This genius control center is the smart home gadget I’ve been waiting for
This genius command centre is the smart habitation gadget I've been waiting for
DIY smart home
This story is part of an ongoing DIY smart home series. Be sure to check out the latest installments to follow the renovation process from kickoff to finish.
I knew the Brilliant Smart Domicile Organisation would become the heart of my entire DIY smart abode once I decided to use smart switches instead of smart low-cal bulbs a few months agone. Simply, admittedly, I've procrastinated the installation procedure, which required replacing our reliable 3-gang light switch with a high-tech touchscreen panel.
I read in our Vivid smart home controller review that unwiring your regular switch to support the smart console could be more complicated than the instruction manual leads on. It's not that I wasn't up for a footling problem solving — it's that I didn't want to destroy the existing wiring setup that powered all the major overhead lights in my home.
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Now, when the folks from Brilliant wanted to know whether their aptly named smart command console would work in my habitation, I called in an electrician to acquire what's a neutral wire and what to do if you don't have one. The electrician as well made sure we were never left in the nighttime, even though they had to rewire our infinite to accommodate new light fixtures and the wall nosotros tore down.
The electrician offered to help with our smart switches, as well, but I felt similar embracing the DIY nature of this series. Plus, most of the all-time smart light switches advertise easy, guided installations. Many companies specifically state you lot don't need advanced electric knowledge to power up their products.
That said, yous should always consult an electrician if you don't know how to make sense of the wires behind your walls. While I might joke about electrocuting myself, it's definitely non funny; coming into contact with a live wire tin can consequence in serious injury. With that in mind, here's what you could await to happen if you install the Brilliant Smart Dwelling System on your own, and whether I think it was worth it in the stop.
Installing the Brilliant Smart Domicile System: If at first you don't succeed....
Brilliant provides an installation manual in the box. Except, in my opinion, information technology over-simplified the steps and so much that yous practically go from turning off your circuit breaker to having a working smart dwelling house panel in ane step. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but here's my signal: There's a good take a chance you'll need boosted guidance to get your Brilliant Smart Dwelling Arrangement working.
I turned to YouTube for help, but about installation videos didn't demonstrate how to install the 3-switch Brilliant panel I'd be using. The Brilliant panel comes in 1-, ii-, 3- and 4-switch configurations, and while the setup process is by and large the same for each version, I would have benefited from seeing my specific version installed.
Notwithstanding, I went ahead and disassembled my existing switches, taking a picture show for reference in example I needed to backtrack. I identified my white neutral wire and copper footing wire, but things got disruptive after that. The iii-switch panel required 3 load wires and 3 line wires, and according to the included diagrams the unit can automatically detect which ane is which.
Except when I placed all the wires in what I thought were their proper ports, the panel didn't power upward. Disappointed and with daylight disappearing, I decided to reinstall the single pole switches and try Brilliant again another time. Yet the dumb switches didn't work when rewired them— and yes, I made sure I turned my excursion billow dorsum on.
Desperate for a fix earlier sunset, I ran to my local hardware store to purchase a continuity tester, an electrical tool that helps you determine whether an electric excursion tin can be completed. Equally it turns out, I mixed up my line and load wires, which were all black. I used colored electrical tape to place which pairs formed circuits, and when I attempted the Brilliant panel installation again, it powered up and started playing Hallelujah. Well. not actually, but I swore I heard the song of success play in my caput.
Was the hassle worth it?
Information technology took virtually two hours, but I now have a fully-functional Brilliant Smart Home System mounted to the wall nearly my front end door. The panel, which consists of a color touchscreen, 3 physical dimmers and a camera, finer replaced my standard calorie-free switches.
On the touchscreen, I can view the time and climate, equally well as command all my uniform smart home products like TP-Link smart plugs and Schlage smart locks. It fifty-fifty works with my cheap smart thermostat from Honeywell Abode. The dimmers command my three sets of lite fixtures, while the camera lets me driblet-in on my entryway and intercom with whoever's domicile from my smartphone. I dear it for checking in on my dog.
When I'one thousand home, I can cover the camera with the concrete shutter if I want to. My family unit members tin also navigate our device dashboard via the Brilliant app, just they needed a two gene-authentication lawmaking sent to my email to gain admission to our account. These added layers of privacy and security were of import when mapping out the right smart home products for our infinite.
There'southward plenty more than the Brilliant Smart Home System is capable of, only it'southward already proved its value. If yous're wondering how to salvage thousands of dollars when designing your own smart home, opting for this panel could replace a number of other products you'd otherwise buy individually. The 3-gang panel I used costs $399, although you could get a single switch panel for $299.
So yes, the installation headaches were admittedly worth it. Equally I proceed to embrace my habitation's newfound intelligence, I call up I'll find more uses for the Brilliant Smart Dwelling System, likewise.
Be certain to check out my guides to the best smart home devices (and best cheap smart home devices ) for more gadget recommendations. Email me at kate.kozuch@futurenet.com or get out a comment beneath with anything yous'd like to encounter me cover in the continued infinite — I might but address it in a future installment.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/installing-this-smart-home-control-system-sucked-but-its-totally-worth-it
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