A smart dimmer switch is something that I wanted along with dimmable recessed lighting in my living room. My wife and I were tired of it being so dark in there. The only light we had was the ceiling fan light. There were lamps, but they were limited to just one area. I decided I wanted 4 recessed lights, and wanted to control them with a smart dimmer switch. SAFETY NOTE: Prior to working on any circuit, ensure that the circuit breaker is off. Additionally, prevent someone from accidentally powering it back on. If you are unsure of anything, always consult an electrician.
We had a fairly significant investment in Amazon Alexa products already. I knew the switch we selected needed to be compatible with Alexa. There were a ton of options available, but I decided I would try the C by GE C-Start Wi-Fi dimmer switch. It had all of the features that I wanted. The switch did not require a hub like some of the others did, and now it was time for the work to start.
Smart Switch Installation
After I laid out the lighting, cut the holes in my ceiling and ran the wire, it was time to run wire for the switch. I was able to pick up my power (120 volts), neutral and ground from an existing switch for lights in an adjacent room. That was one of the deciding factors in my decision for the switch location. As a requirement of the manufacturer specifications, a neutral is required for this switch. (Note: GE has some available now that do not require a neutral wire) I had a single gang box for the one switch. I purchased a two gang old work box and cut out the wall for it to fit.
Cutting a hole in your sheetrock can be a fairly daunting task. As long as you take your time it’s not bad. You need to use a level, and lightly trace out the box using a pencil. Additionally, you need to measure the bottom of existing switches to your floor. This will ensure that your new switch is the same height as the other switches. I recommend scoring the traced out area with a razor knife. Then I would use a drill and a drywall saw to cut out the hole.
Take your time to make sure that you don’t accidentally break the sheetrock or cut too big of a hole. Finally, you want to try to insert your wiring into the box. Then you will want to slide the box into the hole in your wall. This can be a little tricky, and try not to pinch your wire.
Wiring a Smart Switch
With the power off at the circuit breaker, you connect the “hot” wire under one terminal of the switch. Secondly, you connect your “switch leg” to the other terminal of the switch. If the switch has wires coming out of it, wire it up according to the manufactures instructions. When I am using wire nuts, ensure that your wires don’t slip out when tightening everything together. I also use electrical tape around the wire nuts just as a little extra protection.
After everything is connected electrically, tuck the wires into the box carefully. You need to ensure that you don’t pinch any wires. Likewise, you want to make sure that the bare ground conductor isn’t going to contact a hot terminal.
Smart Dimmer Switch – Features
Some of the features that were appealing to me were customized schedules, control with a mobile app, and Alexa integration. The C by GE switch had all of those, and then some. There is also an indicator ring light on the switch to let you know it’s connected to your wireless network. When setting the dimmer level through the mobile app, the settings are dynamic. If you are setting the dimmer level on the switch itself, there are static dim levels it uses. This may or may not be something you care about.
There are many features and customizations available within the app, and several of them I don’t use. One of them is the “Scenes” feature. Probably the most useful feature to me is the scheduling feature. I set up my living room to have the lights come on at 6:00 PM at a certain level. Secondly, at 8:00 PM, they automatically go to a dimmer setting. Finally, at 10:30 PM, I have the lights set to turn off. This is especially helpful when I go to bed before other family members and they don’t turn off lights, ever.
More details on the GE switches is located here.
Smart Home Security
This is a topic that can not be overemphasized. With so many options for IoT devices for making things more convenient, it is the wild, wild west regarding security. There are no real security standards for these devices, so please be careful when selecting them. It’s a great practice to keep your firmware updated, and change default passwords for any devices. We have heard of hackers breaking into cameras and watching you right in your home. You need to make sure that it’s hard as possible for them to do this.
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Very useful information thx!
Very useful information!!