A relay is an electrically operated switch that can control the flow of electricity in a circuit. A Smart Relay is a relay that can be added to an existing electrical circuit to allow remote wireless control of anything else connected to that circuit. This means you are able to control just about any device, appliance or electrical fitting by adding a Smart Relay in to the same circuit.
A Smart Relay allows you to use your existing switches and power points without the need to change them. For example, if you have solar electricity at your home you can optimize devices such as heated towel rails or dryers to turn on when the sun is out. Or you could have your garage door open automatically when you get near your home. Some relays like the Shelly 2.5 are designed for roller blinds so you can set up a sunrise/sunset routine where your blinds open and close automatically depending on the time of day. And/or use voice control with Alexa or Google Home.
Does your switch have a neutral wire? Some older houses have the neutral only at the device such as a light and only run the 2 wires to the switch.
If you look behind your switch and there are only 2 wires then you don’t have a neutral and the Shelly 1L is your best option as a relay. The Shelly 1L has a maximum load 4.1amps at 230V for a total of 922 watts and requires at least a 20W load to run the relay and wifi otherwise you will need to add in an additional Shelly bypass to keep it running.
If you require dimming the Shelly Dimmer 2 can dim up to 230W of LEDs or Halogen Bulbs and doesn’t require a neutral either. With the Shelly Dimmer 2 you can run 2 circuits at 0.1-1.1amps. The Dimmer2 requires at least a 10W load to run the relay and wifi otherwise like the Shelly 1L you will need to add in an additional Shelly bypass to keep it running.
If you do have a neutral the next question is how many circuits do you want to run and how many amps?
If you have 2 switches and each circuit is under 10amps (like a typical lighting circuit) the Shelly 2.5 can operate 2 switches independently.
For a larger load like a resistive heater then you should probably use Shelly 1PM as it can handle up to 16amps (3.5kW at 240V) and will give you the added benefit of monitoring energy consumption which can be displayed through the Shelly Cloud app.
The Shelly 1 is a dry contact relay and can also control 12V and 24-60V as well as 240V. The dry contact feature allows you to power the relay via a different voltage to the one you are controlling.
To summarise:
No neutral and under 4A load – Shelly 1L
No neutral and dimming 0.1-1.1amps - Shelly Dimmer 2
Neutral, 2 Circuits, 10A (roller shutter as well) – Shelly 2.5
Neutral, up to 16A – Shelly 1PM
Neutral, Dry Contacts, 12VDC – Shelly 1
Shelly relays are small enough to be hidden away behind a fitting or at another point within the circuit which makes for a sleek and unobtrusive addition. If you have Google Assistant and/or Amazon Alexa you can control these devices with your voice too.
Smart Relays are extremely versatile devices that can solve a load of headaches for professional installers and qualified electricians. When paired with a wider home automation system, an installer can set up a wireless ‘magic button’ from any Smart Dimmer that triggers a Smart Relay. This means that, between the switch and the light fitting or device, there is no need for additional wiring.
Some great examples of this would be using a relay to control a bathroom extractor fan, or using a relay for your garden lights which can be controlled from any Smart Dimmer around your entire home.
Installing and configuring your Smart Relay can be a little more complicated than Smart Sockets or Switches, so we always recommend getting in touch with a professional to help you out.
If you have unique light switches such as colour matched or antique switches just add a Smart Relay and you won't have to replace them.
Here is a video from Jimmy James showing installation and setup of a Shelly Dimmer. The set up he uses is the preferred method for adding the device to your network although he uses Home Assistant which isn't necessary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2PD0Tat8ts&t=5s
This article has been adapted from an original blog post from Lightwave dated 04/07/2021 https://lightwaverf.com/2021/07/04/what-is-a-smart-relay/
Today I'm going to be talking about thinking outside the square a little when it comes to Smart Switches.
When we think of installing Smart Switches like the Lykalyte Wifi Smart Switch we immediately think of swapping out like for like i.e. I have a 1 gang switch that switches on my outside light, I'll swap it out for a 1 gang Wifi Smart Switch so I can automate it. This is great because we achieve our objective of making the outside light smart and can then control it remotely, set up routines or automations and use voice control etc. Then I swap out the 1 gang light switch in the laundry for another 1 gang Wifi Smart Switch and so on.
But we might be missing out on some extra functionality. How so you might ask? Well the way these smart switches work they have an extra functionality that you might not immediately think of. Bear with me; there are two parts to this, first the wifi switch creates a physical connection in the circuit and second it creates a wireless connection as well. When you connect a smart switch up the unit itself is powered to not only power a relay for the circuit but also a wifi signal for the switch. So once powered there doesn't need to be anything else connected in the circuit for the wifi connectivity to still work. What I'm talking about here is that the switch can actually control (turn on/off) any other device that is connected through the same app in this case the Smart Life app over wifi.
Lets go back to my example and instead of changing out the laundry light switch for a 1 gang Wifi Smart Switch as well, I'll change it out for a 2 gang Wifi Smart Switch. The physical wiring is still the same in that the laundry light is connected to the relay and wifi but I now have a second wifi switch/button that is connected to the wifi only. I can now program the second button through the app to talk to the outside smart light switch over wifi and tell it to turn on and off as well. As long as your wifi is up and running the second switch will act like a second physical switch a virtual two-way switch for the outside light without the need for extra physical wiring.
