Best Technology to Control Lighting in a Detached Garage

[mscampbe]

My new garage is under construction in central PA and nearly finished. I want to be able to control the lighting in my new detached garage from my house. The garage is 50ft from my home. I have run Cat7 wire underground to the garage that will be connected directly to my router inside my house. I prefer to utilize a technology that will stand the test of time. I have been reading up on the topic, but I need to decide on things this week. Am I better off using Zwave or wifi switches. I want to control 6 separate lighting switches ( light above entry door, floodlight to side yard, floodlight above garage door to driveway, two lamps on either side of garage door, two separate lighting circuits for the ceiling lights inside the garage and I want dimmers on both of those circuits.)

It would be great to control a thermostat remotely for my gas heater when I want to bump up the temp prior to going to the garage.

It would also be nice to have a smoke detector that could notify me on my cell phone if it alarms.

Thanks for your guidance.

 

[pattenp]

Since you ran Cat7, I'd go with wifi devices.

 

[tab2]

Pick your wifi poison since you will have it out there.

There are lots of manufacturers now and they turn on a few seconds after you hit it on your phone. I have some Wemo devices (2 in-wall switches, 2 plugs) and they are fine for what I do with them (on at 5:45, off at sunrise, on at sunset, off at 9:45PM). Software can be finicky where it loses the device, but the program still works so I just let it go.

 

[klassenl]

You could also use the Lutron Caseta system. With the hub it's connected to the Internet. The website says you can integrate a thermostat as well.

 

[hilld]

I second the Lutron Caseta system. As a bonus, you can integrate it with Homekit for no additional cost if you are in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[Gummi Bear]

Pass &Seymour, Hubbell, Lutron, Leviton all make systems similar to what you’re describing.

It’s pretty neat technology that is coming to market nowadays.

I’m putting a Honeywell system in a hotel right now. It’s pretty complicated though. Lots of head scratching involved so far.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[glennm]

Most switches require a neutral wire ( with the exception of Caseta ) so make sure you consider that when wiring the garage.

 

[Denwood]

Most switches require a neutral wire ( with the exception of Caseta ) so make sure you consider that when wiring the garage.

Yep, make sure each box has a neutral. It sounds like you want to do all your light control from the switches, in which case you'll be using zwave. I'm using Leviton zwave switches which are reliable. I would not use WIFI switches as the mainstream reliable supported technology for automation hubs is Zwave and Zigbee devices.

Also make sure that your thermostat wiring includes provision for a C wire as you'll need that for a reliable WIFI thermostat like the Ecobee units. Use 6 conductor thermostat wire and you'll be fine going forward.

I don't use Lutron, however if you're planning on just doing lighting (and no other automation) then it is likely a reliable path forward.

If you do plan on using automation in your shop and house, then the best current solution is to look at Hubitat. You would purchase a hub for your house (if doing anything there) and garage and integrate them. Hubitat is one of the few systems right now that allows you to connect hubs together over your LAN. This solves the issue of a reliable mesh network between house and shop. It's also 100% local processing, so if your internet is down, it all still works. I am using Leviton zwave switches, but there are more choices now as well. You'll likely want to add some door automation too..again you'll want a hub for this. I have extensive experience with Vera, SmartThings and am migrating slowly to Hubitat.

An Ecobee lite thermostat would be my recommendation for a thermostat as it both connects to wifi, can be controlled from your phone, and also integrates well with automation. They also provide low temp alerts etc. if something is not going right with your heat. I've installed about 16 of them now in various projects and they are solid. They work 100% fine if internet is down as well.

The other upside to a hub like SmartThings or Hubitat is that you can arm them like a security system and get notifications on your phone of any issues. You'd just need to add wireless contact sensors on your man and shop doors.

 

[Smoghat]

I recommend Lutron Caseta over Leviton Decora Smart (WiFI) switches even though Lutron requires an extra hub. I warn you though, once you install a couple, you may redo your whole house as I did. I recently installed driveway heating mats from Warmly Yours and I opted to have them controlled by a WiFi-enabled relay in the garage. Well, the "WiFi-enabled" part is just a Leviton switch mounted in a box controlling one set of relays which then controls a second set of relays. I go to provision the switch with the Leviton iOS app and after an hour of trying on every iOS device in the house save the AppleTV, I had no luck and I called Leviton. The problem, it turns out is that the switch needs to have a firmware update so iOS 14 can connect to it. Great, how do I do that? With a device that has an earlier iOS, which of course we don't have. Eventually, I found a neighbor with an iPhone 6 and we managed to get the firmware upgraded and the device provisioned. When the electrician comes back for the final inspection, I'm having him replace the Leviton switch with a Lutron switch I had hanging around (I'd have done it the first day except I don't want to get in trouble with either him or the inspector and he'll do it for free anyway).

The Lutron app is decent. It works with Alexa and Apple Homekit. We have our landscape lighting controlled in it with a timer, plus I have a trigger that if a person is detected outside by my video doorbell at night, the landscape lights go on. Good for people returning home, bad for the crooks. I also set up a timer to turn the garage lights off at some point when you are bound to be in bed. I also have an Alexa skill set up so I say "Alexa lights off" and everything in the house except the exterior lights goes off.

I also have an Ecobee thermostat. It's great. I don't recommend Nest and my HVAC installers hate Nests too. They don't play nice with many heating systems. Best to just skip that hassle.

As for a smoke alarm, what do you have at home? Do you have a burgler alarm? We replaced ADT with Simplisafe. Simplisafe is easy and it works well. Or you could use a Nest carbon monoxide smoke detector. I do like those and since Simplisafe doesn't do the carbon monoxide in the same unit, we have both (good to have backups honestly).

