Electrical wiring question for Wyze Switch

Power & Lighting
,
1

I’m a complete newbie with home improvement stuff but am glad that my love for tech led me to install a Wyze Video Doorbell Pro and Wyze Switch successfully over the past few days (also thanks to help of users on this forum!).

My home has an open living room / dining room layout and when we moved in, our general contractors replaced a regular light switch (that controlled a specific power outlet pair) with a blank plate since we didn’t have a plan for what would go where and they didn’t want us to end up in a situation where it’s not used for a lamp and it’s one of those switches that you always keep on (like if we ended up plugging the TV into that outlet, for example).

Since I have no idea how electrical wiring works, can anyone here tell me if the following is feasible—can I open that blank wall plate and install a Wyze Switch, but not have the switch connect to that original outlet (having that outlet be always on like all the other outlets on the floor), and only use it to control other Wyze products?

What I mean by this is not have the Wyze Switch in this scenario be hardwired/connected to any power outlet, but merely act as a smart switch for other items throughout the home. I ask this because I’m not sure how circuits work and if it’s possible to have power constantly running to that outlet while also powering the Wyze Switch separately without them being connected.

The location of this former switch is really convenient and I can imagine it being a great smart setup where I have four separate actions for the single, double, and triple press as well as the press and hold.

Thank you!

2

I think the answer is yes but will let those actually familiar with the Wyze switch respond. Meanwhile the below is a big red flag and I’d advise you to hire an electrician for this little job. It’s good to be able to do your own switch replacements and learn how to turn off your breakers (the latter really essential for any homeowner or renter) but a smart switch might not be the best way to start.

3

Thanks for the response! I should add that the reason I ask if this is viable so that I can ask my general contractors to get a Wyze Switch set up in that unused area. If it’s not possible from a technical point of view, I won’t bother asking them in the first place.

4

I’m making some guesses here, so you’d probably be best contacting a licensed electrician to do the actual installation, but I am assuming they pulled the previous switch, and tied the wires together directly. If so, and one of those wires is a neutral, then you can power the Wyze Switch. The Wyze Switch doesn’t have to directly power anything else.

All the modes of single, double, and triple press as well as the press and hold have ‘smart’ setups where you can command any Wyze device without being physically connected to the Switch. Add to that the ability to assign a rule to something like single press, and you could theoretically turn on every Wyze device in your house with a single button press. :slight_smile:

3 Likes