Looking for remote wall switch

Did you look at the above Smarthome URL? It's a wall mount switch. All Z-wave saves you in this case is having to run an extra wire between switches to make it 3-way.

It would be VERY helpful if you would supply a list of requirements and constraints for your project. I didn't see any mention of power limitations any of your previous postings. Note that if your load has PF correction and the inrush current is under 15A, then you can consider the load resistive.

However, if power, reactive loads, or position of the moon are potential problems, I suggest isolating the device with a relay, also known in electro-jargon as a contactor.

There are also alternatives. You can achieve something similar to a 3 way switch using a latching contactor. A latching contactor has two coils and the usual armature controlled contacts. The armature is latched into either position with some mechanical derrangement, or with magnets. Apply power to one coil, and it goes one way. Apply power to the other coil, and it goes the other way.

Controlling a latching relay lighting system is done with momentary push buttons, not conventional light switches. Each station will have two push buttons (on and off). What's nice is setup is that you can have more than 2 stations to control the lights. As a bonus, the latching contactor does not suck power when energized, thus doing your part to save electricity.

Here's typical data sheet for a 3 pole 30A magnetic latching contactor:

A friend (RIP) wired his entire house with such a setup. 4 position wall plates, fitted with 8 momentary push buttons, and located in the usual light switch positions. Some were wired, while others were wireless. Most of the loads were run by latching contactors in the basement. No problems with the county code cops. I may have photos (somewhere) if you're interested.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
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Jeff Liebermann
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I'd agree, BUT. I buy the stuff dirt cheap at garage sales. Works well enough, but it's really old technology. Susceptible to noise. Needs help bridging phases of the line.

If I were gonna buy it at retail prices, I think I'd investigate some of the newer lines.

Reply to
mike

X10 was originally a one way system and lacked a way of verifying that the destination switch was successfully actuated. I had X10 (mostly BSR) lighting control at my house for many years. One day, I noticed that while I was running the drill press in the shop, the outside lights failed to activate at their appointed times. A little testing showed that the drill press produced enough EMI on the power lines to jam the X10 signal. The X10 protocol tries to get around this problem by sending the codes several times, but that's ineffective against long duration interference.

Many current X10 models offer bi-directional 2-way control, where the device transmits an acknowledgement. The older controllers and devices lack this feature: Look for the buzzword "2-way" in the name.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

They all are. You just need an X10 wireless receiver and two (or more) X10 remote switches.

Isaa

Reply to
isw

One time at Home Depot, i saw an answer to a remote light switch. Looking at the receiver box i see: Westek (brand name of American Tack and Hardware) Wireless plugin receiver Model RFA-110. I have 2 loads on it: one LED light and one Dell Monitor with the RGB color face and polarizer stripped off for a diffused light source.

Reply to
Robert Baer

Ahem. That is not the common usage of "two-way" or "three-way".

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

I've got a Wemo device in use now, pretty slick stuff. I can switch my lights on and off from Jena Germany or China, with confirmation (if I don't want to look at the webcam).

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

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"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward" 
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Spehro Pefhany

Kinda expen$ive. Uses wi-fi to communicate, not power lines. Supports IFTTT. A major step up from X10. However, it might be a bit overkill for a

3-way light switch.

How to turn on a room light:

1960: Walk over to wall switch. Flip switch. Light turns on.

1975: Find the X10 wireless remote control. Try to remember which button controls which light. Press button. Wrong light. Press "all on" and never mind the electric bill.

2003: Say the magic buzzword that activates the voice controlled home automation system. You say: "Room light on". Controller asks: "Which room"? You say: "Can't you figure out which room I'm in"? Controller says: "I do not understand the command". You snarl: "Bedroom" Controller asks: "Bright, reading, soft, or motion controlled"? You say: "Bright" and the lights turn on. You say (quietly): "Worthless piece of disgusting junk..." Controller says: "I do not understand the command". Sound of breaking glass as something hits the LCD display.

