Wireless light switch

Laziness inspires innovation, and I am definitely too lazy to get out of my warm cozy bed at night just to turn off the lights. So I created a wireless light switch!

VErsion one

The first version of my wireless light switch wasn’t really wireless at all. It consisted of two servos, one for flipping the lights on and one for flipping them off. This project used a 433mHz radio receiver that never actually worked, instead I used really long wires to put a button right next to my bed.

This design however was really slow because the servos had to physical move up and down in order for the light to go on and off. It was also really big, and wasn’t inconspicuous enough for me.

Final Version

The final version of my wireless light switch was in fact wireless, using the same 433mHz receiver I wasn’t able to get to work in my original design. This module (seen on the right) fits completely inside of the light switch box, and is powered through the live power within the light switch box instead of running a USB cable to the nearest outlet.

In order for all of the electronics to fit inside the light switch box, I needed to switch out some parts. I used an Arduino Pro Mini instead of an Arduino Uno, and a 10A relay instead of servos. I also connected the light switch to the Arduino as a digital input, so that the lights could still be turned on and off with the light switch.

This internal module meant that the light switch looked and functioned exactly like a normal light switch, while also being capable of being controlled via a remote.

The light switch only turns the lights on in the “on position”, and off in the “off position”. This is so that no matter what state the remote leaves the lights in, the light switch will always work as intended. As shown in the picture, the lights a… — The light switch only turns the lights on in the “on position”, and off in the “off position”. This is so that no matter what state the remote leaves the lights in, the light switch will always work as intended. As shown in the picture, the lights are on while the light switch is in the “off position”. This means that the light switch needs to be flipped twice in order for the lights to go off.