Wireless switches

9 years ago

FINALLY,! YIPPEE! The large, 23' ceiling house in Wy is sold...check in the bank! Now I can SERIOUSLY look for property in a Florida and plan my small house build!
This will be my last home...next move will either be mandatory needed nursing home or Heaven.....

Has anyone used wireless switches? Honeywell and Verve seem to be the main competitors.
Most switches are on interior walls, so no loss of heat by cold/hot air escaping via hole even with the little thin foam plates.
In Fl it is loss of cool, air conditioned air.

Regarding outlets-those ARE on exterior walls-even with insulation/foam insulation plates, I could feel much cooler air in my Wyoming home...

Will I be better to put the outlets in the floor? Over a crawl space?

I do not know if not having the cost of not having Romax to every switch is a large cost and/or if a wireless cost due to receiver always 'on standby' is greater accumulative cost??

Are people who did this like them? Save significant amount of $$ up front? Or was it just a toy?

Thanks

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Comments (7)

shifrbv
9 years ago
They all serve particular purpose. It is hard to tell without knowing the product.

WeMo, Zwave, Heath-Zenith, Leviton 3 way, etc.

Heath-Zenith as far as I know has very short range.

I would not go for any product that has batteries.

Wemo for cellphone control, others used in automation.
musicgal
9 years ago
bump
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ontariomom
9 years ago
Interesting question. Can you get a wireless switch on an island to turn on island lighting?

Carol
ilmbg
Original Author
9 years ago
Carol
I am just starting to look at these.
Why not on a kitchen island! Sounds like a good idea!
The 'receiver' takes a minimal amount of electricity. I would not worry about batteries-I use a remote switch for a bedroom light-on and off many times a day, as the bedroom is quite dark-I need to turn the lamp on every time I go into the room. I can' tree remember when I changed the battery-it has been YEARS!
User
9 years ago
What would a wireless switch be worth for new construction? I can understand the value in a retrofit/renovation but running a wire in a new house just isn't that difficult.
ontariomom
9 years ago
Renovator8,

You are right of course for an island application. Initially I thought we would have to have remote if we wanted a switch on the island for the lights. But, I am sure our sparky can run wires through the floor under the island and then up the wall to the ceiling fixtures over the island.

Carol
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
Well, we had a PITA for a building inspector who insisted we have a switch at the top of the attic stairs as well as at the bottom, even though code said, as it wasn't living space, we only needed one at the bottom. At that point, the only practical solution was to install a wireless switch, which we did. We have since removed it as, for whatever reason, the switch got really hot when it was on...don't know if it was that switch or how it was installed or what, but I wasn't happy.

We also got screwed with the alarm guys. We told them we were having spray foam insulation, but they didn't pull their wires out far enough so they all got sprayed in. So now we are stuck with wireless sensors that need battery replacement every so often. A real PITA...

Frankly, when you are building and everything is open, running wire is very easy. I'd just do it.