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Like many, I'm looking for a way to control the fluorescent tube in my kitchen.

Is there any reason why I can't wire a Sonoff switch inside the fluorescent tube lighting batten? I don't have enough electrical knowledge to know if this is a safe/viable solution. If it helps I'm in the UK.

2 Answers 2

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Yes thats a viable solution. It vary between the different Sonoff devices.

Note! Beware, working with mains voltage is lethal!

connection schema

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    Thanks for your reply. The type of Sonoff switch I'm talking about are the ones you can typically buy online for around £5. On the front of the smart switch is says Max load 10A, is this up to the job of being wired between the input power and the inductive ballast (as illustrated)? Commented Feb 13, 2018 at 22:58
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    10A x 230volt = 2300 Watts load. So it depends on your "fluorescent tube lighting batten", what tubes do you have and how many and then add them together and you get the load. Note for electrical engineers this is a simplified answer.
    – MatsK
    Commented Feb 14, 2018 at 13:49
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Yes, the inside of the lighting fixture is a suitable place to add additional circuitry. You should bear in mind that the fluorescent tube load is more demanding on it's switching circuit than a simple resistive load, but with a typical domestic tube being rated at less than 80 watts, the risk of overloading the switch should be low.

Many of these fixtures are metal. This might be a problem because it will severely attenuate the WiFi signal, and there is no obvious simple workaround to this. You might find that the roof void makes a more practical installation location.

This is probably a good time to remind you that unless you have had a consumer unit upgrade very recently, your lighting circuit is probably not protected by an earth leakage trip, so your lighting circuit is one of the most dangerous in the house to work with - sockets will be protected in all but >15 year old installations.

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