How to make "smart" outdoor marine led lights

Hardware DIY
1

Hello,

I am trying to “make smart” some outdoor marine lights (see picture below)

In simple, these are now connected simply with an internal wall switch…

how can I make it “smart” and “connected to openhab”? initially, I tough that they were “bulb”, therefore my idea was to just replace the bulb with some "connected bulb (like IKEA), but then I found out that they are LED…

What can you suggest?

please keep in mind it is a rental property, therefore I am after a solution which is cheap and “less invasive”…

Thank you all

Lights

2

i whuld go with Shelly , it has built in MQTT, so you dont need to flash
and you can put on the light itself(most of my lights are in the light fixture)
can you run wires from the light to the switch ?

if yes you can contorl the light with the already built in rocker switch in the wall

in openhab you just need to configre an MQTT device and you are good

3

And what is the problem with it being LED ?

4

Many LED fittings do not have replacable lighting elements, they are non-repairable,
There is no “socket” to fit a replacement smart “bulb”.

5

do you mean this one: https://shelly.cloud/shelly1-open-source/
if yes, your suggestion is to install in inside the light itself… right?

[quote=“Gad_Ofir, post:2, topic:85275, full:true”]
can you run wires from the light to the switch ?

if yes you can contorl the light with the already built in rocker switch in the wall [/quote]

I would avoid that… because the house is not mine (it is a rental property)… and I want a :less invasive and cost effective solution :slight_smile:

6

it is a “Chinese” light, all printed and not “reparable”… therefore I cannot swap LED with a standard bulb fitting…

maybe I express myself poorly, but I meant “fixed LED light”… of course if I could put an LED bulb it would be a preferred options :slight_smile: but not in this case :frowning:

7

this is the case… so looking for the cheapest retrofit solution :slight_smile:

8

No, you are also looking for less invasive.

There’s only two answers -
Replace the wall switch with a smart version
Replace the fitting with a “standard” fitting and fit smart bulb.

9

it depends on the switch box. you can mount it inside the switch box at the switch. and use the normal switch as well as manual on/off
or you can use the sonoff T1 oor there touch . and once you want to move just re install the old switches ?

That is sort of a problem. this can either void some agreements in your rental contract. but if you perhaps discuss it with the owner and agree that you will return the electrical system back to original stat before end of contract it would be fine. i have that agreement with one of our tenants. and it is fine by me. as long as it is safe and would not fail a COC.

10

Thank you :slight_smile: I will do a bit more investigation of the “smart switch”… any suggestion? (cost effective)?

11

does it require a special electric box or is fits any electric box?

I woudl avoid that, because I am in Dubai at the moment and later I will relocate to Canada (wifey’s land), therefore 220V vs 110V, sizes and standard might be too different…

12

you will have to look your self what the size is of your box. as i know in South Africa it does not fit in the box with the normal switch. installed thats why i installed the T1

Then you should avoid it for now.

1 Like
13

The less invasive thing I’ve seen in home automation is this: Smart SwitchBot

I’ve just orderer one to test, but will arrive on thursday so, what I’m going to say is only about what I’ve read about it.

Is absolutely non invasive :smile: but I don’t know if you will be able to use the switch manually once installed.

It’s bluetooth LE so, to interface with Openhab you either need this Smartbot Hub Plus or use this python script smartbot python-host (I’ll be working in the latest)

I cannot tell you much more by now. Hopefully next weekend I’ll have worked on it and I probably can tell you more.

Regards.

14

You could use a zwave smart switch made by fibaro, aeon labs etc but these would need also a zwave USB controller to plug into your server and a bit of setting up. Additionally if you are moving to canada I think the zwave frequency is different over there, so ‘legally’ you wouldnt be able to use them.
If you are wanting to wirelessly make a smart light out of what you have got, by the cheapest means possible I would suggest some type of smart switch that is wifi based and compatible with an existing binding of OH2.
Perhaps this might be one of the options:


It works on 100V-240V, so you would be able to take it with you when you move.
Setup may be a bit tricky though. I dont think there is a full binding to work with these modules as they come out of the box. It seems the best option is to flash a new firmware into them and use another binding like MQTT for the tasmota firmware for example.
Cheaper price = more work for you haha :wink:

15

thank you for the suggestion… I like the Sonoff products…

my big question is on the “standard” I should set my home… WiFi, zwave or ZigBee…

saying this, my RaspBerry Pi has been already equipped with ZigBee following the instruction here and my “fear” is to not overkill the wifi bandwidth/capacity with too many wifi IoT devices…

you mentioned that in USA/Canada there might be a different ZWave standard/frequency… it that the same for ZigBee? what do you think about the Sonoff Basic R3 ZigBee? I could not find the ZigBee version for the Sonoff Mini; does it exist?

thoughts on my “fear of overkill” the wifi with too many IoT? is it OK to plan a “hybrid Home” (WiFi + ZigBee)?

Thank you all

16

I use zwave and wifi.
I am yet to include zigbee but I dont have the USB device yet.
I have some old zigbee plug sockets that I want to use eventually.
I believe zigbee and zwave are different for the USA unfortunatly :frowning:

17

So you dont see any problem on having a mixed environment… right? what about performances? do you have a meshed wifi?

18

This is what openHAB is for.

19

Thank you :slight_smile: for too many wifi IoT connected devices, will it be good to have a meshed network or a dedicated wifi or what?

thank you heaps… :slight_smile:

20

Those are networking issues about reach and security, not openHAB questions. Sensible things to keep in mind, of course, but this is not your only info source.