What is a smart switch?
The term smart is applied to many things these days. Pretty much anything that has internet connectivity is considered or called smart. A smart switch does the same job as a traditional light switch. It turns lights on and off.
You can still operate your lights from the wall switch but the connectivity to the internet and associated apps is what makes them smart. This connectivity allows for remote control from an app on your phone or via voice using Google Home or Amazon Alexa. “OK Google turn on my kitchen lights”
The smarts also extend to scheduling timers and having them interact with other things in your home.
Will they work in my home?
Our products will work in almost all existing homes, appartments and buildings. They simply replace existing light switches and power points.
If you want to take advantage of the smarts you’ll also need a wifi router and internet connection. If any of our products don’t in your property will happily offer a refund.
Also don’t forget all installations must be carried out by a fully licensed qualified electrician.
What sort of Wifi do I need?
Our switches communicate with the internet via Wifi not a hub so you don’t need any additional hardware for them to work. The switches use WiFi Standard: 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n so as long as your Wifi router supports that you’ll be good to go.
Just make sure your Wifi has good coverage so the switches can connect. Checking your Wifi strength with your mobile is a great way to determine suitable locations for installation.
For example if you can’t get Wifi in your shed, the switches won’t have any connectivity out there.
All iSwitch switches communicate with a centralised server in the cloud, so you will need Internet access for them to perform properly.
The switches will still work without Internet access so if your network is down you can still turn the lights on and off, you will just lose remote control and automation until such time your Internet comes back online.
Do I need Internet access?
NO. Unless you are a fully licensed qualified electrician.
These switches ARE NOT plug and play, they replace your existing light switches and power points. Our products ARE NOT DIY. All installations regardless of if they are new installs or replacements of existing switches must be performed by a fully licensed qualified electrician.
DO NOT attempt to do your own electrical work. There are significant fines that may apply, your insurance company may not cover you in the event of fire or other incident. Performing your own electrical work can result in server injury or Death.
Can I install these myself?
We are currently working with a number of electricians in the Brisbane area who will be able to offer you installation and smart home setup.
We will add their contact details here once we have worked through the finer details. In the mean time any fully licensed electrician will be able to install the switches and power points. Setting up the network connectivity is pretty strait forward so give it a go and if you get stuck let us know. We are only too happy to help out.
We are pleased to announce Richie’s Air Conditioning / Refrigeration & Electrical Services as an iswitchoz Brisbane installation partner. If you need assistance with the installation of your smart switches you can contact Richie on 0400 727 671 or richiesac@bigpond.com
Can you recommend an electrician in my area?
Currently iSwitch can supply light switches and power points in brilliant white and stunning black. Soon we will offer a gold range.
The full colour range may not be available for all products. If you can’t find what you’re looking for lets us know as me may be able to do a special order for you.
What colours do the switches come in?
They sure do. When paired with the smart app you’ll be able to see the realtime Current(mA), Power(W),Voltage(V) and total (KWh) as well as historical KWh.
Certainly beats existing power monitoring that gives you a total for your whole house. Now you’ll be able to see light and power stats per switch. Thats ideal when trying to identify a power hungry culprit.
Do the light switches and power points monitor use?
iSwitch light switches and power points leverage the Tuya platform so you can pair them with Tuya Smart or Smart Life. These apps can be connected to both Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
Once you’ve paired them you can use either Google Home or Amazon Alexa to control your lights and appliances. You’ll even be able to use voice commands to turn devices on and off.
You can also use IFTTT (if this then that) to open up a world of possibilities. IFTTT is a free web-based service to create chains of simple conditional statements, called applets. These applets allow you to do things like, if the fire alarm goes off turn on all the lights or send a notification when a device is turned on. The possibilities are endless.
What smart home products do these work with?
Do the switches require a Neutral Wire?
iSwitch light switches and power points require power to stay connected to your wifi as well as iluminate the panel. As a result the switches require both a Neutral wire and Live wire.
A typical installation would see your electrician use the existing Neutral and Live wire behind your existing power point or light switch. If your home or office is wired without Neutral wires to your existiing switches please seek professional advice from your electrcian around the fesability of running new neutral wires to the switches.
The image (right) illistrates a four gang light switch with Neutral Wire, Live Wire and four line outs.
Certain types of electrical equipment such as our switches are classified as Proclaimed (also known as Declared) Products. This type of equipment must go through a certification process which ensures the equipment is compliant to the relevant safety standard/s before being offered for supply in Australia.
Proclaimed electrical equipment must have either a Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) OR other approval marking (GMA<number>EA). All our products are Australian Certified. The marks on our products shown below are currently recognised by all states and territories of Australia. Your electrician will look for these before installing them.
Please note that CE FC RoHS marks are NOT recognised in Australia.
