What device am I looking for?

Smart Home Forum
1

Let me start by saying I’m no electrician, though I do have a family member who is one, but he doesn’t know much about smart home setups. I’m in Europe.

I recently installed a COB CCT LED strip under my kitchen cabinets. My electrician wired it to a regular wall switch to turn it on and off. Between the LED strip and the switch, there’s a Zigbee controller and a 24V power supply.

The problem is, every time I turn off the switch, the Zigbee controller loses power and disconnects from the network, so I can’t control the lights. When I turn it back on, the controller takes about 10 seconds to reconnect to the network.

I want the Zigbee controller to always have power so I can control the LED strip via app or Home Assistant (on/off, brightness, and color temperature), but I also want to be able to turn the lights on/off using the wall switch. Ideally, they would work independently.

My electrician said I need a power supply with a “live wire” or “constant power,” but I’m not sure exactly what to look for. I’m also unsure if the live wire should go directly to the Zigbee controller.

The closest thing I’ve found is a combined controller and power supply, but it’s for RGBW LED strips, not CCT.

I have a lot of Shelly devices controlling my lights, and I’ve seen they offer a 24V RGBW relay switch for LED strips, but I haven’t confirmed if it works with CCT strips.

Another option is keeping the strip powered all the time and using a smart switch, but I want to stick with regular switches for consistency around the house.

Can someone tell me if my setup is possible with a regular switch? What kind of device do I need, or why wouldn’t it work?

Thanks in advance!

2

You could replace the wall switch with a Zigbee button or switch that you program to turn the strip on and off without cutting power. It’s a better option for smart lights.

3

Mia said:
You could replace the wall switch with a Zigbee button or switch that you program to turn the strip on and off without cutting power. It’s a better option for smart lights.

Exactly! Smart lights aren’t designed to lose power, and it can even shorten their lifespan. Get a Zigbee switch and stop using the regular one. You can place the new switch next to the old one for convenience.

4

If you don’t want to cut power with the old switch, then your best bet is using a smart switch that doesn’t actually cut power but sends commands to the light strip. You can always use the old switch in emergencies, and if the power goes out, you’ll just need to wait for the Zigbee controller to reconnect.

5

@SafeHouseSociety
I understand old switches cut power, and that’s why I’m looking for a power supply with constant power. I have Shelly devices that work fine with old switches because they never lose power. I’d like something similar for this setup.

6

I did something similar with my ceiling fan. I removed the switch, connected the wires to provide constant power, and covered it with a wall plate. Then I used a Zigbee switch to control the light. The fan works with the pull chain, and the Zigbee switch handles the light.

7

@Malik
That’s a good solution, but I’d really prefer to keep using the old switch.

8

Stella said:
@Malik
That’s a good solution, but I’d really prefer to keep using the old switch.

You could try something like the Shelly i4. It lets you keep using the old switch while controlling the lights through Home Assistant automations.

9

@Malik
But that won’t let me change brightness or color, which is a dealbreaker for me.

10

Stella said:
@Malik
But that won’t let me change brightness or color, which is a dealbreaker for me.

You might not be able to keep the old switch if you need control over brightness and color directly from it. The solution I mentioned would let you keep the Zigbee controller always powered and use the old switch to turn it on and off, but for full control, you’d need to use a smart switch or app.

11

In the switch box, bypass the switch and send constant power to the Zigbee controller. Then install a smart switch that sends on/off commands without cutting the power. The old switch won’t cut the power anymore, but it’ll still control the lights through automations.

12

@janiceyelth
I’d prefer not to bypass the switch. Does Shelly offer a relay switch that works with CCT LED strips?

13

Stella said:
@janiceyelth
I’d prefer not to bypass the switch. Does Shelly offer a relay switch that works with CCT LED strips?

Shelly has relay switches, but they wouldn’t physically switch the power. They would just send on/off commands via automations. You’d still need constant power to the Zigbee controller. If you remove the Zigbee controller, though, you could directly control the lights with the switch.

14

@janiceyelth
If I remove the Zigbee controller, could I achieve what I want?

15

Stella said:
@janiceyelth
If I remove the Zigbee controller, could I achieve what I want?

Yes, you could control the lights directly if you remove the Zigbee controller. You’d just need to figure out where to connect the 24V power to the LED strip. The controller might be adjusting the power output, so double-check the voltage with a multimeter before making any changes.

16

Easy fix: bypass the wall switch and give constant power to the Zigbee controller. Then replace the old switch with a smart switch and program it in Home Assistant to turn the strip on or off.