 

[Chris130]

Caseta is an impressively solid & responsive system. Range is better than they advertise too.

My detached garage is ~40' from house. I have my main garage lights on a Caseta sw/ out there and it works fine (even in the crazy cold right now up here in MN!).

Caseta has both neutral-required and no-neutral switches - always use the neutral-required version whenever possible (true for any smart switch). The no-neutral stuff works OK, but it's a lot more finicky with LED types and overall loads.

 

[Norcal]

As to a neutral in the switch boxes,it’s required now anyway with some limited exceptions so plan on that.

 

[Metal-Marc]

I'm using Smartthings and Philips Hue. Works great for me. Outside garage lights are all Hue, and I can have them come on/on remotely or on schedule. I can also dim them.

 

[hilld]

Most switches require a neutral wire ( with the exception of Caseta ) so make sure you consider that when wiring the garage.

That depends on the Caseta switch chosen. The dimmers do NOT require a neutral wire, however, the on/off switches do. Not sure why that is, but there are differences.

 

[hilld]

One thing that was missing in the Lutron caseta lineup was a simple 3 prong outlet that was switchable. They have a 2 prong lighting dimmer, but I wanted a simple 3 prong on/off. My use case was for the recirc pump on my hot water heater. I wanted it to come on at a certain time and go off at a certain time. But I also wanted it to be integrated in scenes in Apple Home Kit.

So I am using a vocolink plug for that purpose. The nice thing with Apple Home Kit and probably the equivalent Android solution (I don't have any experience there) is that you can aggregate devices from different vendors to achieve full automation or to the level that you want.

 

[Denwood]

Hilld, that's why I suggest a hub like Hubitat or SmartThings as a start. Then you build off that and add stats, switches, dimmers, receptacles, overhead door control etc. with very few limitations in terms of automation. Geolocation and auto arming of security etc. all comes with a hub.

 

[klassenl]

One thing that was missing in the Lutron caseta lineup was a simple 3 prong outlet that was switchable. They have a 2 prong lighting dimmer, but I wanted a simple 3 prong on/off.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/lu...-for-all-bulb-types-and-fans-white/1001060211

You could have used a Caseta on/off switch wired to a plug.

 

[hilld]

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/lu...-for-all-bulb-types-and-fans-white/1001060211

You could have used a Caseta on/off switch wired to a plug.

Complete overkill that requires wiring, tearing up walls, etc vs. just find something that plugs in and works and is cheaper. Also integrates with Homekit.

https://www.vocolinc.com/products/smartbar-wi-fi-plug-type-b-vp5

 

[brianpgriset]

Go with Zwave. Use hubitat so your automations will be stored locally and not on a cloud like smartthings. As mentioned hubitat has a new hub mesh feature and you can place a hub in the garage and house if you desire. For switches you really should try Inovelli red series. The programmable scene sets from multi taps is awesome and will allow you seamless control of your shop or house lights.

If you only want a few basic controls wifi will be cheaper but if you want to expand your smart home Id invest in a proper Zwave setup and Hubitat and Inovelli are hard to beat.

 

[Denwood]

Go with Zwave. Use hubitat so your automations will be stored locally and not on a cloud like smartthings. As mentioned hubitat has a new hub mesh feature and you can place a hub in the garage and house if you desire. For switches you really should try Inovelli red series. The programmable scene sets from multi taps is awesome and will allow you seamless control of your shop or house lights.

If you only want a few basic controls wifi will be cheaper but if you want to expand your smart home Id invest in a proper Zwave setup and Hubitat and Inovelli are hard to beat.

100%. Just a heads up that the Innovelli may not deal with lower draw LED lights unless you add a resistor. They don't require a neutral so there is some current leakage there that may flash LED lights if they are low draw...

 

[airmaxximus]

@mscampbe - I am in the process of doing the exact same project with my newly constructed detached garage. I went with the Lutron Caseta system to control my lighting and am really impressed with it. As @Hilld mentioned, the lack of simple three prong outlet is a setback if you are retrofitting. However, I was able to implement the switched outlets pretty easily when the electrical was being pulled. Another bonus I found with the Caseta switches was the ability to program the available PICO remote to the garage switches. This provides the functionality of a three way switch in your home without the wiring. While I haven't physically installed them in the house yet, I plan on installing the PICO remote in my house at the back door alongside the other switches that control the outside house lights. Caseta sells the PICO remote and wall mount adapter that allows you to mount them without having destroy the walls. Just mount the adapter plate and replace the existing wall plate with the appropriate sized one after.

@Hilld - you can still get the Lutron on/off switches that don't require a neutral. You'll never find them in the big box stores, but the specialty electrical supply shops can get them. The part number is PD-5WS-DV. I've recently ordered 3 from Wesco for my parents place that doesn't have the neutral in the gang box.

 

[hilld]

@Hilld - you can still get the Lutron on/off switches that don't require a neutral. You'll never find them in the big box stores, but the specialty electrical supply shops can get them. The part number is PD-5WS-DV. I've recently ordered 3 from Wesco for my parents place that doesn't have the neutral in the gang box.

Thanks for the heads up. I am good on switches for now, until the next build.

 

[hd54kh]

Hi all, I'm leaning towards the Hubitat for the house and detached garage.

I don't have a neutral for the garage outside light but it is in a 4 gang box with a neutral for an other switch, can I use that neutral?

Also if I need an additional hub for say the Lutron switches what does than entail and cost.

Terry