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.
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.
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