RF Remote Control in a Light Switch

[TooFatGeorge]

TooFatGeorge submitted a new Project Log:

RF Remote Control in a Light Switch

What: I am working on creating a remote control that fits inside of a light switch. It will have a few buttons on it. When a user presses a button, it uses RF to inform a remote device (in my case a Raspberry pi) of the button press.

Why: We have some cool RGB LEDs in parts of our house. These are not smart lights, but they have an IR remote. Because the lights are recessed into the ceiling, the remote is really hard to use. I made them into "smart lights" with a raspberry pi. The current setup is:
View attachment 42899

However, this means that the light switch also turns off the Raspberry Pi. It take a long time to boot back up, so this has been a pain. I want to replace the light switch with something that can talk to the Pi. I'm planning on doing this:
View attachment 42900

How: I intend to 3D print a light switch that houses a custom circuit. The circuit will:

• Have buttons the user can press
• Send those button presses to the Pi via an RF link
• Powered by the electricity in the light switch (mains power)

Read more about this project log here...

 

[j4cobgarby]

Looks great!

As a suggestion, instead of using a Raspberry Pi, why not use a microcontroller such as an Arduino or an ESP32? Both will boot up much, much faster than a raspberry Pi.

 

[TooFatGeorge]

Thanks for the suggestion! I ruled out Arduino because the Raspberry Pi ZeroW is significantly cheaper than any Arduino. I had not heard of the ESP32, or I might have gone that direction. As it is, I already bought the pis, so I'm sticking with them.