UK Wall outlet with power monitoring and Loxone or KNX control

[HA Retrofit]

Hi all,

I'm looking to find 2 gang and single gang wall outlets that can be controlled either by KNX or Loxone.

The closest I've found to what I want are the Gen 2 LightwaveRF wall sockets,although as far as I can tell from the forums, the power monitoring doesn't work and the devices are unreliable (and they're not Loxone or KNX manageable/controllable)

Mandatory

2 way communication

Power monitoring

Nice to have

In-built Wifi repeater

Power sockets for USB devices

Anybody using or aware of anything that will meet my needs?

p.s. I already have the Loxone Air sockets but TBH they're ugly and clunky

Thanks.

Gary

[Tico]

There's a new product called 'Shelly' that converts existing dumb switches into Loxone compatible smart switches (via REST API). They're described as the size of two 'Oreo' cookies, so can fit behind any wall plate.

Shelly 1:  1 x 16 amp relay

Shelly 2:  2 x 10 amp relay + power metering

I haven't tried them out yet but here's a couple of videos and links -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J20hxfUTP9I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E99-17XyyUg

Shelly 1 - Amazon

Shelly 2 - Amazon

On Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 3:57:14 PM UTC+8, HA Retrofit wrote:

Hi all,

I'm looking to find 2 gang and single gang wall outlets that can be controlled either by KNX or Loxone.

The closest I've found to what I want are the Gen 2 LightwaveRF wall sockets,although as far as I can tell from the forums, the power monitoring doesn't work and the devices are unreliable (and they're not Loxone or KNX manageable/controllable)

Mandatory

2 way communication

Power monitoring

Nice to have

In-built Wifi repeater

Power sockets foir USB devices

[HA Retrofit]

Hi Tico.

Thanks for this.

Sadly, this won't work for me, at 20 mm its too deep.

All my back boxes are 35 mm and I currently use MK Logic plus wall outlets which are 28mm deep.

[David Wallis]

you 'could' replace the box with a double 45 :o

[Rob Lynes]

Have you not thought about removing the innards from the Loxone sockets and putting them in behind the double sockets?

Whilst voiding the warranty it does work, I have a single back box with a blanking plate over it next to each socket I have wired this way.

[HA Retrofit]

Hi David,

Thanks for the thought ... I did think about it.

My concern with doing so is that, as I understand it, building regs state you should not channel more than a 1/3 of the supporting material.

With a 100mm breeze block, that's 34mm add 6 mm of plaster, that gives me 40mm, which is still 8mm short.

Not sure of the risk of channeling the extra 9 or so mm to fit the 45mm box but most of the DIY forums seem to advise against it.

[David Wallis]

I'd seriously doubt you have 6mm plaster! 

The 2.5mm T&E will probably be clipped direct.. so you would need to cover that with plaster - 6mm wouldnt do that..   -However is it dot and dabbed plaster board ontop of the block? if so you have 5 - 25mm (maybe more) Board Adhesive + 12.5mm for the board, + ~3mm skim.

You can also get little spacers that fit behind the plates to lif them off the wall slightly.. (but not ideal - fairly sure they are available in the logic range, but maybe only in single gang..

I'd be tempted to pull one out and have a look at depth.

The other option is that you do it the other way and dont switch the socket at all, but alter the device that is being plugged in.. IE can the item be altered to fit the controls into that, rather than the socket?

[HA Retrofit]

Hi David,

The 2.5mm T&E cables are already channelled into the walls which are solid (breezeblock with plaster surface), not plasterboard.

The issue is how much depth is safe to take out of the breezeblock to accommodate the depth of the backbox.

The spacer idea I also thought about ... not aesthetically what we're looking for.

Controlling the devices is possible but for some areas such as the lounge we have a 10 way power strip which is full, most of which have a small brick-type transformer to provide power.

At the moment that's fed via a Loxone plug, but the outcome would be to feed it via a wall outlet and have the same monitoriing and control.

[HA Retrofit]

Hi Rob,

This sounds interesting.

After your message I opened one of the sockets and wasn't able to visualise how you might have fitted it.

Do you have some pictures you could share?

Thanks ...

[RSinn]

With regards to channelling out the breeze block you should be ok for the backbox, just not a full channel where the cable goes. I think the 1/3rd rule is more for plumbers with long runs of pipe so they don't remove structural integrity. Thinking about the back box it's about 80x80mm, now look at the massive hole going through the wall where any boiler flue, soil pipe, extractor fan may be. The brick corbelling above the socket should be fine. Hack it out!