Smart lighting in Batumi

Smart lighting in Batumi without rewiring or replacing switches

To switch your lights on from your phone, on a schedule or by voice, there is no need to open up the walls. A small relay module hides in the back box behind your usual switch, nothing changes on the outside, and the switches keep working as before. Installing one relay or smart switch costs from 60 ₾. For a studio with 4 – 5 lighting circuits, a hub and scenes, the total usually comes to 700 – 900 ₾.

With or without a neutral

Before choosing the hardware, the technician opens the panel and a couple of back boxes. The main question is whether a neutral wire runs to the switch. In newer flats it usually does, but with older wiring there is often only a live wire going to the switch. The model depends on this:

• Aqara T1 with neutral — from 78 ₾;
• Aqara T1 without neutral — from 88 ₾;
• a budget Tuya or Sonoff Zigbee relay for one circuit — from 30 ₾;
• an Aqara H2 wall switch, one or two gang — from 144 ₾.

A no-neutral relay has a technical quirk: it draws its power through the light fitting's circuit. With low-wattage LED bulbs this sometimes causes a faint glow when the light is off, so we check the load in advance. At the same time we check the depth of the back box to make sure the module fits behind the switch mechanism.

And if you need a switch where there is no wiring at all, say by the head of the bed, we fit a wireless button. It sticks to the wall without drilling, runs on a battery and controls any circuit through the hub. Touch panels in place of old switches are also possible, but that is a matter of taste rather than a necessity.

Hub and connectivity

The Zigbee relays talk to the Aqara M100 hub, from 190 ₾ including connection. It brings lights, sensors and scenes together in one app and works inside the flat even without the internet. Remote control does, of course, need a connection. By voice, the lights respond to Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa.

The scenes that make it all worthwhile

Setting up scenes costs from 150 ₾. "Evening" dims the overhead lights and turns on the floor lamp. "Cinema" leaves only the accent lighting. "Leaving" switches off every circuit with one button by the door. At night a motion sensor turns on a dim light in the hallway so a bright chandelier does not wake the household. A schedule turns the lights on in an empty flat in the evenings, so from outside it looks lived in.

From inspection to the first scene

1. We inspect the panel and back boxes and count the circuits.
2. We choose relays or switches to suit your wiring, and agree the cost in advance.
3. We install the modules with the power off and test every circuit.
4. We connect everything to the hub and create scenes and schedules.
5. We show you how to control it from your phone and by voice.

The cost of the hardware is fixed on the date of the order, and we will also install equipment you already own.