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UK Light Wiring with Shelly 1

Intro

This is a simple guide on how to automate UK lights with a Shelly 1 by installing the shelly 1 relay into the ceiling pendant which has both permanent live, neutral and a switched live back from the wall switch.

These steps are from my own experience making my lighting "smart" but also user friendly (it works via a wall switch!). This simple guide will go through replacing an a normal ceiling pendant with one with room for a Shelly 1. If you have a ceiling light with a bigger base it's even easier.

Warning Electrical regulations must be followed by law. If you are not a competent person under the regulations do not attempt electrical work. https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/electrical_safety.htm

Wiring Diagram

This diagram has been taken from here and modified to include the Shelly 1. Wiring Diagram

Parts Required

Steps

  1. First pre-wire as much as the Shelly as you can. 2. You want a two lengths of brown wire around 6cm which will be the LIVE in and the SW in (Switched live back from the light switch), a length of blue wire around 6cm for the NEUTRAL in. 3. Cut a small piece of wire to connect LIVE to I (Input). This is the power feed shelly will supply to your light. 4. It should now look something like the following, only O (output which goes to the lamp live) will be un-populated. Pre-Wired Shelly
  2. Install the shelly into the base of the new lamp and connect up the lamp wires. 3. Rember to reduce the length of the lamp wire so the pendant is at the correct height. 4. The red/brown live of the lamp should connect to the O(utput) of the Shelly 1. The shelly will only supply power when you want the light on! 5. The neutral of the lamp can be fitted into the N terminal of the shelly if there is room, otherwise you can put it into the neutral connector block you will be installing.
  3. It should look something like this: Shelly Connected in Base
  4. Time to replace the ceiling pendant. If the wiring seems strange and you don't understand it, do not go ahead and please consulate a qualified electrician.
  5. Turn off the lighting circuit you are modifying and ensure that nothing is live (ensure the light does not work and use a voltage detector around the base of the light)
  6. Once you have removed the lamp shade, bulb and unscrewed the pendant it should look like this: enter image description here
  7. Please make sure you know what wires are which, this is very important!
  8. In this instance it's a very basic ceiling rose as the room only has one light. There are two neutral wires, three permanent live wires and a switched live wire (a red sleeved neutral wire which returns from the wall switch).
  9. The ceiling rose has a built in connector block, in order to fit the shelly we are replacing this with a simply bracket which the ceiling rose cover fits to and using our own connector blocks instead of one built into a base.
  10. You need to disconnect the lamp, which connects to the switched live block and the neutral block. It should now look something like this: Ceiling Rose without Lamp
  11. Remove the base keeping the wires together, you will need 4 connector blocks (Earth, Live, Neutral, Switched Live). For each block you need support for N + 1 wires. For example, Live in the above example will need a 4 way, the switched live will need a 2 way.
  12. Install the bracket for the new ceiling rose it should look something like this (I had not put on the earth connector at this point) Bracket Installed
  13. Time to connect the lamp up. 14. Connect up the N(eutral) from the Shelly (which includes the lamp) to the Neutral connector block. 15. Connect the L(ive) from the permanent live block to the Shelly. 16. Connect the SW(switched live) input from shelly to the switched live (sleeved neutral) connector block. 17. Connect the earths of all wires AND the metal ceiling rose together.
  14. It should now look something like this, this can be very tricky as there's not much space! It's much easier with lights with large bases. Make sure all connections are secure! Wired Up Hanging
  15. Secure the cover to the bracket on the ceiling, being careful with the cables and ensuring they have room and that the cables are secure. It should now look something like this: Dangling Lamp
  16. Done! Install a bulb and time to turn the power back on.
  17. Use the Shelly 1 App to add the Light to your network, also configure the button action! I have mine set to "Edge Switch" so the wall switch will change the status of the light no matter the position.

