A common stumbling block for electricians and contractors during remodeling projects is running new wires through existing walls. Often times, remodeling plans include an extension that forces the previous exterior wall to become an interior wall. This makes it difficult to run wires because exterior walls are often made of brick, plaster, lath or concrete. There are a number of traditional solutions to this dilemma but Ad Hoc Electronics and EnOcean have a new solution that is changing the remodeling industry.

Traditonal Solutions

Electricians use a number of different techniques to run wires during remodels, all of which have their downfalls and benefits. One of these techniques involves using fish tape to pull wires through the wall. This technique works well but it is very time consuming and difficult to perform. Another option is to mount plastic or metal raceways along the wall to run the wires through. Although this technique requires less time and is cost effective, it is not aesthetically pleasing to have a pipe that runs from the light to the switch. Contractors can also cut into the wall and create a channel for the wires to go through. This technique takes a lot of time and materials because the wall must be repaired afterwards to hide the wires.
Another step in the process of installing new light switches when remodeling is adding a new switch box. Contractors must cut a hole in the wall for the switch box and the hole has to be near a stud for the switch box to be secured to. This limits where the light switch can be placed making it inconvenient if a stud is not located in the desired spot for the new switch.

A New Solution to an Old Problem

EnOcean and Ad Hoc Electronics have developed a new solution that eliminates the need to run wire from the light to the switch location and eliminates the need for switch boxes. This solution uses EnOcean wireless light switches that are only available in the U.S. through Ad Hoc Electronics (www.AdHocElectronics.com). This product creates its own energy when the switch is pressed, making it battery-free. Wireless light switches also don’t require wires because they communicate with the light through radio waves. These radio signals are received by a light module (receiver) that is wired to the light.Many remodeling experts have turned to the wireless, battery-free light switches because of the unyielding attributes of any brick, glass,

plaster, lath or concrete wall. Traditional retrofitting methods can leave scars on the home’s appearance and be unnecessarily costly. When confronted with an add-on such as a sunroom with glass walls or a brick-walled extension; electricians and builders can now deliver wireless, battery-free lighting control that truncates the time needed for installation and completely bypasses the potential setbacks embedded in any impervious wall.

Benefits of Wireless

Time is money, and that is why wireless light switches are serving the remodeling industry. Installing a battery-free wireless light switch is a very time efficient remodeling technique that takes less than half the time needed to install a traditional wired light switch. One way wireless switches save time is that they don’t require switch boxes, the switches mount directly to the wall with screws or electrical tape. Not only does this save time, it also allows the switch to be placed wherever it is convenient.
Installing a three or four way switch is much easier with wireless light switches because one light module communicates with a maximum of 30 switches. There is no need for 14-3 wire when installing these switches; just simply program a couple wireless switches and the job is done in minutes. Also, the switches can be placed anywhere making the locations of three and four-way switches convenient.
Because these switches are programmed, it is easy to choose which switches control which lights. This feature allows the benefits of customized lighting control and automation. For example, if every light in a house or building was wired with a light module and controlled by wireless switches, one switch could be programmed to turn off every light with one click. This master switch is convenient when exiting the building because it turns everything off and there is no need to go around checking for lights that were left on.
Another feature is called lighted pathways, this is when one or more switches controls one group of lights that create a path from one destination to the next. For example, a battery-free remote control in the car can be used to open the garage door and also turn on all the lights from the garage entrance to the kitchen. This makes it convenient when your hands are full of groceries and it would be hard to reach for light switches.

How it works

A small magnetic coil is located inside each wireless switch and the act of pressing the switch creates a minute amount of energy that is used to send a radio signal to the light module. The light module is wired into the light and when it receives radio signals from the wireless light switch it either opens or closes the circuit for the light, controlling whether the light is off or on.
Programming switches to communicate with light modules is a simple process that takes just a few minutes. Once the light module is wired to the light, there is a learn button on the module that is pressed to put it into programming mode. The light will begin to toggle (turn off and on) indicating that it is in learn mode, the next step is to press the switch that is wanted to control that light. The light will stop toggling once a switch is pressed, letting you know that the switch is programmed. Once the light begins to toggle again the next switch can be programmed using the same process of simply pressing the switch.

Reliability

EnOcean wireless switches are battery-free, making them very reliable because there is never a need to worry about dead batteries or a faulty wire. The switches have been tested to last for over 20 years worth of presses and that is if the switch is used quite often. Also, this wireless system has a range of 50-150 ft. which is more than enough range for the average distance of a light switch from its respective light. The amount of walls and metal between the light and its switch will reduce the range. This is something to keep in mind when choosing the kind of light box to use.