Energenie MIHO008 Light Switch one-Way, White
Energenie MIHO008 Light Switch one-Way, White [Energy Class A+]
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| Weight: | 220 g |
| Dimensions: | 8.5 x 2.8 x 8.5 cm; 220 Grams |
| Model: | MIHO008 |
| Part: | MIHO008 |
| Colour: | White |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | Energenie |
| Dimensions: | 8.5 x 2.8 x 8.5 cm; 220 Grams |
| Quantity: | 1 |
These are great and they look clean in white but I am on my third unit on the same switch but others are holding up ok so I think it’s a grounding issue on that circuit. They need a deep recess but the white ones less so as they sit forwards rather than flush. Works great with Alexa too but if you are wiring two switches to one light then you will need a master and slave and some know how. You cannot use two masters.
Why do they not come up in a “vanilla search” on Amazon? All I wanted was to ask Alexa to turn on/off the main lights in rooms.
I’ve tried loads of options to simply get my Alexas to control my normal “old fashioned” light circuit, where the switches have 2 wires and an earth, but no neutral. Apart from relatively new builds/rewires, I believe that to be the majority of houses in the UK (rich or poor).
After many many tries, with switches of questionable quality and apps that just don’t work, figuring out where to put a capacitor, on all switches that say “no neutral required”, even the various Zigbee options with a hub.
Finally, one that works, yes you need the hub, but at least you just change light switches and – Ta-da, it works.
Why it took so many searches, forum browsing etc. I don’t know.
MiHome products are great because of their simplicity to install and setup plus they connect and respond so quickly and are cheap to purchase.
This light switch is just as simple to install and set up.
So if you don’t already know, you need to purchase the MiHome gateway separately if you don’t already own one. Don’t panic it’s not an expensive piece of kit and is small in size, it plugs straight into an electric outlet then you plug the cable in the back straight into a spare port in the back of your wireless router and download the MiHome app and you will be setup in minutes.
Now you have the gateway set up, you can add any MiHome smart devices (like this switch) to your home set up.
The switch is neatly packed with instructions including a wiring diagram and operational instructions. I can easily install this switch myself but just to be safe I called my friend who’s an qualified electrician and he installed it for me, or rather them as I ordered 2 of them.
Installation was fast and simple. Then it was time to turn the power back on and connect the switches. Connection was really simple, I opened up the MiHome app on my iPad and selected add a device, it then talks you through how to setup your new switch, basically hold down the light switch button for 5 seconds until it flashes red slowly then wait approx 10 seconds while it connects to the Mi Home gateway. Then it flashes fast and goes out. You have successfully connected to your home setup. Then you just go into your Mi Home app on the iPad and rename the switch e.g. bedroom light.
I then went into my amazon Alexa app on my iPad and told the app to discover new devices which it found in 45 seconds. Then I spoke to my amazon echo dot and asked it to turn the bedroom light on, Alexa said ok and the light switched on and the light switch led turned red. Success!
It really was that easy and as a bonus you can press the switch in and operate it manually as well just in case your WiFi goes down or does not connect and you can turn the light on or off physically.
Also a plus point was that the switch only required me to have 2 wires and an earth inside my original switch on the wall.
Please note: There are cheaper and better looking switches on amazon that don’t require an gateway to use but please beware these usually require the presence of an neutral wire inside your light switch before you start, if you don’t already have one then you will need to call an electrician which could be more expensive than buying one of these switches and a gateway.
Pros
Cheap to buy
Simple to install
Easy setup
Connects to Alexa
Responds fast
Only 2 wires and earth required for installation
Cons
Design could be better but is ok for my needs.
One of mine was broken ( I’ll explain below)
Cannot be installed in a pattress with 4 lugs only 2 ( unless you can bend 2 back)
Not a lot of space inside a pattress for installation including wires.
Overall very impressed with this product as always with Mi Home devices. I own several of their products now and they don’t fail me, they work every time.
I ordered 2 of these switches, 1 of them had an slight rattle to the inside when we opened it. No damage was visible but there appeared to be something loose inside near the L1 terminal and the L1 screw moved around slightly. Anyway we thought it was just a loose piece of debris inside and proceeded with installation anyway. Successfully installed and connected to the Mi Home gateway, we thought all was okay and named the device and called it up using Alexa voice command. The light worked successfully but on the second attempt, the light switched on very briefly and the red led lit and went out. So I tried to physically switch it on but nothing. We checked the trip switch and to our surprise it had not tripped either.
So my friend checked the switch and no current was travelling through the switch, we guess the rattle indicated something was not right inside the switch when it arrived. We replaced the switch with the old one while I returned the faulty one.
