Kinetic light switches

[cliveb]

Has anyone got experience of kinetic light switching systems?
There appear to be a number of manufacturers around, but I've seen some reviews about dodgy reliability for some of them.
Not interested in anything shipped out of China.

Quinetic looks to be the gold standard, but at a price.
Acegoo is rather cheaper and has generally good reviews, but I wonder.
Is Quinetic really that much better than the rest?

 

[USER1999]

Get offered this stuff all the time at work. I would be absolutely stunned if any of this type of product is made anywhere else other than China.

 

[cliveb]

Get offered this stuff all the time at work. I would be absolutely stunned if any of this type of product is made anywhere else other than China.

I realise it'll all be made in China, but if it's to a UK/US/EU company's spec and is sold here, that's a whole different ball game to the cheap knock-off stuff that comes direct from a back street in Shanghai.

Anyhow, back to my original question: anyone used these and have any advice about how the cheaper stuff sold by Amazon compares to Quinetic?

 

[USER1999]

I realise it'll all be made in China, but if it's to a UK/US/EU company's spec and is sold here, that's a whole different ball game to the cheap knock-off stuff that comes direct from a back street in Shanghai.

Anyhow, back to my original question: anyone used these and have any advice about how the cheaper stuff sold by Amazon compares to Quinetic?

None of it is made to a UK or other spec. It is all Chinese designed and built, and bought from a trade fair. If you buy it from a recognised UK brand, you are just buying the same stuff, but carrying a much bigger premium. I do this for a living.

Anyway, no, I haven't used any of these in my home, but I would buy off Amazon, with a decent set of reviews.

 

[bobmac]

None of it is made to a UK or other spec. It is all Chinese designed and built, and bought from a trade fair. If you buy it from a recognised UK brand, you are just buying the same stuff, but carrying a much bigger premium. I do this for a living.

Anyway, no, I haven't used any of these in my home, but I would buy off Amazon, with a decent set of reviews.

Are you telling me that my mobile phone and computer are made in China too?

 

[Beezerk]

Am I right on thinking these are a wireless light switch?
Next question..why, I'm struggling to see the point ?

 

[USER1999]

Am I right on thinking these are a wireless light switch?
Next question..why, I'm struggling to see the point ?

When I was looking at them, an advantage was you can add switches, without wiring.
Two examples, replace the light switch in your lounge, and you can stick a new switch by your patio door, so you can come in, and turn the light on.
Or, replace the bedroom light switch, and you can add a switch by the bed. Go to bed, turn light on, get into bed, turn light off.

 

[cliveb]

Am I right on thinking these are a wireless light switch?
Next question..why, I'm struggling to see the point ?

We've just moved house and the main bedroom's light switch is by the door. We'd like to have two-way switching so we can turn it off from the bed.

I could go up in the awkwardly-shaped loft and contort myself into position, pull back the insulation that's on top of the boarding, remove the boarding, run cable for a second switch, chase into the wall down to the bed, install a traditional light switch there, make good the wall, and reinstate the boarding and insulation in the loft. Then visit an osteopath to fix my back.

Or I can replace the existing lightswitch with one that has an inline receiver and mount a remote wireless switch by the bed.

EDIT: murph beat me to it.

 

[Beezerk]

Lazy gets ?

 

[USER1999]

You can also add supplementary side lighting, with an inline adaptor, put in a new switch, may be a 6 way, and you can turn on any of your lights from the original switch point. Chuck in some WiFi, and the world is your lobster.

 

[Robster59]

Would smart bulbs not fulfill the same function? We can turn on and off various items in the house just by telling our Google Home to do it.

 

[cliveb]

You can also add supplementary side lighting, with an inline adaptor, put in a new switch, may be a 6 way, and you can turn on any of your lights from the original switch point. Chuck in some WiFi, and the world is your lobster.

Now you're being silly. Next you'll be telling me that there's some sort of electronic butler called Alexa who can do it all for me.

EDIT: now robster has beaten me to it!

 

[Beezerk]

So your WiFi goes down, your stuck in bed with the lights on ?

 

[bobmac]

So your WiFi goes down, your stuck in bed with the lights on ?

The Alexa controlled plug sockets have an on off switch for that reason.
Plug in you bedside light and add it to a routine

 

[USER1999]

Would smart bulbs not fulfill the same function? We can turn on and off various items in the house just by telling our Google Home to do it.

Google spying on your night time activities?

You would need a tin foil duvet.

 

[Robster59]

Google spying on your night time activities?

You would need a tin foil duvet.

Takes the term oven ready to a whole new level!

 

[USER1999]

WiFi bulbs are fine, I have some, but if you don't want Alexa in the bedroom, for what ever reason, you then need to use your phone, which is a faff. Changing the switches is a more elegant solution. They do work, and can look very tidy.

 

[williamalex1]

I was asked to install Wifi switches a few years ago, but I didn't take the job on. Because they were controlling GU10 halogen downlights.
When a GU10 lamp blows there's a chance it'll also blow the switch .

 

[SocketRocket]

What's Kinetic about them, surely they're Wifi switches.

I'll probably stick with the current finger flicking ones as I need the exercise.

 

[USER1999]

What's Kinetic about them, surely they're Wifi switches.

I'll probably stick with the current finger flicking ones as I need the exercise.

No. They are not necessarily Wifi. The main thing is the ability to add a second swith, as described somewhere above. It has a sticky back, and you just stick it on the wall. It has no battery, and is powered by kinetic energy to talk to the main switch.