Kinetic Wireless Switches

[efunc]

So, just blew a small fortune on this lot. Reckon it should do what I need, for now:

 

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, efunc said:

So, just blew a small fortune on this lot. Reckon it should do what I need, for now:

 

 

You know it makes sense! ?

 

At least you'll know where you are with one system, i.e all wireless. 

[efunc]

On 13/02/2020 at 11:37, Onoff said:

 

You know it makes sense! ?

 

At least you'll know where you are with one system, i.e all wireless. 

 

Well, yes and no. I've designed this whole build hyper-efficiently, so have stud walls with 70mm and 100mm PIR everywhere, taped off and VCL membrane before plasterboard. It was all pre-wired to accommodate hard wired switches since I originally thought that's what I needed locally, with the wireless stuff being located elsewhere. Now I've got all these oversized receivers I need to hide somewhere, but you'd laugh if you saw how I did all the recessed lighting and sockets. I built in vapour sealed PP cavities cut into the PIR all sealed off and hidden behind plasterboard:

 

 

 

 

 

So, if I'd factored in the Quinetic receivers at an earlier stage it could have been a neat installation. But now these thing's will have to be in large surface mounted boxes with cable trunking all over the walls too. The original Curv360 receivers I planned to use were much smaller and I could have been squeezed into the back boxes, but the Quinetic stuff is really rather big. That's the dilemma I'm mulling over right now. Hmmm..

 

 

[efunc]

Right, I'm still looking at possible solutions for hiding these receivers in my garden room. There's one tiny cavity available for wiring the backbox for the 'wired' dimmer switch for the 4 downlighters:

 

 

What I'm wondering is if a standard backbox can accommodate one of the receivers if I use the flush plate over it??

 

 

If so, I could possibly use a 2-gang MK plate with a wired dimmer and a quinetic dimmer with the receiver in the box. Is this too tight?

[Nickfromwales]

22 hours ago, efunc said:

 

Well, yes and no. I've designed this whole build hyper-efficiently, so have stud walls with 70mm and 100mm PIR everywhere, taped off and VCL membrane before plasterboard. It was all pre-wired to accommodate hard wired switches since I originally thought that's what I needed locally, with the wireless stuff being located elsewhere. Now I've got all these oversized receivers I need to hide somewhere, but you'd laugh if you saw how I did all the recessed lighting and sockets. I built in vapour sealed PP cavities cut into the PIR all sealed off and hidden behind plasterboard:

 

 

 

 

 

So, if I'd factored in the Quinetic receivers at an earlier stage it could have been a neat installation. But now these thing's will have to be in large surface mounted boxes with cable trunking all over the walls too. The original Curv360 receivers I planned to use were much smaller and I could have been squeezed into the back boxes, but the Quinetic stuff is really rather big. That's the dilemma I'm mulling over right now. Hmmm..

 

 

Are you and @Onoff related by any chance? .........?

[Jeremy Harris]

One potential problem I can see is that the inside face of the building now looks like a very well shielded Faraday cage.  These switches use RF, so they ideally need to be housed in an RF transparent housing.  I suspect that the range will be reduced if they are mounted in a standard metal back box that's fitted to that very well RF shielded room.

[efunc]

2 hours ago, Jeremy Harris said:

One potential problem I can see is that the inside face of the building now looks like a very well shielded Faraday cage.  These switches use RF, so they ideally need to be housed in an RF transparent housing.  I suspect that the range will be reduced if they are mounted in a standard metal back box that's fitted to that very well RF shielded room.

 

Yes, OK, that is a good point. I'm not so worried about reception because the receiver will be mounted next to the french doors, which is an external wall, so the signal will just have to traverse some OSB and cedar cladding which will hopefully be manageable. However I was going to experiment with sinking this double backbox into the plasterboard thee, if I can squeeze it in:

But, based on your observation I will try and source plastic ones instead. I'm hoping these boxes will accommodate on receiver and one hard wired varilight switch, or alternatively 2 receivers behind two quinetic switches. Anyone know for certain?

Edited February 16, 2020 by efunc

[Jeremy Harris]

I have a box of deep plastic back boxes that have a flange around the front that are just sitting gathering dust.  Your welcome to some for free if they may help.  I can't remember where they came from,  but they are pretty solid things.  I'll try and dig one out and take a photo.

[efunc]

Thanks, that's very kind! I've found the plastic versions of this dual 1 gang box, and they're inexpensive enough. However, I think it's highly unlikely I could fit 2 receivers in them - maybe one at a push if I cut through the partition. The problem is the receivers really are large:

 

Height: 31mm
Length: 89mm
Length: 98mm inc lug
Width: 43mm

 

If you could perhaps confirm the size of yours that would be great.

[Jeremy Harris]

Just measured a double gang one, and it's about 69mm high, 45mm deep and 130mm wide internally.  I've checked the part number and it's an MK K2062 flange box, like this: https://www.mkelectric.com/en-gb/Products/WD/BoxesandAncillaryProducts/boxes/mouldedboxes/flangeboxes45mm/Pages/K2062WHI.aspx

 

I have a box with at least a dozen of them here, all individually boxed.  I have a feeling there may be a few single gang ones somewhere, too, but so far I've not found them.

