I had a Home NetWerks Bluetooth Bath Fan recently installed, which is kind of nice. I have an Alexa unit paired to it, and it’s easy to get music going, and I could see having Echo Speaks give me notifications while I’m in the shower.
What’s not quite as nice is that the wiring diagram (Page 5) shows that the speaker is only on when the light is on. I have vanity lights (on a motion switch), so the overhead light may not always be on.
Currently, it’s on the (ubiquitous) Jasco/GE Z-Wave switch for one-switch operation, but if I were to get a two-switch fan controller (like the Zooz Zen30) so that the fan operates independently, then make the light connection always on (e.g. not inline with the switch), would I be able to put something (a “relay”?) on the LED wire that’s then controlled by the light switch?
Preferably I’d want the light/fan to be tied together (if possible), so put another way, given the way the wiring happens to be, what would be the easiest way to keep the speaker always on, regardless of the light/fan status?
Perhaps I’m overcomplicating this? Page 7 of that manual shows the speaker connection. Maybe the solution is to just bring power there, although I have absolutely no idea what that would entail.
Edit: HomeWerks emailed me a high-level spec sheet for all of the components. All it said was that the speaker was 8v @ 3W (so that’s .375 amp?). Is it as “easy” as finding an adequate transformer?
I would run away from this as fast as possible! Believe me, I’m all for a challenge but that just sounds like too much work for a speaker. They have plenty of Bluetooth speakers for bathrooms.
I actually have an Echo 3rd Gen and Echo Sub in my master and it’s out of site, provides voice control for my automations and actually sounds pretty good.
However, the answer to your question is, you would need to have constant power at the box in the ceiling. It might already have it…
Well since it’s being controlled by the GE switch, it probably wouldn’t, right? It’s my understanding the switch provides the power when it’s activated. (I have decent technical knowledge, but completely lost with electrical)
Sometimes the source is ran to the ceiling junction box and then to the switch. Sometimes there are two separate circuits. All depends. All of my ceiling boxes, well most of them, have a red, black and white from the switch. Even rooms where there is only one light. This allows for transferring the source from the switch to the light.
Here’s a scenario that would work:
Separate loads running to ceiling for light and fan along with a neutral from wall switches which is the source.
If I wanted to have constant power in ceiling, I could tie the light and fan together and just carry the source to the ceiling using the other load run.
Now I have a neutral and constant power in the ceiling…
Just as a followup to this, the folks doing my bathroom just added an outlet in the ceiling. I used one of these pigtails wired to a barrel plug, and used a standard 9V adapter.
I even have Echo Speaks rule to increase/decrease the Alexa volume when the fan turns on or off. Everything’s working pretty well!
Ok here’s how you do it … you have to disassemble the fan. Taking off the housing for the back where the controller box is …
We need this opened up…
Here’s what it is inside …
120vac input to a dual transforming PCB… 8vdc & 3.5vdc….
You’ll want to take the (+) side to the 8v off …
solder on a pair of wires long enough to get to the switch box ……. One will be (+) out of PCB to switch … the other one is from the new switch back to the controller board … connect second wire to the (+) lead we took off the PCB earlier …
This goes to the BT speaker …
Re assemble it !
…Now you have all 3 separately… tie together whatever you want or leave them separately like I did
No , there is no red for transference of source … I want to chuckle . But I do t want to be rude …
in fact that type of Romex with a red added is called 3 wire following whatever gauge thickness …
typically you’ll have 14/2, 14/3 , 12/2, &12/3 in residential homes …
12 guage is thicker for receptacle circuits and 14 usually for the lighting …
The use of 3 wire could be to provide low amperage 220v … hot tubs, spas , and some laundry machines use 30-50 Amp 220v … (here , the red and black go onto different poles of the same dual slotted circuit breaker …
More often times though, it is purely out of convenience!!!
I mean we go in the attic from one tight creepy corner … to the other side of the house … in one and a half FT of space … you pull 2 circuits in one wire …
they land into smoke detector boxes usually … or the upside down plug in a room … that’s a “half hot”…. Or switched outlet … back when lamps were soooo cool … haha
saves time and energy …: Not to help with transference though… it was not difficult at all to interrupt the speakers wiring with a switch … and I have a nice decora style triple stack switch … each function separately …
I would run away from this as fast as possible! Believe me, I’m all for a challenge but that just sounds like too much work for a speaker. They have plenty of Bluetooth speakers for bathrooms.
