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Haha, you go for it. Nobody will stop you.
You know they all use the same Main board & WiFi modules in all of these Chinese produced smart switches? CTEC switches appear to be made by Lanbon, and seem to range from $2.5-$35 US each.
One example:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Wifi-smart-home-smart-switch-remote_60403828636.htmlNobody will install it for you as it’s not Australian approved. If it’s causing a fire your insurance company will refuse to cover your loss
They're sold as certified for Australian market.
Looks like they manufacture for Ctec but don’t think you can get from them. The other one I am not sure but you can please give it a try to see if your electrician will be happy to install for you.
I bought one sample at $135 to test out and quite happy with it. These guys quote $2200 for our entire house. Considering the quality, features and their local service I think the price is reasonable IMO
What local service is available for those devices, post installation? $135 seems quite high, when under $20 one are available from other 'local' sources. You might want to give
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07K9N2X48/ a look and see if they serve your need too.
Yes, if the internet goes out only the master switch works. but it's not often these days. The price you checked online is for normal WiFi model and it not compatible with Google Home, Alexa or Siri but only APP controlled. In regards to the price it depends on what you are after, would you like to have high voltage electrical products in high quality , stylish design, functionalities as well as warranty by paying bit extra or only at low cost without anything else. Supa lighting is a retail shop in Springvale but they don't do online business.
Thanks
Thanks for the reply, so $135 for a single switch?
What are the benefits over these ~$20 switches available on Amazon, by Jinvoo (one of the various rebrands of Chinese models)
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07K9N2X48/ which are 100% Google/Alexa compatible.
Wanting to do a whole house, but also $100+ x 30 would be a lot.
Hi rum_home,
Thanks for your updates, as explained by BECAM, any electrical wall switches to be sold in Australia need to get the product tested and approved. No every smart light switch has got approvals ans distributed by local companies. Therefor buying from local business will be more security in terms of product quality, warranty as well as services. We agree the switch you found from Amazon is cheap but apart from this there is no other benefit we can see out of it. Thanks again for your interest and please let us know if you need any information. Thank you
Almost everything is made in China. Quality and compliance from China varies widely from excellent to cheap and dangerous. Ask the supplier to provide a verifiable PDF of the products ‘SAA / JANZ” certificate and “ACMA declaration” which confirms compliance with local standards. Local electrical safety registration (ERAC) may also be required. If they won’t provide this you can assume it’s not tested and certified for here, even though it may be the same or almost the same product. Local sale and Installation is illegal and you will void your home insurance.
Looks like they manufacture for Ctec but don’t think you can get from them. The other one I am not sure but you can please give it a try to see if your electrician will be happy to install for you.
They have supplied a SAA certificate for the switches, so no issues with installation by an electrician.
Thanks for your updates, as explained by BECAM, any electrical wall switches to be sold in Australia need to get the product tested and approved. No every smart light switch has got approvals ans distributed by local companies. Therefor buying from local business will be more security in terms of product quality, warranty as well as services. We agree the switch you found from Amazon is cheap but apart from this there is no other benefit we can see out of it. Thanks again for your interest and please let us know if you need any information. Thank you
This is true, certifications of other countries, doesn't automatically mean they are legal to install in Australia. I'm happy to support local, but not sure what added benefit a local greater priced item (that is made of the same 'insides'), what are the services. As Amazon as the same warranty and quality would be the same.
Almost everything is made in China. Quality and compliance from China varies widely from excellent to cheap and dangerous. Ask the supplier to provide a verifiable PDF of the products ‘SAA / JANZ” certificate and “ACMA declaration” which confirms compliance with local standards. Local electrical safety registration (ERAC) may also be required. If they won’t provide this you can assume it’s not tested and certified for here, even though it may be the same or almost the same product. Local sale and Installation is illegal and you will void your home insurance.
This is true. I have a SAA certification report from that supplier for those < $20 smart switches.
Digital disruption in action! However do take care with the certification’s authenticity and relevance.
How much does project builder typically charge for neutral wire for smart switch cabling? Any electrician?
Hi Kester, I work for a builder in Perth, we include neutrals to all switches as a standard but not many other builders do, I would suggest there isnt any project builders doing it.
You should be paying about $15 per switch through a builder would be fair, it's only the light switches that require the neutral as GPOs have to be wired with one.
How much does project builder typically charge for neutral wire for smart switch cabling? Any electrician?
Hi Kester, I work for a builder in Perth, we include neutrals to all switches as a standard but not many other builders do, I would suggest there isnt any project builders doing it.
You should be paying about $15 per switch through a builder would be fair, it's only the light switches that require the neutral as GPOs have to be wired with one.
