Hey people! So I’m still rather new to HA but I have dove of the deep end already with automating my house. After adding some sonoff zb minis over the weekend I ended up with an extra mains power switch opening in my living room. I was wondering if I can put a smart switch in its place with just mains power and no load? Basically I think it would be cool to be able to control Hyperion via switch to turn on my TV lights. Is this possible?
Sure it is. You can either use a template switch or an automation to control anything you want.
OK great! I was just unsure if a smart switch would still function without a physical load on it. Thanks.
Yep, it will.
Unless it’s one of the ones that does not require a neutral. They need current to flow through the load at all times. You can use one of the “anti-flicker” capacitive loads for LED lights to get around this.
1 Like
Last question then I’ll leave you alone… Would this same concept apply to the sonoff zb mini? Just wire it to mains and a toggle switch while leaving the load open? Thanks again for the help.
That should work just fine with only mains power connected. These don’t require a load to function.
As a plus, it also functions as a Zig-Bee repeater (as a lot of mains-connected ZB devices do).
I’ve done this sort of thing a few times in situations where wiring a controller directly into the path of the device I want to control is problematic. (As in I can’t get to the wiring without digging into the wall or, even worse, the woodwork.) It works extremely well. I also have a situation where I’ve wired a second controller switch just to the mains so I can turn on the bathroom light from a switch near whichever door I enter by.
1 Like
Thanks! That’s even better. I still have an extra zb mini and I would rather use a toggle switch to match my existing switches rather than a bulky smart switch