this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2023
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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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"Lamp" module question (alien.top)
submitted 11 months ago by Retro2Neo@alien.top to c/homeautomation@selfhosted.forum
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I'm looking to see if what I remember is correct and, if so, if there is a modern version of it.

Here is the background. Back when I was younger, in the 80's, my dad had his townhouse rigged up with an X.10 system complete with a little controller that you can see things on a TV. Back then there were "lamp" modules and "appliance" modules, etc.

Here is what I think I remember and what I'm looking for. For the "lamp" modules, they had a feature that if you didn't want to use the X.10 controls, you could simple turn the lamp off and back on again ( perhaps multiple times) and the "lamp" module would detect, I assume, the drop and then increase in load and turn the relay in the module on. I assume it did this by letting a trickle through that it could monitor.

If I AM remembering that correctly, anyone know of a smartplug that has a similar feature?

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[–] silasmoeckel@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Plenty of plug in dimmers do the same but it does not work well if it all with modern bulbs.

[–] rsachs57@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I don't think you'll find one these days. The problem is the trickle current is enough to make some LED's glow dimly all the time since they use so little current. I use an Insteon system in my house and when I used an older dimming lighting module with that feature to try to run my LED Christmas lights they would always stay dimly lit even when switched off.

[–] Z-Waver@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

You have a good memory. I know that several Z-Wave dimmer lamp modules (e.g. Linear/GoControl/2Gig PD300Z) have this feature. Some manufacturers call it Auto-sense, but it might have other names at other vendors.

[–] ManSpeaksInMic@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Could you expand a little on the situation / problem you want to solve?

I concur with the others that the exact thing as asked may be a bit tricky, but there may be different solutions to your underlying problem, that don't work via flicking the lamp switch.

I'm asking this, because I find myself in a similar, but different situation. Being less about plugged-in lamps and more about my ceiling lights that I'd like to "smartify". But I can't really put smart relays in the ceiling, as they'd be rather quite difficult to access if they need maintenance. The solution for that is to install smartified wall switches, that can both act on an automation command as well as on using the physical light switch.

For ceiling lights wiring that I can access for maintenance, there exist small modules that can be put in line and act both on a normal light switch as well as a "smart" signal.

Of course none of this would be a solution for a desk lamp or uplighter. But getting an independent wireless button to use instead of the switch in the lamp cord could provide local control, at the cost of introducing an extra device instead of using the existing switch.

That kind of thinking is what leads me to ask up there: What's the underlying problem that the smart plug is intended to solve?