The Internet of things is a fabulous invention, especially for people who don’t like to get up and push buttons. But connected devices are often ludicrously expensive ! This tutorial will teach you how to make any (or close) plug-in electric device a WiFi one.
Step 1
We will use a smart switch, here I used one from Aubess, it is a small but robust device, check power rating just in case, most home appliances will be okay with a 16A intensity limit, but for some larger equipment like kitchen hobs this might not be enough ! In this case you should look for WiFi circuit breakers which are not covered in this tutorial (but similar in their principle).
You will also need a small flat screwdriver, and depending on the case, pliers or scissors that’s all.
Step 2
TURN THE POWER OFF ! ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS !
Either turn the circuit breaker off, or unplug the cord, but never to this with power supplied to the device, if you’re not sure, don’t do it and call an electrician.
Step 3
You need to find or create a bridge in the power supply. Either find a box with a connection, or make one.
Case 1 : find electric box
Mostly for heaters, with power off on the electric panel, find a junction box and open it.
You need to remove the connection between cables, it can be plastic or screwed junction, you need to get the metal part of the cable.
Case 2 : cut electric cord
For small appliances, just cut the electric cord with good scissors or pliers, then remove plastic so that you have about ¼ inch of metal coming out on each wire.
Step 4
Connect wires to the smart switch.
Line (L) means + and neutral (N) means -. In means the wire coming from power source, Out means the wire going to appliance.
Depending on your country the color code can change, but most times Line is red or brown, neutral is blue or white, and ground is green with yellow. Do not connect the ground wire into the smart switch, just connect both wires together using a connector.
For a complete chart of wiring colors see here.
Step 5
Turn the power back on on the circuit board, or plug in the cord. A light should appear on the smart switch, if not press any present button on the switch.
Depending on the model of the switch, entering pairing mode is done when the light blinks, by holding down the button for a few seconds.
Connect your switch using any smart home app on smartphone. Most switches are compatible with Tuya, Alexa, Yandex Alice and Google Home. Personally I use Tuya because it is fast to set up but the choice is yours.
Step 6
Et voilà ! You can now turn on your desk lamp, dry your TMNT towel, turn off the ceiling fan with your phone ! Hours of fun !
