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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US code requires all light junction boxes to have a neutral, but does not require a live. Can all smart switches work without constant live (for example, in the case of a 3 way or 4 way switch) (alien.top)

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

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Hi - I'm doing some rewiring and got to thinking about this. Latest NEC code requires all junction boxes (JBs) to have a neutral in them, but does not require a live. In the case of a two way switch you'll have both neutral and live in your JB by default. But for a 3 way switch you're likely to end up without live in one of the JBs. Can smart switches deal with this? To be clear - one of the travelers for the 3 way/4 way would always be hot - but it would toggle between when is hot and which isn't as the switch gets toggled.

Thank you!

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[–] Wellcraft19@alien.top 1 points 10 months ago

Don’t overthink it. Place a smart switch (dimmer/three or four way) in the location that has constant power (and a neutral of course). The other locations just regular three way switches, nothing ‘smart’ is needed there. Use your favorite home automation ’service’ to control everything. In my case Alexa. I have switches I haven’t physically touched in months.

If desired, you can still physically turn on/off from any (three way) location, just set to whatever dimmer level the main happens to be at. If you want to dimming level either touch the main, or call out something like; ‘Alexa dim hallway to 80%’