I have this set up in my own home where I have 3 exterior lights of which all were wired to a single 1 gang switch each. I swapped out the 1 gang switches for 2 gang Wifi Smart Switches. Now the top button on each switch still turns on/off the single corresponding outside light but with a simple automation the bottom button on all three switches now turns on/off all 3 lights at once.
This is just one example of what is possible but there are so many other possibilities depending on what other smart devices you have.
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or comments. Cheers Luke.
Photo by Jeswin Thomas from Burst]]>It is a little hard to explain but here is a video that explains the fundamentals, it is a UK example but the fundamentals are the same. I'll update this post when I have a better example.
Update: The Smart Life App also has 'Multi-Control Association' which is a quicker way to associate multiple switches to the same function. Found under the switches device settings in the app.
Cheers Luke
Feature image Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst]]>As you start down the path of home automation your Wi-Fi router becomes more important as it is the backbone for connectivity.
]]>For most homes the Wi-Fi router is the starting point for a home network.
As you start down the path of home automation your Wi-Fi router becomes more important as it is the backbone for connectivity.
Chances are your ISP (Internet Service Provider) gave you a 'free' one for signing on with them. A lot of the time these routers are fit for purpose and do a reasonable job of letting you surf the net, send a receive emails and stream a bit of TV. But most of the time these routers are the best cheapest routers available and sometimes just the plain cheapest.
As I said earlier cheap isn't always bad but cheap is usually more prone to issues such as poor Wi-Fi performance, less range, instability and loss of connection often requiring reboots. There could be a number of reasons for this including less capable cpu's, less RAM and less efficient antenna or transmit rates and/or even less capable software.
Over time you will find yourself adding more and more devices to your network, I touched on this in an earlier post Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Z-Wave which is best?, the theoretical maximum for Wi-Fi is around 250 devices but your network speeds may start to suffer before you get to that.
Your router is an 'always on' device that does a lot of work on a daily basis so it isn't going to last forever but you should at least get a couple of good years out of it before it needs a refresh or replacement. There is also the continual introduction of newer wireless standards with improved speed and coverage to consider.
Just as cheap isn't always bad expensive isn't always good and there are a lot in between.
I do recommend at the minimum upgrading your router from the one your ISP provided. There are plenty of recognised brands to choose from with great features like network attached storage, mesh, parental controls, smart technology and newer Wi-Fi 6 capability.
Some routers have a ton of customizable options that you can tweak and change if that's what you are in to while others will just do it all for you.
Do a little bit of research and figure out the features you want and need for the type of home you have and what you will be using it for.
As always feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or comments. Cheers Luke.
Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst]]>Tactile buttons - Most people have grown up with some type of physical switch on the wall that turns the lights on and off. We all understand the touch and feel of a light switch and the physical action of turning on a light. There are other styles of switch on the market these days such as glass touch panels which work great and can add a certain modern look to homes. Touch panels can also look out of place and can be confusing for people who are not used to them. Vision impaired persons might also appreciate a more tactile feel of a physical switch.
Discreet LED indicators - LED indicators are a great way to let you know which switches are on and off at a quick glance. What people don't always realise is that often to make them more visible during the day these LED indicators are quite bright and/or large in the case of touch panels. The downside comes at night where these indicator lights will light up your whole room. Not so bad for areas where a little light is welcome, but not so good if you are trying to sleep and it feels like a torch is on in the room. Some models have the ability to dim the indicator lights at night but even dimmed they can be quite bright so it's something to watch out for. The indicator LED's on our WiFi Smart Switches are relatively small and discreet and not too bright at night. I would advise if you do put these in your bedroom or somewhere else and want the LED's completely dimmed, then when installing get your electrician to remove the face plate by removing the 2 sets of internal screws and put an overlay or electrical tape over the LED's on the circuit board to reduce or block out the light completely.
WiFi - I have written a post previously about my thoughts on the main communication protocols (see here). For most people WiFi is something they already have in their homes so there is no need for any extra hubs or dongles. I like the simplicity of a tried and true protocol.
Retrofit or New - This links in nicely with the fact our WiFi Smart Switches can be retrofitted or installed new. They work with regular existing home 3 wire lighting wiring, which is present in most homes except for some older homes. No need for extra expensive cabling or anything fancy, you just swap out the old 'dumb' switches for 'Smart' switches and you are up and running.
Cost effective - You can also control multiple lights from one switch. In the kitchen in my home I had a series of 10 bulbs as downlights. I was able to control all 10 by just replacing the one wall switch instead of having to buy 10 separate smart bulbs. Admittedly if I wanted to control each bulb individually I would still need to buy extra smart bulbs or wire them in groups, but I don't need that solution so I'm happy with how it works and all for the price of a single switch.
Easy voice integration - These switches work great with the main voice control players in the game Google and Amazon. They are quick to set up and give you extra control in no time. We are selling Google Nest Mini's and Amazon Echo Dot's to help get you started.
