Hi all, I’m new to this forum and also doing home reno from scratch for the first time. Am exploring home automation and smart systems to incorporate during reno, and came across Ganen kinetic switches. Any one with feedback on the company or kinetic switches in general?

not a fan of smart switches as they use electricity 24/7 so waste of electricity when I can just walk a few steps to turn on/off the lights/fans/appliances.

but if you want to do them get the electrician to pull neutral wire for all the switch sockets. while there are smart switches which doesn't need the neutral wire, I see online that many people complaining that those without neutral wires fail after sometime with the socket shorted and burnt. it is a fire harzard when this happens

Hi Snoozee, regarding your point on the fire hazard resulting from using smart switches without neutral wire, just wanted to check on your views of using smart switches with neutral wire, as I read somewhere that installing neutral wires into switches will have risk of electrocution (and consequently death if that happens), which is why SP testing would not pass with the neutral wire? thanks 

16 hours ago, noob789 said:

Hi Snoozee, regarding your point on the fire hazard resulting from using smart switches without neutral wire, just wanted to check on your views of using smart switches with neutral wire, as I read somewhere that installing neutral wires into switches will have risk of electrocution (and consequently death if that happens), which is why SP testing would not pass with the neutral wire? thanks 

I think it depends on what type of switches are being used. I don't have the latest Singapore Standard but the old CP5, it indicates that switchgear must disconnect the live wire before disconnecting the neutral wire or disconnect both live and neutral at the same time.

by right the neutral wire does not carry current so there shouldn't be any electrocution happening unless there is a short circuit or the live wire isn't disconnected first (read above).

water heater switches are two pole and disconnect both live and neutral at the same time so these definitely can pass SP inspection. But for normal light switches, they are just single pole and only the live wires are connected/disconnected when the switch is thrown. So if you have a neutral wire which is not connected to anywhere within the light switch housing I don't think it will pass SP inspection at all.

Do also note that in order to pass SP inspection, all electrical switches and sockets should have the Singapore Safety Mark as well. So if you have a smart switch which does not have safety mark then it will definitely not pass inspection.

I normally use general type of switch