Need Advice on a Wiring Project (UK)

General Discussion
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Me again! Can anyone help me determine what circuit system I have in place i.e 2 or 3?

I’m going to get some Aeon Micro switches but just need to be sure that they’ll work first. That’s if I can fit the box in behind the wires!

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According to my father in law (electrician of 40+ years) there is no neutral in there. It’s unusual to have a neutral in switches unless they are put in for testing purposes for certain lighting circuits.

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Your a uk citizen i see like me – this confuses me also // our wall switch options are majorly limited due to our lack of neautral wires :frowning:

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Yes, my solution will be to put the modules in the ceiling where the neutral is present.

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Damn. Was really hoping I could get away with installing them directly behind the switches.

If I need to install them in the ceiling, does that mean the Aeon Micro will only be able to control one device I.e. not 2 which is the case via the main light switch. If it can only control the one light , then isn’t just the same as getting a Smart bulb e.g. lightify.

The whole point of getting the Aeon Micro to me was so that my wife could still use the switches manually and that I could control both switches from Smartthings

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It should be able to control all the loads connected to it. Sometime a light fixture is not a bad place for an Aeon switch due to space.

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Was hoping it would be a DIY job but from the sounds of it I’m going to need an electrician. Wouldn’t know where to start otherwise. Thanks for the advice.

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Actually…would the following work:

This looks like a pretty similar setup to mine. It doesn’t have to be a Aeon Micro - so if this does the job and can connect to SmartThings then great!

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Yes pal it should do :slight_smile:

I wish they would make some nice uk switches wthat only required 2 wires :slight_smile:

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This of any use?

Don’t know if it has a device type handler for it or if it’ll just work with one of the built in ones

I haven’t really looked at dimmers much because for the most part I don’t want to change my light switches. Also helps that my father-in-law is an electrician so any modifications I need to make aren’t a problem :wink:

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There is the odd one or two but they are visually basic and usually poor quality unlike the US offerings - dont get me wrong it will be targeted soon by the manufacturers no doubt but as it stands we dont have much choice :frowning:

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We need some nice 2Wire solution that look and offer options like this:

Is it possible to trick a 3wire switch to believe there is a neautral when there isnt in anyway? Safely of course

@JDRoberts @tslagle13 - you guy know of any swanky 2 wire switches like the MCO HOME ones or if there is a way to safely adaprt 3wire solutions?

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You can’t trick it.

Remember that your goal at each step is not just to turn a particular switch on. It is to maintain the fire and electrical safety of your entire home while turning that switch on. So don’t even start thinking about trying to trick switches.

There are multiple options available. They are covered in the UK lighting FAQ.

They fall into the following major categories:

One) there is a neutral on the circuit somewhere, it’s just not necessarily at the switchbox. So you can use an in wall relay. That works just fine. You may need an electrician’s help to figure out exactly where to put it, but it will work.

  1. you can use smart bulbs, and use alternatives to load-controlling wall switches. Motion sensors, handheld remote, battery-operated switches, voice, there are quite a few options.

  2. you can use one of the switch options that does work with two wire, such as lightwave RF or Lutron, and then either just have that as a separate system, not combined with smart things. Or use one of the bridging options. The problem with the bridging options is that they tend introduce lag. So it just comes down to particular use case. For lights that are outdoors, or more commonly used with a non-switch controller like those from category two, this might be all you need.

Four) you can continue to ask SmartThings to come up with a better integration with lightwave RF or Lutron. Personally, I’d really like to see Lutron integration. It would solve a lot of problems for a lot of people in both geographic regions. But obviously it’s not up to me. :wink:

So for right now, there are options that exist that are both safe to implement and will meet many use cases. It just depends on each household’s specific needs.

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