Before and After pictures Before enter image description here

Home Assistant Integration

I use the shelly MQTT support to monitor and control the lights in real-time (no waiting on a HTTP poll). WARNING using MQTT will disable cloud functionality through the shelly app.

  1. Get the IP address of the Shelly through the Shelly App (Settings -> Device Information). Also make a note of your Device ID.
  2. In a web browser go to the IP address of the Shelly, under the "Internet Security" tab there is an "ADVANCED - DEVELOPER SETTINGS" toggle. Tick the "Enable action execution via MQTT" 3. Enter your MQTT server IP and port 4. Tick "Retain" this ensures that home assistant always knows the correct state.
  3. Hit Save!
  4. In your home-assistant configuration.yml put the following
    light:
	  - platform: mqtt
	    name: Some Light
	    command_topic: "shellies/shelly1-<DEVICEID>/relay/0/command"
	    state_topic: "shellies/shelly1-<DEVICEID>/relay/0"
	    payload_on: "on"
	    payload_off: "off"
  1. This is making the assumption that you already have your MQTT server configured. I personally use a separate MQTT instance instead of the built-in one as I have a lot of devices using MQTT.
  2. Done! restart home assistant and you should be away.
@Davidbastin
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Many thanks for the help

@Alangers21
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Alangers21 commented Oct 31, 2021

Hi All. Have a Hall light that is controlled by about 5 (🙈) switches. Can't even think where a shelly1 should go so thought I'd put it at the ceiling light. Checked it today and can only see earth live and netual. I don't see any switch wire. See the pic attached. Any advice welcome? Have installed a few Shelly1 and 2.4s around the house in the past few months and this is the first one that has been a challange also the first thst is on more that a 1way switch.
IMG_20211031_164059
IMG_20211031_164040

I guess there is a junction box set up somewhere but have no idea were. It's possibly in the ceiling but can't defend pulling it down for a shelly 😂. All the switches have neutrals and space for shelly but doubt I can put it at the switch when there's so many switches to the light.

@lordneon
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lordneon commented Nov 1, 2021 via email

@Davidbastin
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Davidbastin commented Dec 10, 2021 via email

@Captain0Kangaroo
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I'm looking to add a Shelly 1 into this switch. It's a garage light switch (fused) with another switch at the other end of the garage.

Any ideas how i'd wire this up?
274533159_10159647978603548_2406614357737847988_n

@lordneon
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lordneon commented Mar 17, 2022

I'm looking to add a Shelly 1 into this switch. It's a garage light switch (fused) with another switch at the other end of the garage.

Any ideas how i'd wire this up? 274533159_10159647978603548_2406614357737847988_n

Assuming standard fused switch:
image

Identify the load side, this is the side going to your light. But check to see what else is on the circuit, as you will be switching it all on and off with the shelly.

You could just connect the shely inline on the load side.

Moving the existing "load" live out to the (O)utput on the shelly.
Add a new cable and connect the "load" live out to the (L)ive in on the shelly and the (I)nput.
Add an extra cable and connect the "load" neutral to the to the shelly (N)eutral.

Job done. The wall light switch wont work of course(you just need to leave it "on"), you would have to put it in a different place to have the switch work as normal.

@zilpe
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zilpe commented Aug 31, 2022

Hi @lordneon, thank you so much for this. I have a question though.

I saw what you said here:

You could still connect it, but you would have to leave your lightswitch on all the time. This sort of defeats the the main advantage of having a shelly over a smart bulb.

However, in this video, he managed to make the light switch and also the cloud controls work by essentially always powering the light, but using the light switch as a trigger to turn the light on and off via a MQTT call using Home Assistant. Would this be possible or am I misunderstanding? How would the layout differ?

Thanks again!

@lordneon
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Hi @lordneon, thank you so much for this. I have a question though.

I saw what you said here:

You could still connect it, but you would have to leave your lightswitch on all the time. This sort of defeats the the main advantage of having a shelly over a smart bulb.

