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Quinetic Switches


PeterW

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Anyone come across these before ..??

 

Seem to be a cost effective controller for wiring multiple circuits and not having to chase walls or replace batteries. 

 

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/QUR304.html

I can see how useful they could be in reducing the amount of wiring needed especially in complex areas such as vaulted ceilings or multi way switching. 

 

So what am I missing ..??

 

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Yes, I looked at them a couple of weeks ago, when they were discussed on another forum.  My experience with the HomeEasy/Byron remote switches is that the practical range for us is around 2m to 3m maximum, not sure why, as I have the receivers mounted in the ceiling void, in direct line of sight with the transmitters, with just a layer of skimmed plasterboard (not foil-backed) between them.

 

The Quinetic system uses the same frequency band, 433 MHz, but may be more immune to interference than the HomeEasy/Byron units, as they use frequency shift keying (FSK) rather than the amplitude shift keying (ASK) that the HomeEasy/Byron units use.

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I've been tempted to buy some to replace the HomeEasy stuff, which was added to allow extra light switching in the kitchen, after the wiring had been done (and yes, there was some "influence" from someone deciding, long after the installation was completed, to make some changes...............).

 

This system looks just as easy to use as the HomeEasy system, which also uses 32 bit encoding.  The receivers can be programmed to receive codes from several switches, so we have four switches and three receivers, to allow different lighting combinations and a single on-off switch that controls all three receivers.

Edited by JSHarris
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I can see a use in BATHROOMS! But saying that is there any IP rating on them? Thinking more corrosion of the switch internals than from a safety point of view which isn't really an issue tbh.

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30 minutes ago, Onoff said:

I can see a use in BATHROOMS! But saying that is there any IP rating on them? Thinking more corrosion of the switch internals than from a safety point of view which isn't really an issue tbh.

 

They are IP56, but as they are SELV, in effect (although they have no power supply, as such), then they are safe for use in bathrooms.  The only thing to worry about would be whether they were rendered inoperable by water damage.  I've taken one of the battery-powered HomeEasy switches apart and it was reasonably well protected from water ingress, and fairly well-sealed from condensation damage, so I'd say they are OK for Zone 2, possibly OK for Zone 1.

Edited by JSHarris
typo
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Those seem very inexpensive. Am I being unduly suspicious to think they are too cheap.

 

I have been thinking of using Fibaro z-wave switches partly for the same reasons. Switches for outside lights in particular would need routed to multiple rooms so it may be easier to have wireless switches and the cabling saving may pay for the nifty smart home capability. I see this product goes a step further in that the switch is self powered by the kinetic movement. Hence the name presumably!

 

It does seem that often these devices often start to become unreliable after 5 or 6 metres despite quoted ranges. 433MHz is supposedly more prone to interference than 866MHz that z-wave operates on, Jeremy is the one with the real experience.

 

I should get my electrical plans tomorrow from my architect. I will have to have a good look to see if my switches are too far apart for the z-wave devices to create a mesh network. The fact that my interior walls are blockwork and the upper floors are concrete won't help. It looks like I am going to need a Wi Fi repeater in almost every room.

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You should all check out Casambi! It also now interfaces with EnOcean Kinetic wireless switches. It all works over Bluetooth 4.0 in a mesh configuration. 

 

Download the app and have a play and see how simple it is to use and configure. Its not expensive either.

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  • 11 months later...

Just as a heads up, I've been chasing up suppliers for the MK Echo switches and receivers, as I'd like to replace the Byron ones we have that are prone to 433MHz interference ( the MK Echo series run on 868MHz, so are almost certainly less prone to the interference that plagues the 433MHz band).

 

The big shock is the price.  A double gang MK Logic Plus Echo wall switch is around £90 (each) and the 10A receiver is around the same price.  We have MK Logic Plus stuff all through the house, so these switches would match well.  To change out our two double gang Byron switches and two in-ceiling receivers would cost the best part of £400, so I don't think it's something I'll be doing until the price comes down a lot.

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I have installed Fibaro 2 dimmers behind my light switches.

 

These cost around £50 each and turn a 2 way and off retractive switch into a dimmer switch, whereas a dimmer might cost £20-30 more than a normal switch anyway.

 

They are currently working as dumb switches and working very nicely.

 

In the next couple of weeks we will have the internet up and running and I can connect to the control centre and try working them wireless but so far looks like an inexpensive and straightforward way to add smart functionality to any switches.

