Home Automation

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Home automation is the residential extension of building automation.

It is automation of the home, housework or household activity.

Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security.

Warning: Working with electricity can result in injury, property damage, or even death if it is not done properly. Please keep this in mind while assisting others. If you are not sure about what you are doing, hire a licensed professional.

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3 way switched circuit: how to control the lights but keep the outlet hot? (alien.top)

submitted 10 months ago by koch5000@alien.top to c/homeautomation@selfhosted.forum

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So we've just bought a home and the basement switch is 3 way: one switch at the top of the stairs and there's another switch downstairs as you enter from the garage.

The problem: the basement is finished and the living room downstairs only has 2 receptacles and one of them is on that switched circuit along with two ceiling lights.

We have the AV system down there, which is currently wired to said switched receptacle and right now every time I go downstairs and turn everything on to watch something, I unscrew the bulbs to get the lighting set up. When the GF gets to the top of the stairs, she toggles the switches because it's dark and shuts everything down. Argh!

So what I'm looking for is the ability to control the lights from both the upstairs and downstairs switches, but without switching the power at the receptacle. It seems like some kind of smart switch maybe the way forward but been flailing around looking for the right combination.

Seems like replacing the existing switches are the first step, but anyone have any thoughts on the next?

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[–] ferbulous@alien.top 1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I unscrew the bulbs to get the lighting set up.

I might be missing something here, is this on the basement and why?

So basically there's light bulbs on the stairs and there's 2 ceiling lights in the basement. Are you using e27 bulbs for all the lights?

[–] koch5000@alien.top 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Walk out basement. The house is on a slope and it's basically a ranch sitting on top of a garage and a sort of mini apartment - living room and master suite.

Downstairs living room has two ceiling fixtures, two receptacles and two switches (at the top of the stairs and as you come in from the garage).

And yup E27 LEDs in the ceiling that I just screw and unscrew to keep the AV system on.

Sorry - should have been more clear.

[–] ferbulous@alien.top 1 points 10 months ago

I still don’t quite understand the need to unscrew and screw the led. Probably some diagram would help. From what I can recommend, without rewiring you could.

Add a smart relay (shelly) to 3 way switch, replace the lights with smart bulbs (cloudfree). Enable decouple mode on the relay, relay stays on. Link the lights to the relay with device group. So toggling on/off would only toggle the smart lights but the AV stays on.

Probably add a condition that the lights in the basement only get toggled off if nobody’s sitting on the couch.