[Onoff]

QU R323 dual receiver?

 

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

Maybe put a 2G box alongside the required one and put the receivers in there with a 2G blank plate over the 2G box?

[Nickfromwales]

Cut the back out of the 2G to get 2x rcvr in there. 

[efunc]

31 minutes ago, Jeremy Harris said:

Just measured a double gang one, and it's about 69mm high, 45mm deep and 130mm wide internally.  I've checked the part number and it's an MK K2062 flange box, like this: https://www.mkelectric.com/en-gb/Products/WD/BoxesandAncillaryProducts/boxes/mouldedboxes/flangeboxes45mm/Pages/K2062WHI.aspx

 

I have a box with at least a dozen of them here, all individually boxed.  I have a feeling there may be a few single gang ones somewhere, too, but so far I've not found them.

Thanks for checking for me. Those are 2 gang boxes but I think I need dual 1 gang otherwise I won't be able to mount 2 x Quinetic switches on them, or 1 Qunietic switch and one Varilight dimmer, as in the case of the one inside the room. However your essential dimensions will be very similar in either case and are very helpful. Probably fine for one receiver, but not so much for 2.

[Nickfromwales]

4 hours ago, Jeremy Harris said:

One potential problem I can see is that the inside face of the building now looks like a very well shielded Faraday cage.  These switches use RF, so they ideally need to be housed in an RF transparent housing.  I suspect that the range will be reduced if they are mounted in a standard metal back box that's fitted to that very well RF shielded room.

Agreed, but I was more than impressed by these Quinetic stuff. Utterly faultless and a fantastic solution. I use them to put light switches inside bathrooms ( like on the reverse of a free-standing bath ) to switch between main and feature ‘relaxation’ lighting whilst taking a dip. 
Last place I used one was behind 300mm of waterproof reinforced concrete ( so a bit of a cage ) and it was on the inside of the garage wall. Transmitter ( switch ) was about 25-30m away at the carport and it works flawlessly. I really didn’t expect it to work so well in such an adverse s situation, but work it did, and still does. 
Connect up the receivers and take a walk with the switch. You’ll be surprised how far away they’ll still work. 

[efunc]

1 minute ago, Nickfromwales said:

Cut the back out of the 2G to get 2x rcvr in there. 

Thanks, it's worth a try. On the outside wall I wanted to hide two receivers and two 3-gang Quinetic switches. So I'll see if I can acheive all that by modding one dual 1 gang back box as you suggest.

 

For inside the room I just need one receiver, one 3-gang Quinetic switch and one varilight dimmer switch. Again, I'll give it a go with another dual 1 gang back box.

[efunc]

33 minutes ago, Onoff said:

QU R323 dual receiver?

 

 

 

I've got one dual receiver for some garden lights, but that's not dimming, so I've got 3 or 4 dimming ones for most of the lighting.

[Nickfromwales]

4 minutes ago, efunc said:

Thanks for checking for me. Those are 2 gang boxes but I think I need dual 1 gang otherwise I won't be able to mount 2 x Quinetic switches on them, or 1 Qunietic switch and one Varilight dimmer, as in the case of the one inside the room. However your essential dimensions will be very similar in either case and are very helpful. Probably fine for one receiver, but not so much for 2.

Quinetic do dimmers too. 
If you use all IP67 switches ( for no official reason ) you get the single push ( reactive ) type switch and they’ll all match. Also, these all look the same when used in 2G / 2-way arrangements. Eg you don’t end up with one switch ‘on’ one switch ‘off’ alongside each other. Acceptable for normal human beings of course, but OCD freaks like that kind of thing  

[efunc]

17 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Quinetic do dimmers too. 
If you use all IP67 switches ( for no official reason ) you get the single push ( reactive ) type switch and they’ll all match. Also, these all look the same when used in 2G / 2-way arrangements. Eg you don’t end up with one switch ‘on’ one switch ‘off’ alongside each other. Acceptable for normal human beings of course, but OCD freaks like that kind of thing  

Yes, I've bought 4 of the 3-gang dimmers, however for the downlights in the actual garden room it's been wired to fit a varilight dimmer switch. I figured I use that as planned rather than get yet another wireless dimming receiver and try to hide it somewhere. The alternative was to get a 2-gang MK Faceplate, with one side with a wired dimmer and the other side with a quinetic dimmer. Basically I'll have have to see which solution I can actually get away with.

[Sealo0]

1 hour ago, efunc said:

Yes, I've bought 4 of the 3-gang dimmers, however for the downlights in the actual garden room it's been wired to fit a varilight dimmer switch. I figured I use that as planned rather than get yet another wireless dimming receiver and try to hide it somewhere. The alternative was to get a 2-gang MK Faceplate, with one side with a wired dimmer and the other side with a quinetic dimmer. Basically I'll have have to see which solution I can actually get away with.

Hi

 

I find the Danler Led dimmer switch more reliable and does not go off into a light show like the Varilight

CPC Rotary & Push LED Dimmer Module, 250W -DPDLED

 

sorry site won’t let me copy link, they do come with face plates as well.

 

hope that helps 

 

mike