I’m putting new sconces on the outside of my house, and am a little stuck on the path to take.
I have these, they seem nice and were very easy to install:
They have GFCI outlet on the bottom
My concern is in adding smart control to them.
I could go with smart bulbs and leave the fixture always powered, but have read that some have issues with zigbee devices working well outside/through walls.
Or, I could use a smart switch like this:
I have no neutral wire, so my understanding is the no-neutral switch works by always passing a small amount of current to power just itself, and then switches allowing enough to power the device it’s connected to. Would this cause any potential hazard being connected to the GFCI?
Any thoughts on if one method is better than the other?
You’re not gonna like this, but I believe neither choice is better than the other due to the fact that that outdoor light will probably still need constant power getting to it in order to power the sockets. This immediately excludes any no-neutral options because switches are generally intended for powering lights, not whatever random stuff you may plug in.
Setting aside my reservations for a light with a socket which requires a connection stronger than gravity or the occasional tugging of a cable, here’s what I would do:
Option 1: Don’t replace the entire switch. Use a zigbee module behind the switch which supports decoupled mode (search these forums for suggestions) and is rated for the correct amperage for the sockets. You will need a neutral, but that should be pretty easy to pull from the sconce location to your switch. Decoupled mode with no neutral will lead to a bad experience.
Option 2: Use a smart bulb (wired permanently to live) + any smart switch with/without neutral (yes, you will need to pull in a neutral). The proximity of your switch and bulb should be enough to get the signal through or around the wall. This will allow you to switch off your bulb (via zigbee commands) even if you need to use the socket during the daytime.
Option 3: (This is the part you won’t like). Send the sconce back, or disconnect the wiring for the sockets. Light circuits and socket circuits have different load ratings based on the cable thickness. Most times socket circuits require a rating of twice that for lights, which is why your sconce has a GFCI built in. Plugging in anything above the circuit’s rating will cause a trip in the best case scenario, and an overheated cable or a fire in the worst case scenario.