Quinetic basic questions

[akist]

Has anyone got experience with these switches?

For example, I want outside lights around the house. Instead of running very long wires to the 4 corners of the house from some central wall switch, I could instead install the RF controller very close to the light, and then control it from a distant wall switch with no cables in between.

The only thing I am not sure about, would I be able to pair 2-3 of those RF controllers with 1 switch, so I press one button and 2-3 lights (or more) come on at different corners of the house?

Also, would anyone object if in order to power those external lights I "steal" power from the nearest wall plug or other wire that happens to be close? I imagine those external lights might need specific circuits as they are exposed to rain etc?

 

[plugwash]

Yes you can have an unlimited number of receivers controlled by the same switch. Although quinetic call it "pairing" what you are actually doing is programming the reciever with what switches it will listen to. I'm pretty confident that the switches are just dumb transmitters.

If powering lighting from a socket circuit, you should provide approrpriate overcurrent protection. It's also a good idea to have a means of double pole isolation for any equipment installed outdoors so that if it ends up full of water and trips a RCD you can isolate it until you have time to sort it out properly. A switched FCU covers both bases (i don't know if a double pole switch is a requirement for FCUs, but it's certainly the norm).

 

[akist]

OK great, I was thinking to avoid drawing LONG "lighting" lines could I maybe borrow power from a near by socket. But that would jeopardise the whole socket circuit, as you said so it's better to be on its own separate fuse on the fuse box - but that means I am installing long runs of wires just to these external lights, and then I do not really need the RF controller...

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

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[brig001]

I'm not sure about doing this as I think the Quinetic switches send a "toggle" request. This means that the receiver would then change state, so if it is on, it would turn off and vice versa. This means that the receivers can get out of sync due to interference etc. with the switch and some would be off and turn on, and others would be on and turn off. I would check before ordering

Brian

 

[plugwash]

I think some of the older quinetic switches had seperate on and off positions, but the current stuff is push on push off, so as you say a desync is possible with multiple receivers.

Afaict you can recover from a desync by using the button on the receiver or, if the receiver is inaccessible by power cycling the receiver.

 

[akist]

Very good points, in case I have more than one receiver listening to multiple switches! Thank you.