This is the good thing about amazon, no hassle returns. I went straight to my iPad, returned the item as faulty and ordered an replacement and the next day the replacement arrived just like that. My friend is coming back to install the new switch for me soon.
Highly recommended product, I will be purchasing more!
This smart light switch enables me to switch the light on and off with amazon echo voice activation. Brilliant. One issue Overall depth of switch is too big to fit a standard UK light switch buttress
This switch was easy to install and has worked almost flawlessly since day one. We have just one at the moment but will soon be considering upgrading more within the house as it seems to be the system that is going to work best for us.
Luckily our existing sockets were deep enough so it was quite an easy process to remove the existing switch (which was a dimmer), and connected up the 2 lives and my earth was already connected to the box within the wall so when screwing back in place connected the earth to the switch. Best part about these switches are no requirement for a neutral.
Once power turned back on again, just have to push the button and it’ll turn the light on, to connect to the MiHome hub, just needed to hold the button down and connect through the app which is did almost instantly.
The only downside seems to be the MiHome hub sometimes fails to run when using another service such as Alexa or Google Home, this only seems to happen once every few days. Worth noting that this hasn’t happened yet with the light switch and only the smart switches by MiHome but we use the smart switches far more than the light switch so this could be why.
This is a really nice direct replacement for a standard light switch with no need for running an extra neutral as with other smart replacement light switches such as Sonoff. Unfortunately I do have a couple of small quibbles. They are advertised as appropriate for a 25mm box but I have been unable to
Make one fit into one without having to chase out a little more space at the back for the wiring. Conveniently there are several control methods for these via the Energenie Smart Hub. I use Amazon Alexa, my stepfather prefers to push the button on the switch. All in all if they could be made a little thinner or with a recess for the wiring this would be a nearly unbeatable product.
I got this switch for my man cave, had to buy the bridge too. Works well with Alexa. Not 5 stars as therwe’s the odd occasion where you tell Alexa to turn on and the light switch takes three attempts before turning on.
These are the only Products I’ve come across that was specifically designed for UK circuitry, NO NEUTRAL REQUIRED! the only thing is you need a deep back box. It looks so similar to your existing switch that you won’t even notice that it’s different if you’re not paying attention. it connects to google home for voice controls and I think Alexa is also available.
I have mine set to come on with motion and to turn off if there is no motion. The only thing I would say is that the MiHome app is a little limit so for extra functionality I would suggest something like to Gideon smart home app.
This isn’t one of those glass face fancy touch sensitive switches that has an indicator light always shining. this literally feels like you’re getting your house/flat smart without change too much. the thing is it works and it works well and you really should give it a chance. their line is designed specifically for the UK and the setup of this light switch took me less than 10 minutes and it’s been working perfectly ever since
akes no time to fit and even less time to connect to Alexa – it is quite plasticky though – there are nicer chrome ones which are a bit more expensive but this one will do the job just the same
Great value, I have bought several of these plus I have the wall socket and the plug in socket with the hub and I use them with Amazon Alexa. Apart from the hub occasionally dropping of the Wi-Fi, these work great.
The main thing is that this is a direct replacement for a standard UK (1 gang) wall switch and doesn’t need a NEUTRAL WIRE in order to function, just – L” and “L1” making it simple to install if you have basic electrical skills. Obviously an electrician should check/ install, if you are at all unsure. Pairing is also a simple process, once it is powered up,
Took me less than 10 mins to install including pairing with Alexa. Compared to other switches of this type, this one is a dream to set up.
Very Impressed so far !
Works as described. As others have said, you will need a deep backbox to accommodate this switch – I’d say 35mm at least. Other than that small gripe, it was simple to hook up and link to the MiHome Gateway. I’ve got it linked to the Energenie motion sensor and switches the light on when it senses motion. Just need to figure out a way to switch it off if no movement detected after a certain time.
Excellent piece of kit works very well with Mi Home Gateway. Mine is being used to control outside lights either with the timer or by directly switching them on via the app or the switch. Im going to work out how i can also make them come on with the Geolocation/IFTTT facility when I get a minute.
The switch does not provide dimming capabilities it is purely on or off.
Please be aware that the back of the switch is quite bulky so you will need at least a 35mm deep pattress or back box ( if you are replacing an existing switch please be aware a lot of light switches are fitted in only 25mm). There are adaptors available to get around this. (this is the only reason it doesn’t get five stars. No neutral wire is required.I think it can be used in a two way situation but only with another MiHome switch (I have not tried this).
Only had the switch a couple of weeks so far but seems reliable.
The MiHome system is also IFTTT compatible so can be used with other devices and switched automatically on at Sunset or off at Sunrise for example or via a motion sensor. I am using both these facilities with different devices.