2013: Walk into dark room and try to find your tablet computer. Login with biometric authentication and password. On the 4th try, the tablet finally recognizes your hung over, unshaven, and unkempt appearance. Wait while a dozen applications insist on updating themselves immediately. Find the WeMo light switch app among the dozen new games the kids have installed. Push the relevant light switch button. Nothing happens. Try again. Still nothing. Pause watching Netflix Super-HD movie to recover bandwidth. Try again. Light comes on.

This is progress?

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
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Jeff Liebermann

Pluck smartphone out of pocket, key in unlock code, swipe a page or two over to the app, jab it a couple more times, done, go back to waiting in queue for morning take-out coffee.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

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"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward" 
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com 
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Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

Immediately after, receive an urgent SMS message from wife asking "The lights suddenly went out in the house. Should I be worried"? Spill coffee trying to type in a reply.

Just wait until you have security cameras all over the house, the respond to "gestures" where various hand waving and finger pointing contortions represent actions and devices. Maybe combine that with a holographic 3D representation of the house.

How many engineers does it really take to screw in a light bulb or in this case, turn on a light switch? I don't know, but it never seems to be easier or simpler. If I wanted to turn of my house lights from Germany, I would phone or email one of the neighbors, who would then walk over and turn off the lights.

You might not enjoy my smartphone (Droid-X2). Every time I try to do something useful, it spontaneously reboots. I should probably wipe it and start over, but I've become accustomed to the reboots and can probably live with it for a while longer.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Jeff Liebermann

I would kill it dead.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

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"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward" 
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com 
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Reply to
Spehro Pefhany

Your standards are much higher than mine. I don't have a single gadget that does not have at least one irritating bug, glitch, or human factors failure. I still use 30 year old HP calculators, drive a 12 year old Subaru, and 25 year old HP/TEK/etc test equipment.

By the scale of electronic devices, the Droid-X2 is an antique. It is generally considered a loser by the trade press, which is why I've resold 8 of them to various friends without incident. Only mine and one other reboots spontaneously probably because both are just crammed with apps, utils, and abrevs.

The average life of a cell phone is only about 18 months. A smartphone, about 30 months. My Droid-X2 is near EOL. It was introduced in May 2011 and currently sells used for about $40 on eBay. It will probably be adequate for my needs for another year or two, when it will be replaced by what would be considered todays latest and greatest, but purchased used on eBay for 10% of original selling price. I have no problem tolerating a few inconveniences in trade for a mature product (most bugs are fixed) and very low cost.

Incidentally, I don't use the Droid-X2 as a cell phone. That honor goes to a 6 year old LG VX-8300. The VX-8300 was the last decent cell phone with an external antenna. An external antenna provides better range than the typical internal antenna. Carrying two devices is not a problem as I need the phone far more often than the Droid-X2, which I use mostly as a camera.

However, one of my friends does follow your equipment retirement policy. He purchases a new phone on contract every 1 to 2 years. His line of work involves the use of firearms. When the new phone arrives, he uses the old phone for target practice. I recently watched him perforate a totally functional iPhone 4. I suspect that looking forward to this bi-annual ceremony makes using the latest smartphone more tolerable.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

I've been to their warehouse in North Las Vegas. They are busy. Dr. Bill Wattenburg invented the communications over powerline methods they use.

Reply to
dave

Interesting. The X10 Website seems to have disappeared, along with the bargain prices. Their customer- and technical-service office used to be around the corner, in Renton.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

Sure it is. The appliance can be turned on or off from two or three (or N) locations.

Reply to
krw

IME, the "newer lines" are a lot more expensive and no more reliable (if that good).

Reply to
krw

X10.org is still around. It's apparently owned by SmartHome, now.

Reply to
krw

Reply to
dave

It wasn't like that when I was growing up 60 years ago.

These terms have a specific meaning that refers to a hard-wired connection.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

What wasn't like that?

It refers to a function. The mechanics of how that function is performed is irrelevant, isn't it?

Reply to
krw

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