Smart Light Switch Question

Deanicus

This evening I installed a 1 gang 1 way smart light switch

It's working now but when I initially wired it, it didn't. I thought perhaps I got the live and switched live mixed up but I'm fairly certain they were correct

I would think if they were mixed up, the switch would not power on at all? Is it possible at all to have these 2 wires in the wrong terminal and have it work and if so, is there any concerns about that?

At this stage I can't tell which is which anymore. If I was to open it back up again, how can I tell? There's 2 lots of wires coming in. One has the standard 3 wires and the other has just live and neutral.

kirk.

Non-contact tester is the quickest for identifying feeds

https://www.fluke.com/en-us/learn/blog/electrical/non-contact-voltage-detector-basics

Deanicus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120135741#Comment_120135741

Thanks, have a cheap thing but wasn't sure how to use it (not the same as the one linked) but have found a video showing how to use it. Might give it a go

Any idea if it is wired the wrong way, whether it would work or not? Just thinking if it's working and couldn't work the other way then I know I'm safe

kirk.

Not sure never fitted a smart switch

10-10-20

These little devices all have very simple power supplies which are mainly capacitive droppers, and they don't really care what way around they are connected. They all typically have a thing called a bridge-rectifier which converts the AC into DC and it's not critical what's L and what's N. There are exceptions to that.

But at the end of the day, they should be wired up as per the markings. Funky things can happen otherwise.

Bruthal.

If it requires a L & N and they are the wrong way round, I would imagine the N will be the one getting connected to the switch wire when the switch goes on, so no light.

If the N is correctly connected and feed + switch wire are wrong way around, the switch circuitry probably won't be powered once in the off position.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120137328#Comment_120137328

Sounds about right

Deanicus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120137328#Comment_120137328

Thanks. N is in the right place and the switch is working as it should. There's no mechanical switch (touch glass) so I was presuming if it was powered at all times and switched on/off as intended, then it is wired correctly. Just thought I'd check just in case.

Thinking now, I had changed this switch years ago for a dimmer but the dimmer broke not long after that so I put the old one back. Starting to wonder if perhaps I wired it the opposite way the last time and put the switch in upside down. That would explain why what I thought was the permanent live, actually wasn't as I was just going off the markings in the switch as to which was which