I have an ordinary switched floodlight in front of my house. I’d like to replace it with a camera/floodlight , but I really want the switch to still work. If I could turn the lights on and off using the switch, and also have the camera working all the time (regardless of whether the switch is on) that would be ideal.
I don’t have any WYZE flood lights but I thought you could just leave the switch on and turn the lights on and off from the Camera App.?
I think WYZE has two Flood Light cams, the Flood light v2 and the Flood Light Pro.
Here’s what I think @habib means. Also, I am no licensed electrician but I am an Electrical Engineer so that should count for something I hope
Your standard switch on the wall has 3 wires connected to it (typically): one ground, an Always active wire (the HOT) and then sends a different wire to the devices that need to be controlled by the switch (called the LOAD, sometimes NEUTRAL). In order for the Floodlight to work always and have the switch also work, you would have to run 2 new wires from where the floodlight is located to the switch that controls it, and hook one wire to the HOT side of the switch and the other to the neutral while leaving the rest of the devices intact. This way the Floodlight will always be ON and the other lights/plugs/whatever would still be controlled by your switch.
Your best bet if you don’t want to do this by yourself (and likely the better way to do it) is to contact a local electrician to do this for you.
In the switch it’s just a switch leg. At the light, it’s the other end of the switch leg and and a neutral. However, there is another live line that I can tie into very closeby.
So, it’s not exactly the wiring i’m thinking about - it’s how the thing works and is setup. Is it just one powered line in, and no ability for the flood light to be controlled by a switch? If it’s just a single power input then if I turn off the switch, the camera will be dead, too.
Good call @Antonius, much easier tapping the floodlight icon in the app to turn on/off. Depending on how long @sonomaloma wants the lights to be on, would have to adjust the length of time in the app also.
Sounds like you are referring to two separate devices.
If they are on separate circuits you can meet this requirement.
Sounds like learning to use both units as a combo cam/floodlight with the switch always on and use a schedule to have flood light come on at night. You can cap-off the switch if you fear someone will mess with it.
I just think you need to learn a new procedure.
With two circuits, you may forget to turn on the light, unless you are happy filming in the dark.
@ssummerlin - based on his topic subject and conversation, we all concluded single floodlight cam as he wants to replace an existing floodlight with a floodlight cam, but your clarification is worth noting. Clarity is always good.
@sonomaloma - now you’ve added a whole different level to your post. You never mentioned a porch light, no less the floodlight and porch light operated from the same switch.
Sounds like you need [1] a Wyze v4 connected to a Wyze socket and control the light through a schedule and/or app. Cap-off the switch and retrain the family.
[2] Run power to a separate outlet for the v4.
[3] Get solar Wyse cam.
[4] Find a smart paddle switch that turns on the light, through wifi, if you have to have a switch.
Let see if I get this right. You have an existing old fashioned floodlight that is controlled by a switch. You want to replace it with a Wyze Floodlight Camera and have the camera on all the time but in the mean time have the floodlight on the camera controlled by the existing switch. That will never happen my friend.
Second scenario. You have an existing old fashioned floodlight that is controlled by a switch and you want to replace it with a Wyze Floodlight Camera that is always on and controlled by Wyze App but also have the manual switch control the existing old fashioned floodlight. Doable, but you need to do some electrical work. First, you need to install a junction box for the Wyze floodlight beside the existing old fashioned floodlight. Then, you have to tap into the hot, neutral and ground in front of the manual switch for the old floodlight and bring it into the new junction box. That way when you flip the old switch it doesn’t interrupt the current to the Wyze floodlight.
What you are asking is very complicated and not worth the effort.
If I were you, I would replace the old fashioned floodlight with Wyze Floodlight and lock the switch so it’s ON all the time. Then, I’ll create a rule on the Wyze Floodlight so it turns on for a specific time when it detects a person from dusk till dawn.
This way, your kids and your wife don’t have to lift a finger. It’s all automated.
This isn’t practical. The problem is when outside for an extended time, movement stops and the flood light turns off when you least expect it. Fortunately for me, there’s another door nearby. I have an old-fashioned, switch-controlled floodlight there.