The head of the bed, in our second bedroom, has assumed at least four, widely differing locations in the room, whilst I have lived here
It could prove to be a bit of a moving target.
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Light switch position
- Thread starter SUNRAY
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The head of the bed, in our second bedroom, has assumed at least four, widely differing locations in the room, whilst I have lived here
It could prove to be a bit of a moving target.
Yes John the backwards and forwards is one thing I have in mind and I find people with one way bedroom lighting and a beside lamp a bit difficult to understand. At least 2way or even 3way can be helpful in a lot of circumstances.That's all very well, but in the case o something like a bedroom, one would presumably have to have 2-way switching for the bedroom light - since one does not want to have to go out of the room to switch off the light before one gets into bed (and then stumble back in the dark trying to find the bed
I suppose one could overcome that problem by having a second source of light (e.g. bedside light) in the room, but one would then still have the hassle of having to go 'backwards and forwards into/out of the room' when one wan';t to get into bed!
Of course a 4way room or corridor and more so if there is a bed or two or even two possibilities of bed positioning.
Of course sometimes we might need to consider going away from traditional wiring and err towards remote, radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi enhancements new fangled creations stuff
Quite - certainly not convenient. I suppose bedrooms are fairly unique, in as much as they are the only rooms in which one very commonly wants to switch the light off, during the hours of darkness, whilst one is remaining in the room
I refer that one to eric
I'm not at all convinced that having to fumble around looking for, then using, a remote control, phone, tablet or whatever to turn a light on or often necessarily qualifies as particularly 'convenient'. Morer expensive and more likely to go wrong, for sure, but not necessarily more convenient than a 'real switch' 
Kind Regards, John
We only have the three, 2-ways. Landing, hall, and then one of the two kitchen lights - for when you arrive in the dark, at the side/back door.
We have a ceiling light/fan which is remote controlled for light colour/level, fan direction and speed. The remote included an holder/bracket, which is fixed to a bedside cabinet - that is also able to be controlled, by a smart phone, via bluetooth. The electric blanket, is powered via an Alexa controlled plug. Anywhere in the house, we can just ask Alexa to 'turn the blanket on'.
Eric would undoubtedly be proud of you! However, as I implied before, quite apart from everything else, I wonder how often 'things go wrong' with such methods of turning a light on/off in comparison with how often they go wrong with a 'proper' mechanical switch?
Perhaps, but Eric goes a stage further, with addressable lighting
However, as I implied before, quite apart from everything else, I wonder how often 'things go wrong' with such methods of turning a light on/off in comparison with how often they go wrong with a 'proper' mechanical switch?
The only way I've had things go wrong, is - I had one smart switch fail completely, and, when first installed, my system would lose contact with a smart plug. The latter problem, obviously due to my routers poor coverage, because I've suffered no such issues, since moving to fibre, with a brand-new router.
The whole system has become simpler, less difficult to manage. For instance, I used to switch the drive light via a Sangamo solar clock, it would need an eye kept on it, it case it got out of sync with real time. Likewise, a time-clock, giving my car's battery a regular boost - now they just work, with no fuss. Likewise with my big outside lighting, I used to have to go in and plod upstairs to turn them on, when needed - now I can turn them on by either asking Alexa, or using my phone from absolutely anywhere.
We use several more, for switching Christmas lights, which double for making the house look occupied, when we are away, with table lights plugged in.
What's not to like, about having fuss free automatic control, or control from anywhere at all?
Not a lot, I suppose, other than cost and (I presume) an increased risk of 'failures' (or poor reliability), even if that risk is very small. I have plenty of mechanical switches that are still working fine after a good few decades in service, but I'm not at all sure how many of the new-fangled devices we might install today will still be working satisfactorily in, say, 40-50 years' time
There are some situations (such as some you mention) when it seems to make a lot of sense to use these devices. I'm less sure about those whose houses use 'new-fangled switching' for almost everything!
I suppose there are also some ('slight') potential 'safety' issues if one has electronic gizmos which can switch mains power on/off, maybe when the house is unoccupied, or when it is occupied and one wants/needs to 'work on' the electrical installation.
new-fangled devices we might install today will still be working satisfactorily in, say, 40-50 years' time
Will you, or I, still be around to care?
I certainly won't!
However, you may be missing my point ... if a mechanical switch can easily last for many decades, whereas an electronic gizmo may well not, it is quite likely that there would be an appreciable difference in 'trouble-free survival' over much shorter periods (say 5 years, or 3 years) - and even I might manage to last that long!
All of my devices, simply act as a socket adaptor, and the device they control, can simply be plugged in direct, reverting them back to normal, manual operation, so I don't really see a problem for the future. They are worthwhile having in place, simply for the convenience they offer, and should any fail, they take but a second to replace.
In the case opf 'plug-in adapters', that's fair enough if one is happy with what one has to pay for the 'convenience'. However, I don't think that most new-fangled light control gadgetry does just 'plug in', does it?
No, that's why I don't have any, and don't see the point really. I am sitting on the sofa, at the moment, typing this. If I happen to still be here when it gets dark (unlikely), I can just reach no further than arm's length to the wall, to switch the dimmer on for our wall lights, likely more easily than reaching for a remote control, because the (wired) switch is always in exactly the same place, and the wall lights our most used lights.
Some things can be very useful, making life easier, saving effort, and time - those I find worth the small effort, such as my remotely located (little office) upstairs, where my printers are. I used to run upstairs, turn them on, back down, click 'print', then back up. Now I just ask Alexa to turn them on, click 'print', then go up and collect my printed items.
In that case, we seem basically agreed, since (particularly given the context of this thread) it's the dedicated lighting gizmos that I've essentially been thinking/talking about.
Agreed, but I've been doing similar (without any dedicated gizmos) for many years (probably best part of 40) - accessing computers, storage devices and printers etc. which are two stories above, and turning on/of power to things like the printers, from my laptop in the living room, all over the (wired, although WiFi is also available) network which exists throughout the house
Bump.
In our country most of the modern houses' front doors open outside now. Can't say exactly why, but some suggests it was taken from a commercial buildings fire hazard regulations. What if I made them open inwards? Practical aspect, but would take inner space and probably disturb zone near the wardrobe.
Yes, I'm following this logic except that the door may be too wide/heavy and I will have to make a narrow window on the right of the door, hence the switches are a bit farther and harder to reach..
That'sinteresting. Do I take it (flags are not my strongest subject!) that we're talking about Lithuania? If so, do you know whether that is also the case in your neighbouring countries?
That's a credible explanation. However, in turn, I have no idea as to why inward opening external doors seem to be almost the norm in the UK (even though my front door opens outwards!!). I suppose one possible reason is that the inside face of an outward opening door could get wet when opened under the appropriate weather conditions - but, conversely, heavy snowfall might prevent one opening an outward-opening door - so I don't know
However, Mr Google's "AI Overview" seems to agree with your suggestion about your country (and also my point about snow) ....Up to a point, but I'm not sure that makes much difference since, even if the door opens outwards, the interior space immediately inside the door becomes essentially unusable (for a wardrobe or anything else).
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