 

They also automatically fade the lights out when you switch them off which is a nice touch.

Edited by AliG
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  • 2 months later...

I've just purchased some Quinetic gear after confirming something that had been bugging me for a while but I've now figured.

 

The Quinetic 2-gang wireless dimmer switch (QUD12W) bumpf says it needs to be paired with the appropriate dimming receiver (QUR301). It DOESN'T. The dimmer switch will operate the standard 6A receiver (QUR303) to give on / off, no dimming function. I went into TLC earlier and they didn't know but were happy to open boxes and we wired it up on the bench.

 

So it works that one gang of the dimmer will control / dim the downlights via the dimmer receiver. The other gang of the dimmer will do the ambient, non dimmable lighting, LED strip and Bluetooth receiver via a standard 6A receiver.

 

IMG-20180608-WA0022.thumb.jpg.5d92c1a31e251b32622379f7574ae6c1.jpg

 

Guessing they just assume you will want to use dimmable kit with a dimmer switch so highlight the need for a dimmer receiver and don't mention it will also work with the standard receiver.

 

 

Edited by Onoff
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2 hours ago, Onoff said:

I've just purchased some Quinetic gear after confirming something that had been bugging me for a while but I've now figured.

 

The Quinetic 2-gang wireless dimmer switch (QUD12W) bumpf says it needs to be paired with the appropriate dimming receiver (QUR301). It DOESN'T. The dimmer switch will operate the standard 6A receiver (QUR303) to give on / off, no dimming function. I went into TLC earlier and they didn't know but were happy to open boxes and we wired it up on the bench.

 

So it works that one gang of the dimmer will control / dim the downlights via the dimmer receiver. The other gang of the dimmer will do the ambient, non dimmable lighting, LED strip and Bluetooth receiver via a standard 6A receiver.

 

IMG-20180608-WA0022.thumb.jpg.5d92c1a31e251b32622379f7574ae6c1.jpg

 

Guessing they just assume you will want to use dimmable kit with a dimmer switch so highlight the need for a dimmer receiver and don't mention it will also work with the standard receiver.

 

 

Chatting to the wholesaler today about a related quinetic issue... standard switches in a simple on-off situation lose orientation after power loss. I.e. normal down=on ... if power is lost when switched on, on recovery it powers up in the off state, so now becomes up=on. Not a great problem, and invisible in multi switch situations. Except if you have one switch controlling several lights on separate circuits. Lose power on one circuit while the lights are on, and then you have one circuit switching in the opposite sense! Easy to reset, but might not impress the customers.

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3 minutes ago, Dee J said:

but might not impress the customers.

That's the importance of sitting customers down before fitting things, and stating clearly the pros and cons, so they make the choice not you.

Has saved me a thousand arguments. 

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Tbh they are function over form. You can get them only in white or chrome that they call "silver".

 

The chrome style is supposed to wear off quite easy.

 

The switch style is pretty much like those giant accessible switches...the whole front is all switch(es)

 

They do 1,2 and 3 gang standard switch in white or chrome.

 

You can't get the dimmers in chrome and they don't do a 3-gang dimmer. 

 

But they work.

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27 minutes ago, Dee J said:

Chatting to the wholesaler today about a related quinetic issue... standard switches in a simple on-off situation lose orientation after power loss. I.e. normal down=on ... if power is lost when switched on, on recovery it powers up in the off state, so now becomes up=on. Not a great problem, and invisible in multi switch situations. Except if you have one switch controlling several lights on separate circuits. Lose power on one circuit while the lights are on, and then you have one circuit switching in the opposite sense! Easy to reset, but might not impress the customers.

 

These dimmer switches I have, you can only switch them down, let go and it springs back.

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Just now, Onoff said:

 

These dimmer switches I have, you can only switch them down, let go and it springs back.

 

So if you prod them quick do they switch on and off on a normal receiver ..?? Just thinking that using just dimmers would make sense as they can never fail “on”. 

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1 minute ago, PeterW said:

 

So if you prod them quick do they switch on and off on a normal receiver ..??  

 

Yep, give a dimmer a stab and it turns on a normal receiver, though there's nothing official I've found that says it works. Stab again and it turns off.

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2 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Or 4 Fords in various states of disrepair...

 

:ph34r:

You and I are peas in a pod. 

My customers jobs are 100% complete, with merits, and my bath panel has been missing 5 tiles on the end for 3 years. 

My wife has stopped nagging now, is that good or bad. :/

I guess you do what brings home the bacon........

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