However, in this video, he managed to make the light switch and also the cloud controls work by essentially always powering the light, but using the light switch as a trigger to turn the light on and off via a MQTT call using Home Assistant. Would this be possible or am I misunderstanding? How would the layout differ?

Thanks again!

I suspect he has a neutral in the light switch, unless I missed it he basically just said go to the shelly youtube channel for instructions on how to wire it up.

My comment was made in relation to a ceiling rose install which didnt have permanent live only switched live. If you have a switch live then the device is only going to get power when the switch is on.

Not sure I understand your question. Once a shelly is installed and working it can be used to trigger all sorts with home assistant. Nothing stopping you from using a light switch in one room to turn on a light on the otherside of the house.

@Iceman330
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Hi, great article which has persuaded me to get a Shelly.

I currently have kitchen lights which are 12v so have a transformer which is plugged into a mains socket.

And there is a light switch which controls this mains socket.

I want to install the Shelly at this socket .

The wires going to the socket is a Switched Live and a neutral. I assume the Shelly won't work as it needs a permanent live?

@lordneon
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lordneon commented Nov 10, 2022 via email

@Iceman330
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There is a neutral in the switch but it's impossible to fit the Shelly behind the switch due to space.

Which is why I was hoping to install it on the main socket side.

Because of not having a permanent live at the plug socket, the Shelly might not work.

But next to the plug socket I have a proper mains wall socket. Can I not take a permanent live from here?

@lordneon
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lordneon commented Nov 10, 2022 via email

@Iceman330
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Unfortunately fitting a larger back box is not an option.

I assume it's on a different circuit as the kitchen lights is on the lighting circuit and the mains socket is on the ground floor socket circuit.

But why does this matter? Because I was planning on getting a permanent live from this other socket to feed the Shelly. And also use this permanent live to feed my original socket (that is plugged into my kitchen lights).

Does that make sense?

@lordneon
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Unfortunately fitting a larger back box is not an option.

I assume it's on a different circuit as the kitchen lights is on the lighting circuit and the mains socket is on the ground floor socket circuit.

But why does this matter? Because I was planning on getting a permanent live from this other socket to feed the Shelly. And also use this permanent live to feed my original socket (that is plugged into my kitchen lights).

Does that make sense?

The tricky part is your light switch input. If you take that out of the equation, yes you can just just have a plug with a shelly inline which controls the lights. Easy.

image
If you look at the wiring diagram above. The switch input must be on the same circuit as the power for the shelly.

You do not want to bridge two circuits in any circumstance.

@Iceman330
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Ok thanks.

Just another question, you had an earlier post where you described on the wire connections when fitting to a light switch which has a neutral.

I'm sure it was there a couple of days ago, have you deleted that post? Any chance of it back as I found it very useful.

@lordneon
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lordneon commented Nov 11, 2022 via email

@jpankh
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jpankh commented Nov 22, 2023

Hi. Apologies if this is the wrong place for this question. Any idea how I should add Shelly to my WC switch? Also, there is an extractor fan which comes on when I turn there light on and the extractor has an isolation switch.

1000023057

@markbajaj
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markbajaj commented Nov 27, 2023

Thanks! Was apprehensive adding mine to my Bathroom 12v spots, but with your instructions it was really straight forward.

Easy to add in the loft. Normally I would get in an electrician, but your walkthrough was perfect.

@lordneon
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Hi. Apologies if this is the wrong place for this question. Any idea how I should add Shelly to my WC switch? Also, there is an extractor fan which comes on when I turn there light on and the extractor has an isolation switch.

1000023057

Assuming blue is neutral and com is permanent live (please check).
All you got to do is identify which is the wire going to the light. Remove this from L1 and put this into the Output of the shelly. Leave rest as they are.
Put an extra cable from L1 to the switch input. Connect shelly as normal. (Live to L, Neutral to N, Live to Input )

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