Hi everyone, I wanted to share my recent experience with installing a smart switch in my bedroom. After moving into a new home, I noticed that the bedrooms didn’t have dedicated lighting, which was a bit inconvenient. The outlets were controlled by switches next to the doors, but they weren’t aligned with where I wanted the lights.
Initially, I used Wyze bulbs controlled via Alexa, but my wife really wanted the lights to work with a physical switch. After some research, I decided to install a smart switch that could handle both the switch and the outlet.
The installation process was a bit tricky at first. The existing switch was a single pole switch, and I used a 3-way switch as a single pole. I connected the black wire to the Line, the traveler black to the Switched Line, and capped off the red wire. I also made sure to connect the white wire to the neutral and the green to the ground.
To test the setup, I plugged in a small fan and was pleasantly surprised when the switch worked perfectly, turning the fan on and off without any issues. I even paired it with the lights on the other side of the room using IFTT, so flipping the switch would trigger the lights. Everything seemed to be working smoothly until I switched the fan off at the outlet, which turned the lights off as well.
After some troubleshooting, I realized that the issue was with the power loop. If nothing was plugged into the outlet, the switch wouldn’t work. I’m now curious if this is a common issue with half hot outlets or if there’s a wiring solution to fix it.
Overall, I’m really happy with how the smart switch has improved my lighting setup. It’s been a great addition to my SmartThings ecosystem, and I love the convenience of controlling everything from my phone or through voice commands. If anyone has tips on resolving the power loop issue, I’d be grateful for the advice! Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing your experiences and suggestions.