SDoC - We have a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) for these switches showing compliance with relevant New Zealand safety standards. Just ask and we will supply one with your purchase.
We will be looking to add more products shortly, trust me that we here at Lykalyte don't just want to sell any old product and a lot of thought and testing goes in to it first. Which is part of our motto and values; Smart home and home automation solutions that are easy so that you can enjoy all of the benefits without the complexity, frustrations or expense. Cheers Luke
]]>Stream music with all the usual's Spotify, iHeart radio, Apple music, Amazon music and a few others.
Like other voice assistants Alexa can answer your questions, set alarms and timers and control compatible smart home products. Turn on lights (like our Wi-Fi Smart Switch), adjust thermostats, lock doors, and more and even create routines to start and end your day.
Amazon has skills available for Alexa, apparently "tens of thousands of skills and counting" skills like tracking fitness, playing games, and more. Skills are basically apps for Alexa, while a lot of the voice control features work straight out of the box Skills can help to integrate other services or features. It can be pretty hit and miss as to what's available for the New Zealand market or what actually works but there is plenty to choose from. Here's a list of some kiwi ones https://www.kiwivoiceapps.nz/d/.
If you don't want Amazon listening in all the time you have the option to turn the microphone off and you can also access the information they have on you. They say you can view, hear or delete them at any time but I haven't looked in to this yet.
If you would like to try the Amazon ecosystem the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen) is a great entry level product or if you already have other Amazon products these little speakers can be very handy.
Check out our products page to buy online.
]]>If you have wireless internet access at home chances are you have heard of Wi-Fi or wifi or WiFi or Wi-fi. Wi-Fi has been around for a while and is continually being improved upon. Based on IEEE 802.11 standards. Wi-Fi compatible devices can connect to the internet via WLAN (wireless local area network) and a wireless access point or AP. Most people with wireless internet will have a basic Wi-Fi router supplied by their internet service provider (ISP). This router is also a wireless access point (AP). The access point or AP communicates with all of your Wi-Fi devices such as your phone, laptop, TV etc. Each device connects to your AP individually via a wireless signal or radio frequency. This is called a star topography as the AP is in the middle with all the devices around the outside connected individually with their own line of communication each taking their turn to talk to the AP. All communication is via the AP so if one device wants to talk to another device it has to talk through the AP. There can be coverage issues with devices further away having a harder time sending and receiving information. Most older devices and some newer work on the 2.4GHz channel. This is a range of frequencies around 2.4GHz. You can imagine over time with more and more devices using this frequency it can become quite crowded making it harder for devices to have their turn getting information to and from the AP. The introduction of the 5GHz band has helped with congestion but it has its own limitations although the newer Wi-Fi 6 is helping to address some of those. Generally speaking, Wi-Fi has been very successful and reliable at communicating data which has made it popular for Iot devices and smart home products and it is relatively easy to use. See our Wi-Fi Smart Switch for an example. There are limitations on how many devices a single AP can handle, a maximum of 250 devices is a number that is often quoted but most home users would struggle to reach these limits even if they are accurate and generally speaking smart home devices tend to use very little bandwidth. Range is another issue but can be address with stronger signals or with multiple AP’s or a combination of both.
ZigBee is another type of wireless communication and uses IEEE 802.15.4 also on the 2.4GHz band. Similar to Wi-Fi in many ways but it uses a mesh topography. There is a hub that works in a similar way to a router/AP but alongside it. Unlike Wi-Fi, ZigBee devices can communicate with each other as well as the hub. This can be beneficial for devices that are further away because information can be passed through closer devices or routed through multiple devices. Having a hub communicating with the smart home devices also takes load off the router/AP as devices can talk to each other without having to involve the router. This has the added benefit of reducing power requirements as the transmit distances can be shorter. ZigBee does use the same 2.4GHz band so there can still be crowding issues and the hub to router/AP adds another layer of communication. ZigBee is said to be able to connect 1000’s of devices to a single network so you would find it hard to connect too many devices.
Z-Wave is also a mesh topography where devices can communicate with each other directly as well as a hub. Z-Wave works over low-energy radio waves on a dedicated frequency. This frequency is different country to country but ranges around 800-900MHz. The benefit of this lower frequency is there is very little congestion and it has a good transmit range. Z-Wave is said to be able to connect up to 232 devices. The Z-Wave country to country frequency differences mean devices made for one country in most case will not work in another country and as some frequencies are reserved it can actually be illegal to use devices from another country.
This has been a very simplified run down on my understanding of the different technologies, there is a huge amount of detail I have skimmed over and tried to make simpler. Each technology has pros and cons. I haven’t touched on security or price but put in very very basic terms anecdotally per device Wi-Fi is probably the least secure but also the cheapest, Z-Wave is most likely the most secure but also more expensive and ZigBee is somewhere in the middle. It’s nice to have everything under one roof and have it all work nicely together but diversification can help reduce risk. For me I have a mix of all 3 types and manage to make it all work for what I want. Have a think about your priorities and choose devices based on that. If you have made it reading this far well done you deserve a chocolate fish (sorry I don't have any). Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or comments. Cheers Luke.