$15 is reasonable. Thanks for your feedback and please let me know if you would like to try out our smart light switches
We received couple of messages asking about our smart dimmer switch. Please find out the performance of Ctec dimmer switch,
The installation of Ctec smart light switch is pretty simple and straight forward. The only thing you need to pay attention is having neutral wires at your light switches, rest will be the same as standard light switches.
Does typical house build in last 5 years have neutral wire in their switches?
Thanks for asking. It depends on where you location is. If you are in WA, its likely not as having neutral wire in WA is not a common practise. In other states it possibly yes, but still it depends on how the house was built. The best way is to confirm with your electrician or builder.
Thank you
I have my electrical appointment in 2 weeks.
do I simply ask if switches have a neutral wire?
I don't want to engage in "upgrade chit chat" at this elec meeting, as I KNOW they will try and upsell me their system.
Thanks for asking. It depends on where you location is. If you are in WA, its likely not as having neutral wire in WA is not a common practise. In other states it possibly yes, but still it depends on how the house was built. The best way is to confirm with your electrician or builder.
Thank you
I have my electrical appointment in 2 weeks.
do I simply ask if switches have a neutral wire?
I don't want to engage in "upgrade chit chat" at this elec meeting, as I KNOW they will try and upsell me their system.
Thanks for your comment. You can simply ask if they are going to run neutral wires at each light switches. It pretty standard to have neutral wires in new houses these days and if not, the extra cost shouldn't be much. expecting few hundred dollars.
Hope you will get into smart home space shortly
One of our recent projects in Melbourne. Ctec smart light switches are fully installed throughout this luxury house.
Ctec also has smart cutrain/shutter/blind switch. Watch this video and see how our customer controls his roller shutter via Google Home
Digital disruption in action! However do take care with the certification’s authenticity and relevance.
For those worrying about the 'cheaper' units being Australian Standard Approved, Bunnings are now selling a Smart Switch version that is 100% confirmed Australian Standards approved:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/deta-smart-single-gang-light-switch-touch-activated-with-grid-connect_p0098811 for around $45.
Visually different, yes. But still $100 cheaper, and you get Bunnings warranty.
I have done some comparisons already, bit different in regards to quantity and the range. I still like the glass finish with touch sensitivity more than plastic cover with push buttons .
This was a useful thread to read in the context of overseas imports. Thanks all.
Hello everyone,
We are currently offering special prices for bulk orders. Please let us know if you would like to upgrade to smart lighting features with the most advanced smart light switches. Please email us at
sales@ctec.com.au for any inquires.
Thanks
We will launch a new product in next couple of weeks. Here are the features of the new range.
- Two categories.
[ul]
- 5 in 1 multi function switch. 1 gang switch, 2 gang switch, 3 gang switch, curtain/shutter switch and scene switch for people to choose from.
- Single gang dimmer switch with the ability to keep the last status. When the switch is turned on it goes back to the brightness at the last turn off.
Large LCD touch screen. With customisable button names, icons, theme and background pictures. Local time, power consumption and WiFi status are also visible from the panel. Support wireless 2/3 way switching. Simply link 2 or 3 channels up from different switch plates via our app.Mesh WiFi system. Based on the latest MQTT technology, all switches will setup up their own local mesh WiFi and only the first switch is configured to the router with other switches connect to each other. This reduces WiFi overload and interference.Quick WiFi configuration. Simply scan a QR code to configure the switch to your WiFi network.Vertical and horizontal installation. Support both vertical and horizontal installations by choosing from switch settings.Power consumption monitoring. Power consumption is displayed on the LCD screen as well in our app. You can check either the real time power consumption or in a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. You also have the choice of setting electricity rate to calculate your electricity bills.Timer settings. There are 3 types of timer settings.
- Turn your lights on/off in a regular weekly basis.
- Delay function enables your lights automatically turn on/off after certain period set by this function.
- Green mode turns off the lights automatically after certain period every time after being turned on
Adjustable screen brightness for both active and standby statuses. Auto-standby and wave to wake. Night mode turns off background light which avoid disturbing your sleep in the evening. Enable sending push notifications when switch is controlled by other people.Device manager enables one switch controls all other switches in the same network.Compatible with Google Home, and Alexa, Apple HomeKit.Allow DIY setup with Home Assistant.Support Apple Siri Shortcut.[/ul]
Please contact us if you need more details.
Does it mean that switches link themselves into a separate Wi-Fi Mesh network? Cool. Do you use your own hardware for that?
Does it mean that switches link themselves into a separate Wi-Fi Mesh network? Cool. Do you use your own hardware for that?
Correct, only one switch will connect to the router even 30 switches are installed. Other switches will connect to each other.
Sorry I am not sure what you mean by own hardware ?