Lutron Caseta hub with a switch and remote.

1. Install the hub in the house near your wifi router.
2. Replace the existing light switch in the barn with a Caseta light switch.
3. Download the Caseta app, install the wall switch on the app.
4. Do the same for the pico remote.
5. Schedule the sequence you want for the lights - come on at dusk, go off at dawn, random on and off pattern, etc.

You can use the pico remote to turn the light on and off from the house or the app on your phone.

Samsung Smart things works the same way .

Once the system has been set up, can you turn the barn light on and off using physical switches, not the Caseta app?

Mike,

Yes, the lights can be turned on using the physical switch in the barn or the pico remote that looks like a switch and can be placed anywhere. Once the system is setup and you select the scene to turn the lights on at dusk and off at dawn, you don't ever have to use the app again unless your wifi credentials change. The app can be used to see the status of the lights so if they are off or on.

Thanks, homepro. I have a similar situation: a front porch ceiling light which is always on. I cannot get into the porch ceiling without destroying it, so I put in a pull chain fixture; very inelegant. But where would I put the Caseta switch? The wire supplying power comes from the now-unused octagonal ceiling box in the living room. Could I fit it there?

mtvhike,

Is there a switch located anywhere for the light? The switch does not need to be near the light at all. I don't think you can use a junction box on the ceiling to power the switch but an electrician may be able to answer you. There is one step at the beginning to program the light switch to be recognized by your wifi where you have to depress the button for 10secs but after that, you no longer have to touch the switch to use it. You can use the pico remote or the app on your phone.

While I love the Caseta system, I'm skeptical that it is the proper solution for this case. The stated range of Caseta is 30ft - meaning the light switches need to be w/in 30ft of the Caseta hub. While there is some fluff in there, I doubt it will reach out to 150ft.

This is going to be the case for the consumer level systems - i.e. z-wave, hue, or anything that needs a hub of some kind. The higher lever prosumer (RadioRa2) have auxillary repeaters that can increase the range, but that's terrible overkill for just one switch.

I would suggest a WeMo switch. It just replaces the existing switch in the barn that you use for that light. It uses wifi so it doesn't need a separate hub. You can just program it for dawn/dusk or whatever set timer you'd like from the app. While there is no remote switch as yet that would do what you want (control the light from the main house), if you have an Echo device it is compatible so you can just say "Alexa, turn off the barn lights" or something like that. Otherwise for non-automated remote control you'd need to use the app.

@mtvhike - if there is no switch that can control the light, you can go with a philips hue system. In that system the 'smarts' are in the bulb, not the switch. It does need a hub within about 30ft. And there is an option for a remote switch that can be mounted anywhere - it runs on batteries. You'd need a hub, a bulb and a remote.

Freeoscar,

I read the distance as 15ft. You are correct that at 150ft, the Caseta would not be the choice.

Just a clarification - the distance is 30ft from the hub. Think of it as a sphere with a 30ft radius (60 ft diameter) with the hub at the center. In this way if the hub is positioned somewhere near the center of the house it almost always will cover a whole home of 3000 sq ft or smaller.

Freeoscar,

I understand how the Caseta works. I don't know that if the garage is 150ft away from the home, there is any way to get a sphere that overlaps it with the Caseta. I own the Caseta pro and can access it from my shed which is about 25ft from the location of the hub in the house without issue.

Another option in the controllable lightbulb world would be Ilumi, Lifx and Osram/Sylvania. I think the Sylvania requires a hub. These could work with mtvhike and rwiegand and would prevent the modification of switches. As long as the type of bulbs available work.

I misunderstood - I thought you were referring to the range of the Caseta - people sometimes confuse the 30ft radius with a 30ft diameter. rwiegand said he wanted a local switch in the barn to control the light, so I don't recommend the light bulb applications for that - you essentially render the local switch inert because it has to be always on in that application, so the bulb can only be controlled by the app.

I agree that a bulb only solution is appropriate for mtvhike. I'm a little partial to Hue as it is the most widely used and compatible with most everything at this point. There are also frequent sales.

