How to move the switch without gating and wires: what electricians are in no hurry to talk about

It is not necessary to ditch the walls and pull the wires to move the switch to a new location. Wireless "smart" switches have been on sale for a long time. Their installation comes down to two simple steps:

1. We install a power unit in the break of the electrical circuit behind the lamp.
2. On self-tapping screws or double-sided tape, we mount a wireless switch in any convenient place in the apartment.

There is no need to start a major overhaul if you decide to rearrange the furniture in the apartment and the switch is in the closet or behind the refrigerator. But these devices have a couple of nuances that electricians or managers are in no hurry to talk about when selling. Let's figure out what you need to know so that there are no unpleasant surprises later.

Touch-sensitive wireless two-channel switch - elegant and simple.

Work Offline

Imagine that you already have a wireless switch. And maybe not one. Let's say you liked the technology and now all the lights in the house are switched on from wireless switches.

In the summer you went on vacation to the sea (or to the country). The house was left unattended for a month, maybe longer. During this period, due to some repair work, the power supply is turned off and turned on again. How will smart switches react to this? After the power is turned on, will they remain off or will they turn on the lights throughout the house?

Many devices remain in the "off" position by default after a reboot. But not all.

As a rule, in wireless switches with the ability to control wi-fi, you choose the default mode yourself. If, out of ignorance, they themselves changed the setting or, as often happens, “the children clicked on something,” the light will be on in the house all summer before your arrival and wind up kilowatts.

And there are models where the default mode is “on” and this does not change in any way. It is better to check these points with the seller before buying.

Uneconomical economy

Designers, architects and builders began to offer wireless switches as a modern and more economical solution. One estimate is considered with the laying of wires and wall chasing, and the other with wi-fi switches. Sometimes the latter option is cheaper. And if not, you can justify the overpayment by convenience.

But for some reason, no one says that the power blocks of wireless switches also consume energy. Products from different manufacturers have different power consumption - from 0.2 to 1.5 watts.

If there is only one switch, it is not critical. You won't even notice the overpayment. And imagine that "smart" lighting throughout the house. Each element eats 1.5 watts in 24/7 mode. An economical solution will not be so economical.

Development prospects

There are wireless devices that are elements of a smart home. You can bind dozens of switches, other sensors and devices to one relay. You can program their work on a timer or build collaboration scenarios.

And there are wireless switches that work only in a “switch-relay” pair. They cannot be programmed, reflashed, or linked to other devices. Worst of all, such cheap modules are unstable and susceptible to interference. If the lights go out 9 times out of 10, don't be surprised.

Both options are viable. If you need to move one point, budget models are enough. If you are thinking about increasing the number of wireless devices, consider options from smart home kits.

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