Remotely operated lights on switch

[Hextejas]

I want to build one as it will keep my significant other happy. When she gets home at night she needs a device to be able to turn on the exterior lights which run at 120v AC.
I suspect that there are already devices that will do this but I want to build one from scratch. IE, make the PCB, solder it, etc.

Does anyone know of such a device ?

thanks

[james_s]

You can get plenty of different key fob style RF remote modules from China, it would be easy enough to build something with the receiver controlling a relay. If you want to build the entire system from scratch that's going to require a good bit of RF knowledge. Of course a complete ready made solution is only about $10.

[Hextejas]

Thank you James I just saw a bunch of them and they are really cheap.
So, I think I will buy a ready made kit.

[djacobow]

With RF modules and a relay and an external power supply, it's dead easy. Too easy: relay, usb psu, esp8266, hookup wire.

Raise the challenge by using triac and putting the psu on the board. Do multiple channels. Measure current to send an email if the light seems to be burned out.

Don't forget safety, protection, creepage, etc. Imagine doing this not for yourself but to give to a total stranger who your device just might kill.

Raises the project bar significantly, if you're into that sort of thing. :-)

[james_s]

Also do be careful with anything wired into the house. As much as I hate the state of things with this, you do have to keep liability in mind. If you have a fire and the insurance investigators figure out you've wired in some kind of homemade electrical contraption they'll be quick to try to blame that and you could be faced with proving your gadget wasn't responsible.

[Hextejas]

Well, I bought maybe the wrong devices. They are the kind where you plug a lamp into them and then use a remote to turn the lamp on and off.
And I dont know how to integrate it into an existing circuit for a ceiling mounted light.
A crude drawing of the light and pictures of the electrical box in the garage attached.
I still want the 2 manual switches to work along with the remote. It stumps me and here I thought that it would be a snap.

[james_s]

The only legal way to do it is to buy devices meant to replace standard wall switches.

[Bratster]

Well, I bought maybe the wrong devices. They are the kind where you plug a lamp into them and then use a remote to turn the lamp on and off.
And I dont know how to integrate it into an existing circuit for a ceiling mounted light.
A crude drawing of the light and pictures of the electrical box in the garage attached.
I still want the 2 manual switches to work along with the remote. It stumps me and here I thought that it would be a snap.

Looks like that's a three-way switch setup.

you're going to need to get smart switches that can support a three-way setup, which I don't know if its a thing or not.

or change the wiring around to use one smart switch at one location and then get wireless remotes for it for the other locations.


definitely something that you're going to need to know what you're doing with for messing around.

Sent from my Fi Moto x4 using Tapatalk

[Richard Crowley]

I believe it was Andreas Spiess who showed a project where you could use an ESP to passively "sniff" the presence of a particular cell phone.  So that if the proper phone was in range it would turn on the light, unlock the door, open the garage door, or whatever.

[Hextejas]

I believe it was Andreas Spiess who showed a project where you could use an ESP to passively "sniff" the presence of a particular cell phone.  So that if the proper phone was in range it would turn on the light, unlock the door, open the garage door, or whatever.

If I took this approach, wouldn't I still have to get into the lights wiring ?
Unless there is some kind of light socket that has a built in receiver of some sort that would turn on the light.

My next idea was to take the 3 wires that are presently used in the switch in the garage and wire them to a lamp's plug receptacle so then I could merely plug in the on/off device. Of course I think that I would have to give up the manual switch in the garage.

[Hextejas]

and there is such a thing.
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Kasonic-Standard-Lighting-ETL-Listed/dp/B07BH6C627/ref=asc_df_B07BH6C627/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241986552631&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12323033108642103821&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027638&hvtargid=pla-437670154025&psc=1

[Richard Crowley]

If I took this approach, wouldn't I still have to get into the lights wiring ?
Unless there is some kind of light socket that has a built in receiver of some sort that would turn on the light.

Yes, you would need to do that for any scheme.
There are commercial products that make this pretty easy, typically controlled by WiFi.
Including some that are direct replacement for existing wall switches and allow continued manual control but add external control.
This could be the start of a home automation system using one of the popular schemes (Google or Amazon in the USA for example)

You have not completed your user profile to reveal where you are on the planet, so we can't suggest any particular products that would be approved in your country.

[james_s]

I suppose it would be possible to mechanically link a servo or a couple of solenoids to a regular light switch without messing with the wiring but that certainly doesn't seem like the simplest way of doing it.

[djacobow]

Perhaps some variation on this technology:



:-)

[Hextejas]

Hahahahaha.
Exactly !

[james_s]

How about an Armatron style robotic arm mounted to the wall and programmed to flip the switch?

[Doctorandus_P]

piece of string?

[Hextejas]

You guys are killing me😁😁
I just bought a lightbulb with built in darkness detector and we are about to see if it is acceptable.