MaximumPC 2008 06

Control Your Home’s Lighting

There’s more to it than dimming the lamp from your couch

STEP 2: INSTALL NEW SWITCH

Connect the black wire inside the

wall to the black wire on the switch

by twisting the exposed wires

together. Screw a wire nut onto the

two wires and wrap it in electrical

tape. Using the same technique,

connect the blue wire on the switch

to the wire connected to the load,

and then repeat this process with

the white and green wires. The

switch’s red wire won’t be used,

but screw a wire nut onto it so that it’s not

exposed.

Push the switch and its wires into the

junction box and tighten down the screws.

Turn the power back on and make sure

that the switch turns the load on and off.

Replace the cover plate and prepare to

program the switch.

Install a Z-Wave

Switch

STEP 1: REMOVE OLD SWITCH

We recommend hiring a qualifi ed electrician

for this step because a wiring mistake can

cause serious injury or death. Even experi-

enced do-it-yourselfers should proceed with

extreme caution. Since we don’t know how

your house is wired, we can provide only

general guidance.

Turn off power to the existing switch by

fl ipping the circuit breaker or removing the

appropriate fuse. Put a sign on the fuse or

breaker box warning no one else to turn it

back on. Go back to the switch, remove the

cover plate, and use a voltage tester to ensure

that the circuit is cold.

Now, examine the existing wiring. Typi-

cally, a black wire is hot, white is neutral,

and green or exposed copper wire is ground.

We’re setting up a single-pole application,

meaning only this switch will control the

load. The Intermatic InTouch CA3000 switch

we’re using can also function as a three-way

or multi-way (the load can be controlled

from two or more switches). Unscrew the

wires from the old switch.

Install a Plug-In

Module

If you can plug in a lamp, you can install

a plug-in Z-Wave module. Simply unplug

your lamp from the wall receptacle, plug

the Z-Wave module into the receptacle,

and plug the lamp into the module.

You’re done. We’ll show you how to pro-

gram the module in another step.

Before you buy a bunch of modules,

however, make sure you select the right

type. If you’ve replaced the incandes-

cent light bulbs in your lamps with

compact fl uorescents, you’ll need to buy

an appliance module instead of a lamp

module. Most appliance modules, such

as Intermatic’s HomeSettings HA02, will

control any household appliance (such as

a fan or television) up to 15 amps. Avoid

plugging a module into a receptacle

that’s controlled by a switch because the

module can’t function if the switch shuts

off its power source.

44 | MAXIMUMPC | JUN 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com

Two automation standards are fi ghting for dominance: ZigBee and Z-

Wave. We’re focusing on Z-Wave here—despite the fact that it’s not an

IEEE standard—because it has the biggest presence in the market. But

you needn’t worry about owning an orphan technology should Z-Wave

not stand the test of time. ZigBee’s promoters tell us that designing and

manufacturing a ZigBee-to-Z-Wave bridge would be trivial.

If you don’t want to hire an electrician, the easiest way to set up a

Z-Wave lighting network is to buy a kit consisting of plug-in modules

and a remote control. Add a Z-Wave USB stick if you want to use your PC

to control your lighting.

Plug-in Z-Wave modules don’t look great,

but they save you from futzing with bare

electrical wires.

THE^ DIGITAL

DOMICILE