Why not use a raspberry Pi with a web interface as a project? Should be a nice and easy project if you have some programming experience. All you'd need is a Pi3, some MOSTFETs and 5V switches.
Click to expand...

I've done this!

Got an RPI setup with an 8ch relay board,routed all the lights(even the geyser with it hooked up with contactor which is then hooked up to the relay board).Made a simple web interface using php and python.
Glued an old tablet to the wall with it showing the web interface 24/7 for easy access and the family can go on there phones if they want to turn lights on or off
 
Still haven't found a smart timer switch I can link to HomeKit
 
Exploit said:
I've done this!

Got an RPI setup with an 8ch relay board,routed all the lights(even the geyser with it hooked up with contactor which is then hooked up to the relay board).Made a simple web interface using php and python.
Glued an old tablet to the wall with it showing the web interface 24/7 for easy access and the family can go on there phones if they want to turn lights on or off
Click to expand...

Sooo, how'd you feel about doing a tutorial thread? Or an instructable even? :D
 
My home's wifi controlled lighting setup from what it looks like from my phone. You can dim or change the colour of the lights as well. Using a Phillips Hue bridge:
6024996470def016f04116a32c826cfd.jpg
 
I can see this looks really cool. Do you actually use it that much?

I've never really understood the "control lights from my phone" desire, a light switch 'just works' and I'm always in a room when I want the light on. (Geysers, pool pumps etc. are different, I might want it on when I'm not nearby)

I could really do with some understanding of this, as we have people ask us to do 'lighting controllers' but I've never understood the desire myself.

Anyway to the question:
Sonoff's are pretty cheap (<R200 locally, less imported) and easy (you can get sonoff's own cheap-chinese app), I can't vouch for their reliability though:
http://www.netram.co.za/3008-sonoff...smart-home.html?search_query=sonoff&results=3

Or if you are more interested in developing your own thing then google ESP8266 and you'll find tons of tutorials on cobbling together the wifi and relays:
https://openhomeautomation.net/control-a-lamp-remotely-using-the-esp8266-wifi-chip/

Finally, something in between is the electrodragon relay board - i.e. all the hardware (wifi + relay + casing + connectors) is done for you for the princely sum of $6!. But you still need to develop the firmware yourself:
http://www.electrodragon.com/product/wifi-iot-relay-board-based-esp8266/#prettyPhoto
 
Just get a Philips Hue hub and then you can choose from a range of dimmable smart lights from various manufacturers to fit your budget.

Osram and Innr make high quality cheaper alternatives to the Philips ones. From regular warm or cool white light's to bulbs or light strips that can display 16 million colours.

Then you can set timers for when you want specific lights to turn on/off, or when to change colour or brightness. Through the apps the RGBW colour lights can be set to cycle through specific colours or to react to different audio frequencies like night club lighting.

If you want your lights to be voice activated then add on a Google Home or Amazon Echo. I think it's definitely worth doing. We're so in the dark about this in SA.
 
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