Relocating light switches virtually?

[Charles Spitzer]

i'd bet that x10 would have something like this.

[Matt]

X10 is a confusing term - it's a protocol, and also the name of a company.

The protocol itself isn't bad. I've been using the protocol for years to automate my house, and although I had some initial problems, I got through those very quickly.

Having said that, I wouldn't buy any products that use the X10 protocol from the company called X10.

To the OP: Go lookaround over at smarthome.com. They have exactly what you are looking for.

Once you find the product, google the product name, or even look on ebay.

Smarthome has virtually everything you could ever think of, but their prices are a bit steep. I can usually find the exact item, new in box, for at least 20% less elsewhere.

[Rich Heimlich]

I have a set of outdoor flood lights controlled from two switches next to a sliding glass door in our family room. The issue is that we no longer use that door and it will soon be replaced entirely with a bay window.

We would like to control the lights from the sliding door area in the kitchen which is how we get in and out of our backyard. However, the wiring to the family room is a bit complex and would be a real pain to re-run to the kitchen area.

That got me thinking that perhaps there's a way to remotely operate those switches from a panel in the kitchen so that no re-wiring would be needed.

Is that possible or is there a better way?

[Doug Kanter]

Poke around Home Depot. There's a company that makes all sorts of remote control stuff that allow you to install a receiver in a wall plate where there was previously a switch, and mount a sending switch elsewhere to control the thing in the other room. If the store hasn't got it, check the web site.

[Doug Kanter]

Probably, although quite a few people in this NG have mentioned lousy experiences with x10 quality. I have no direct experience with their products, though.

[Jon Bergstrom]

Watch out for Smarthome, their stuff is a crapshoot. Some is great, some is junk. If you get a bad piece you will have to sit on hold for a half hour to get a return authorization. In my case, they sent me back my defective part, just slapping a new label on the box I sent them without even opening it. I got back my own note telling them what was wrong! Jon

---------------------------------------------------- Anything being cooked a second time needs a hot oven.

[Joseph Meehan]

You can find some X-10 stuff at Smarthome

But I would normally try to go hard wired for anything that was not going to change in the future. It may seem complex to you, but a professional who has seen it all and knows all the tricks is likely to be able to do what you want a lot easier than you think.

[Doug Kanter]

Or, doing it yourself, which is a great way to get some peace and quiet. Tell the wife and kids that if you're distracted, the house will burn down. Tell them it takes 12 hours, and to go away. :)

[Rich Heimlich]

Hhaha.

In my case it'll take a week or more.

The family room sits back futher than the kitchen so getting to those switches could be a real bit of fun. Then there's the situation that to get the wiring over to the kitchen, I'd have to go through several wall studs and I can't imagine doing that without removing the sheet rock. THEN there's the odd complication. ONE of the lights is subsequently controlled from above the family room in the master bathroom. I have yet to comprehend why that was necessary. I guess they figured that if you're in your bedroom and hear a noise in the back yard, you can just turn on a light and see back there.

What I'm thinking about doing in the SHORT term, is picking up a couple $30 dual floodlights that have motion and dusk-to-dawn capability and just putting them in for now. That will hold me over until I figure out the bigger situation.

I'm glad I got thinking about this as one of the switches does nothing but turn on two normal lights around the unused, unwanted sliding glass door. That I could remove entirely.

[CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert]

RAdio Shack sells some switches that can be operated locally or remotely. plus that have timer modules and hand held remote controls. lots of stuff. I have done similar a few times with outside lights.

[Jerry]

Highly recommend

Acquired all of my structured wiring and home automation from them and they have outstanding service and prices.

[wkearney99]

There is. Replace the two wall switches with X-10 wall switches. Then put a wireless keypad for them in the place most convenient to operate them. The wireless keypad will speak to the wall switches via an RF receiver that plugs into a nearby outlet. Additionally you could replace the outside fixture with an X-10 dual lamp motion sensor and control it remotely as well.

X-10's crap for anything that "must" work reliably. Line noise and a host of other factors all contribute to making it a pain in the ass for anything other than simple stuff.

Otherwise you could gradate to using higher-end systems like Lutron's RadioRA. It's wireless RF-based and nowhere near as unreliable as X-10. The switches are NOT inexpensive but they work, every time. There are other systems like UPB and Zwave. UPB is also powerline based and claims to be more reliable than X-10. Zwave is also wireless and supposedly reliable. Control4 and a number of other companies may start shipping units based on a new standard known as 'zigbee'. Once they're out and installed for a year or so they might be worth trying.

But meanwhile in your situation a wireless slim switch from X10, the RF reciever and the wall switches is probably your cheapeast course of action.

-Bill Kearney

[Rich Heimlich]

Thanks everyone. Lots to go on.

I suspect I will take my own advice and see if I can make the motion detector/dusk-to-dawn lights work. If they do, I really won't ever need to bother with the switches.