Recent content by Tony_Kent

Thanks. Is Alexa able to do all the clever stuff with scenes and linking things together that the other systems do?

I've a selection of different smart plugs, temperature sensors, theromstats etc which use different apps to control. Some are on eWeLink, some on Smart Life and others on Tuya Smart. There are even a couple on apps that are pretty much proprietary, such as Govee and my Nest heating controls...

It was a terraced street of houses that had been used as offices. I think this is one to get an expert in for; whether it’s phones or some bizarre Ethernet setup I need to get the Ethernet sockets working.

Just one set of ceiling lights in the hall above it. I’ve operated every other switch in the house and nothing else turns it on or off. I think the answer is going to be that someone has done something “weird” when presented with some extra wires and that I may as well just terminate them...

Yes, I think that’s possible. I can achieve what I want without needing to know for sure what’s going on, but rather wouldn’t.

The house is an 1850s five-floor townhouse. It spent the last years of the 20th century as Newcastle Council offices and was then stripped back to just the walks and “rebuilt” in around 2010. There was no electrical work done between then and when I bought it in 2019. I know that it looks like...

No, it was once upon a time Newcastle Council offices, but it was gutted in around 2010, back to the brickwork and re-done as “executive” housing. Whatever was considered state of the art back then is probably what they put in

Curiouser and curiouser. The grey wire is live, the brown is switched live, and so is the black, so it's live when the brown is live, and not when the brown is not.

I suppose it could be, there is a door intercom, but there are also ethernet points all over the house too, with no apparent connection to anything. There are all manner of legacy electric bits in various places; I'd love to be able to get hold of whoever did the wiring to work out what's what.

Thanks, but as I wrote, they are not two-way. There is no other switch controlling the lights that this switch controls. It turns on two ceiling lights, and no other switch in the house controls them. THere are several like this, including ones that control a light that no-one would ever want a...

I've a box on the wall in my utility room with lots and lots of very fine wires in it; shown below. My question's a simple one; what is it for? It's the right-hand one in this picture.

I've a five-story house, with an awful lot of light switches in it. Some are two-way, some are one way. I thiought that I understood the wiring in the switches for each, but looking at some I'm getting confused. For example, I've a one-way switch that is the only one to control one group of...

Thanks, that’s very helpful.

Thanks. I’ve a selection of Sonoff switches and relays. I might just wire some into the switch back boxes and then try playing round with them. Hopefully the WiFi will cope (300mb and wired Ubiquiti access points) but I suppose I’ll see.

The second phase was to be to install a motion sensor in my little boys’ room at the top,of the house so that if they wake they can find their way down to our room without being scared. It’s a five story house, and can feel quite spooky in the middle of the night.