The only retractive/momentary switch I could find that look same as the rest of my fittings were these:
But with the door/window sensor hack you can use standard on off wall switch!!
Also you can get fake dimmer modules that just do on/off but no dim… useful for mixing dimmers and switches in multi gang plate
Wonder if they exist without the “press to exit” text. I’ll hunt around.
With the window/door sensor… if it’s binary sensor is “on” for a long time, will it keep talking to the gateway to tell it it’s on and kill the battery? Or does it just send “on” and “off” once?
The sensor just sends notification when the door open or closes. Pretty sure neither state drains battery faster.
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I created a DIY option using Sonoff and rotary encoder to approximate the experience of a standard dimmer switch with a knob:
I made my own using blank wall plates and drilling them to fit these…
In my case they are then connected to the low voltage side of the guts of some cheap RF sockets mounted in the wall. Lights are controlled automatically but the button lets me turn them on/off manually and also put then ‘switch’ into program mode if I want to recode it.
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I’m thinking about buying some of these Xiaomi Aqara switches but I’m wondering if you can use the second button on the double switch as a trigger for automations? I just want to wire up the first button to a light and only use the status of the second button (like input 2 on Z-Wave relays)). Is this possible?
Mine aren’t wired, but the wireless version. It can be used for any automation you want. Each one (inc double switch press) has its own sensor.
Hi 
first post here.
I just received 2 “Xiaomi Aqara Light Control
Fire Wire and Zero Line Single Key Version / ZigBee Wireless” switches that has N L1 L2
My existing switch has a permanent live and a switch line.
How do I wire the switch? Also do I need the gateway ?
Zero line version also requires a neutral line. You can’t use it. There are also aqara switches without spare neutral line requirement. You can use those,
You need the xiaomi gateway for automations, as aqara switches are zigbee devices.
Crap, why they sell this to the UK? Now I have 2 useless
Switches. As far I know we have line, switch line and Earth at the switches. £35 wasted.
Neutral is NOT earth.
If you are lucky you may have neutral wiring in the back box for the switch - check to see if there is a termination that connects neutrals that is not connected to the switch itself. This is the way uk switches have started to be wired recently.
No no no no!!! Absolutely not
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Just a little bit clarification. Neutral is of course not the earth line. But with aqara switches it is lost in translation. They sell it with the name “zero line” and on the packaging of the actual switch there is an N. It is connected to a spare neutral line. The actual power needed for the switch is used from the live in to the spare neutral. The ones with no N on the packaging use the power between the live line “L” and “L1”. Thats why there is always a small current going through the switch even when it is off. And that’s why if you are using a led lamp sometimes the light flickers even if it is off. And finally that’s why they use a small capacitor to fix that issue too.
To sum up, the “zero line” version of the aqara switches has an “N” on the connection and that is connected a spare neutral. Cheers.
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Now makes sense because the way switches are wired, you don’t have neutral (blue or old colour black). But I am out of luck as there isn’t ground (earth/cpc green yellow), old installation.
Wasted money on 2 switches and gearbest only has that version.
Unbelievable rubbish, you never put power down the earth line, are you trying to get someone hurt or just stupid?
If anyone tries this I hope they have RCDs so they immediately trip and avoid any harm.
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I have also included the instructions from their site. Care to explain what you understand from them?
I have the switches and using them. I also have RCDs. Maybe I am missing something here.
Sendorm said there is a smal current going from L to L1 not L to Earth . That’s what I understand from it, otherwise yes the RCD would trip.