Hmmm-- It's sounding like what I want may not exist at this point. I was hoping for a pair of on/off switches that would talk to each other via wifi to act like a pair of wired three way switches. Easy enough in principle, but probably not sexy enough to generate many sales (vs talking to your light bulbs!) The home automation products seem aimed at a much more sophisticated set of problems.

The light only needs to be turned on when there's something happening out in the driveway--frequently, it seems, it's snowing in that situation, hence the desire not to have to hike out there and flip the switch!

Have you tried a motion sensor based light such as this: https://www.amazon.com/RAB-Lighting-STL360HBW-Stealth-Sensor/dp/B000W3YI26/ref=sr_1_45?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1502216460&sr=1-45&keywords=motion+sensor+light+outdoor

(there are many other, lower cost options).

rwiegand,

The caseta or systems like smart things do exactly what you want. The limitation is how far the unit will be from the switch.

How about a timer for the light in the garage? You would not be able to control it unless you physically touch it but it can come on at dusk and go off at dawn. You would still be able to manually switch it on and off when you are in the garage. Something like the Leviton. I had these before I automated my switches.

I personally never liked motion sensors. For some reason, all the ones I have had I could not activate. The cat walks across the lawn he sets of the motion sensor, local raccoon, yup sets off the motion sensor. I walk by nothing. I stand under the light nothing. Other people do the same thing, light comes on! Cue the vampire jokes:-) But it may work for your needs here.

I still think the lightbulbs would be your best choice.

Freeoscar,

Are the Philips Hue lightbulbs rated for outdoor use?

How about X10? It can communicate along the power line.

I do not want the light to go on automatically, I do not want it on a timer. I despise motion sensors. I just want to be able to turn the light on when I need it, the rest of the time I strongly prefer for it to be dark at night. Protecting night skies is important, see: http://www.darksky.org

I've found some systems that communicate on the power lines, I guess x10 is one of those? Do the devices need to be on the same 120v leg of the panel to communicate? I guess I can switch the breakers in the box if that's an issue. That seems a promising route.

Rwiegand,

I also use dark sky fixtures (fixtures that only point down and are not all glass). My lights come on at dusk, stay on at 100% until until 10pm and then go down to 25%. Shuts off in the morning. If i need to turn them on at any point, I use the app on my phone or Siri.

Good luck with x10.

rwiegand - If you are thinking of going with a power line system, I would suggest posting on cocoontech.com in the Home Automation forum. Those guys are very helpful and have been doing powerline since the first X10 systems in the 70s. One caveat is that you might need a neutral wire for the switches, but I'm not 100% sure if that's the case for all of them.

At Christmas time you can find remote light switches in all the hardware stores. I use one in my closed year-round. I don't know what the range for these things is.

At my last house I had a light switch installed in the house for the outside garage light, but we wired that directly underground.

One of these?

Switch Flip

Handy Switch

It might be too much hassle, but you could probably drop direct-buried (relatively shallow burial) low voltage wiring to the barn and use it to control a relay there. The one I'm familiar with is the RIB ("relay in a box") made by Functional Devices. They have nipples that go right into a box knockout. They can be bought with 24v or 10-30v coils.. You can even get them as SPDT relays, so you could make the barn switch a 3-way.

One snag with this is that I think the code requires separation of low voltage wiring from line voltage wiring, and the RIB's LV coil connections pop out the same nipple as the HV ones. Maybe someone else has an idea about that, or knows of a similar relay with the LV terminals separate.

Also, I think all the RIBs are rated for dry indoor use, so you'd have to take that into account.

Hope this helps!

So what's wrong with the two devices of which I posted?

OOPs - the link for Flip Switch is bad.

The Handy Switch link is good.

It's not clear that the Handy Switch will have sufficient range, an experiment is probably required; I couldn't find the technical specifications. I will admit to a bias against $19.95 "as seen on TV" devices.

If I wanted to dig up my brand new driveway a direct wire would certainly be the best and most reliable solution, however digging up the new asphalt is a non-starter.

I plan to try one of the power line controlled switches, but rebuilding the rot and termite-infested back wall of the barn before it falls down has taken temporary priority.