Modern technologies, as you know, do not stand still, so there is nothing surprising in the fact that special wireless switches have now appeared that have a lot of advantages. Now there is no need to look for relays or keys on the wall in the dark - you just need to use this very convenient device based on radio or infrared waves.
The wireless switch allows you to comfortably control the lighting of not only a separate room, but the whole house, change its brightness. And you don’t need to damage the walls to install it.
What is a wireless light switch?
This little machine is pretty simple. It consists of two modules - a receiver and a transmitter. A switch serves as a signal transmitter, and a relay, which is mounted in a light source, serves as a receiver. To connect, you just need to insert 2 input wires into the terminals and 2 to the output to the chandelier. All the familiar electrical wiring is missing. Instead, depending on the switch model, radio waves or infrared waves are used. The difference between them is small: range andthe ability to control the light in the next room. In all other respects, the principle of operation is the same.
Let's consider some features of the components of the switch.
Relay
A radio-controlled relay is a receiver that, upon receiving the appropriate signals, closes the lighting wiring circuit. It is installed either near the lamp, or in any other place within the range of the transmitter. This device is quite small, you can place it in the lighting fixture itself, for example, in a chandelier.
Switch
The main feature of this transmitter is the presence of an energy generator that generates electricity when the switch is pressed. The energy pulse is processed into a radio signal that is picked up by a receiving device. However, such models of wireless switches are quite expensive. There is a cheaper version of them, which involves the use of a mini-battery. An autonomous power source is also used in devices such as wireless touch light switches, in which control is carried out using a touch panel.
Despite their apparent simplicity, such switches are high-tech devices that use miniature, but very complex electrical circuits.
Installation
Installation of the switches is very simple and fast, as they are light in weight and conveniently flat. The relay can be connected to a wire phase break inany convenient place. When the button is pressed, the switch sends out a radio signal, which is received by the relay. It produces an opening or closing of the circuit on the phase going to the light source.
The wireless light switch can be attached with double-sided tape, fixing it securely, for example:
- on the ceiling, wall, floor or other place - you don’t need to run wires through the whole room, so the owners’ imagination is not limited by anything;
- on the door in any room, bathroom, etc. (moreover, the height can be any, so if necessary, you can install a wireless wall switch in a place where a child can reach it if he needs lighting);
- on the back of the bed, the surface of the bedside table, the cabinet door - anywhere that you can reach with an outstretched hand right out of bed; thanks to such a device, you will not need to wander in the dark looking for a switch if you need to find something or just want to read.
Advantages of wireless switches
The main reason why wireless light switches have gained such popularity is the ability to install them in absolutely any place and on absolutely any surface without installation and repair work. For installation, you do not need to ditch the walls and do the wiring, resort to the services of an electrician: you just need to use double-sided tape. The list of advantages that a wireless switch is endowed with inspires respect:
- regulatelighting can be at a distance;
- large range of such a device;
- wireless switch completely safe for children and pets;
- reliable and durable;
- the device is economical, the brightness of the lamps is regulated by dimmers; thanks to them, the lamps are ignited very smoothly, which saves energy and increases the life of the lamp itself.
Flaws
No significant flaws were found in the wireless switches. Complaints can be caused by products that are produced by some Chinese manufacturers. As a rule, complaints are mainly related to the instability of the radio signal. But these and other problems are completely absent in products made in Western Europe.
As a disadvantage, one can single out only the high cost of wireless switches, which today is not available to everyone. For one set (receiver and transmitter) you will have to pay at least $ 30, and this is without the cost of installation work. That is why they are installed mainly where it is not possible to use traditional ones.
Varieties
The wireless switch does not have a wide variety of types. This device can only be classified according to three main features:
- if possible adjust the lighting;
- by way of management;
- by the number of lights the device can control.
Wayscontrols
Switches are electronic, in which the inclusion is carried out by pressing the touch key and with mechanical buttons. Also in a separate group, you can select a wireless switch with a remote control, which greatly expands the capabilities of such a device. It goes in addition to the device and works through digital signals at radio frequencies. Due to them, the absence of interference in the operation of both the switch and the television and radio equipment, which is located in the apartment, is ensured. Neither walls nor furniture interfere with the device's radio signal. Thanks to the remote control, you can simultaneously control 8 wireless switches, and then the need to walk around the apartment and turn off the forgotten lighting will disappear forever. The range of remote controls depends on the structural features of the housing and the materials used on which the elements are placed. Usually it fluctuates in the range of 20-25 meters. The transmitters are powered by batteries. However, in practice, such a device is rarely in demand, because no one will constantly carry it with them, and when the remote control is needed, then most often it is simply not at hand.
If the remote wireless switch is installed in industrial premises or offices, then it can be a considerable distance away from light sources. In these cases, repeaters are installed.
Adjustable lighting
As a rule, this possibility appears due to the receiving device, in whichadditionally placed dimmer. Of course, the process of adjusting the flow of light is carried out on the switch. This is done by long pressing a certain key or button.
Number of controlled luminaires
Here everything is the same as with the usual type of switches - they can be designed for one or more groups of lighting fixtures. You need to understand that a double wireless switch will cost several times more than a single one.
How to install DIY wireless switches?
Easy and quick installation is one of the important advantages of this type of device. You can perform installation without special skills and labor on your own, without the help of electricians-specialists.
The work sequence is as follows:
1 Installing the receiver-switch. There is, in principle, nothing complicated here. Depending on how many groups of lighting fixtures are controlled, the receiver can have up to four wires coming out of the fixture. Of these, one is an input, and all the others are outputs. If it is a double switch, then there are only two output wires. To install this device, you must break the phase that supplies power to the lighting fixture, and then simply connect the fixture in series in the circuit. If we talk about two groups, then in this case everything is the same as with conventional switches - a common zero goes to all lighting devices, and the phase in the switch branches and is separately supplied to each of the lighting groups.
2. Mounting the control button, which, asthe rule, called a switch, is generally made very simply. Using a crown, a corresponding hole is drilled in the wall, where a standard plastic socket is installed. Further, everything is the same as when installing a simple switch, except that wires are not needed for a wireless device - you just need to fix the button in the box.
As you can see, everything is easy and quite simple, and you don’t need to have special knowledge in the field of electrical engineering to decide how to connect such a device - elementary knowledge of how electric current moves in a circuit will be enough.
Summing up, we can safely say that wireless light switches are quite a useful device, without which in some cases it is even very difficult to do without.
The use of radio waves in the modern world is becoming more widespread - people use mobile phones, Wi-Fi devices, radios, radio-controlled toys and mechanisms that are becoming part of our lives.
Wireless switch on laptop
The wireless network is generally used by most people. Many connect to Wi-Fi not only at home, but also in a cafe, office, or with their friends. Everyone is used to the fact that connecting to the network is an automatic process that does not require any action.
On many laptop models, to turn on, use a separate button or slider to turn on Wi-Fi. Most often, this wireless network switch is located on the front end.laptop. It may look different, but it performs the same function - turning Wi-Fi on and off. To turn it on, you just need to move the slider to the “On” position.
